Allowing students to more effectively learn vocabulary.
Amy Bennett
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Students who study using traditional flash cards are not guaranteed successful exam scores.
Most student’s have likely been here before. Armed with a mountain of flashcards, they spent the whole night studying. Yet, when the exam was placed in front of them, they draw a blank. Which leads to the main question-
THE SOLUTION
A way to increase memory of vocabulary by 80% without rehearsing.
For years memory psychologists pointed to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model when determining how to encode something from short term memory to long term memory. It was famously thought that rehearsal was the answer, and this is still a common misconception today. This intuitively plausible theory was debunked by Craik and Tulving* with their incidental memory test. They studied the DEPTH of processing of the words. What does this mean?
Memory is a by-product of depth of processing, not repetition.
Induce deep processing
Increase your chance of memorization by 80%. *
Avoid the consequences of mindless repetition.
Provide an avenue for processing information into long term memory.
Quit the mindless repetition and see results
Set goals for yourself and see real improvement.
Create study sets that are actually effective.
Practice practical time management.
Engage with others and form a community
Play challenge games with fellow classmates.
Stay motivated with the help of others.
Grow with like-minded users.
MARKET RESEARCH + THE GAP
The competition relies on repetition, which is scientifically proven to be INEFFECTIVE.
USER INTERVIEWS
My interviewees have trouble feeling ENGAGED AND MOTIVATED using traditional flashcard apps.
Through research I learned the importance of deep processing for learning. In order to relate this idea to my project I conducted interviews with students who agreed that learning vocabulary using traditional flashcard apps does not guarantee learning. I asked them questions so I could better understand trends on why they failed to accomplish their learning goals.
THE MAIN INSIGHT
None of the other apps have worked because there was no DEEP LEVEL PROCESSING.
THE DESIGN
DESIGN EXPLORATIONS
Sketching to visualize user flows.
Exploration of possible designs for flash cards
Sketching for different variations of a vocabulary game.
Sketches turned to Wireframes
TESTING + IMPROVEMENTS
The Final Design
Reflections
Backed by scientific research and coupled with first hand accounts from users, I was able to design an app that effectively leverages depth of processing to ensure long term learning. All the while I learned some important lessons along the way!
Big lesson- In my attempt to create a more effective learning app, I found through user interviews that the design started to become less and less intuitive. While conducting my competitive analysis I think I focused on what the other apps were lacking, rather than what they all had in common and therefore what users would expect. I came to the decision that I wanted to create an app that was more effective than others, yet just familiar enough that the learning curve wouldn’t be too steep. This was an exercise in pulling the fundamental expectations from other apps while also creating something unique that fills a market gap.
Future plans- I plan on continuing to iterate this current design and add on a few important features including, a solo study game session as suggested by my users!
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Posted May 18, 2023
Quizzard
