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Letras Academy's Flashcards

Optimizing language learning

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Overview

ABOUT LETRAS ACADEMY

Letras Academy is a language-learning app and website. As a sub-product of Letras.mus.br, a song lyrics website, the learning experience is based on music. Featuring exercises and lessons centered around trivia, music history, and lyrics.

THE GOAL

The product's goal is to offer a fun and dynamic way of learning. However, at the time, the approach involved traditional video lessons and quizzes. To better align with the product goal, our teaching team suggested incorporating a flashcard feature.

LIMITATIONS

Due to various reasons, we didn't have as much time for this project as we typically do for others of the same kind. Therefore, my project partner and I decided to undertake a discovery and definition process. Our findings would then be discussed with stakeholders to determine whether continuing the project would be possible within our time constraints.

Desk research

To save time, we analyzed questionnaires answered by users in previous projects. We sought questions that could help us understand whether the feature would address users' problems and how it could be best implemented.

Among other findings, we determined that when users were asked open-ended questions about why they found it challenging to learn their intended language, almost 10% expressed a need for assistance with vocabulary, memorization, or practice.

Analyzing similar products

We looked at two main types of products: Language-learning apps with flashcards and apps focused on flashcards. Our findings from analyzing them were mainly:

Flashcard apps are usually more customizable, but reviews indicate that they lack pronunciation features, and organizing decks becomes more challenging due to their high level of customization.

Customization
Multi-media

Products for learning languages incorporate images, voice recordings for pronunciation, and multiple-choice questions.

Feedback system

Most products had a four-tier feedback system for the flashcards. The selected tier is used to determine when the user will review that card again.

Mapping ideas

After brainstorming with my project partner, we mapped out the proposal in a user flow. We concluded that the most efficient approach to the project would be to integrate the flashcards with the features already present in both of our products. This would save precious time and bring the product family closer, while also enabling users to leverage what they are already familiar with.

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As I don't expect you to read the low-res, long, complicated userflow written in portuguese above, here's a simplyfied and readable one:

Lyrics page/

List of decks

Study deck of flashcards

See flashcard

Session evaluation

Rate difficulty

Flip flashcard

Reducing the first version

After presenting the user flow and engaging in discussions with stakeholders, we decided to focus on the lyrics flashcards in the first version. Users would create these flashcards directly on the lyrics page and organize them into custom decks. Placing the feature on our most frequently visited page would allow us to quickly gauge user reception.

Even so, we still had a lot of ground to cover. So, we created a document to rank the topics for the first version. We then discussed it with stakeholders and voted on the priority of each topic.

The voting process shaped our plan, and here are the main points:

1. Our decks

The teaching team would create decks of flashcards and make them available for users.

2. 4 tier feedback system

We would implement the 4-tier feedback system.

3. Learned flashcards

The user would be able to mark a flashcard as "learned," preventing it from appearing in future study sessions.

4. Annotations

The user would be able to add annotations to the flashcards, and these annotations would be visible when the card is flipped.

Creating the lo-fi prototipe

Considering everything we identified as our priorities, we updated the user flow and started creating the low-fi prototype.

We began exploring the possibility of integrating video into the flashcards to aid with pronunciation. Our idea was to locate the specific flashcard word within the video captions we have. This approach would enable us to display multiple video snippets from different songs, showcasing the pronunciation of that word within a phrase.

Building a study session algorithm

In the process of working on this project, we gained insights into spaced repetition, a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time. Recognizing the need for an algorithm to determine which cards to show when and considering the use of the 4-tier feedback system in study sessions, I formulated an equation and a diagram to explain it.

At the risk of oversimplyfing it, the algorithm basically follows these steps:​

First, it assigns points to a card based on the difficulty given by the user – more points for an easy rating and fewer for a harder one.

1.
2.

Points are deducted when the card is displayed and added when the card is not seen for a determined period of time.

3.

Cards with higher points are prioritized and displayed first during study sessions.

A similar system would be implemented to determine which decks to suggest to the user initially and when to notify the user to begin a study session.

Interactive prototype and usability testing

The prototype underwent numerous critiques and several iterations to be ready for usability testing.

Regarding the usability of the prototype, it performed well in the tests. Minor fixes were implemented, and new ideas emerged during this process.

After the tests, we developed a desktop prototype. Most of our users currently study at Letras Academy on desktop.

Closing the project

The interactive prototype, along with the usability test results, was presented to stakeholders. Despite its promising outlook, we arrived at the conclusion that the project required a level of complexity to meet user needs that we currently lacked the resources to invest in. As a result, the project was closed with the hope of being revisited in the future.

Lessons and Constraints

This project taught essential lessons in strategic prioritization and adaptability. Navigating time and resource constraints underscored the importance of realistic project scope. The project highlighted the value of delving into didactic techniques, providing a foundation for their effective implementation in future projects. These insights will guide future endeavors, emphasizing the balance between project scope and available resources while prioritizing user needs.

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