Chengel - Vocabulary crossword for iOS

Lists and flash cards work, but they feel like studying. Chengel turns learning words into a newspaper crossword: the clue is in your language, the answer is in the one you are learning, and you write it in my own handwriting. I designed the app, the design system, the icons and the illustrations. One iOS developer built it, and we made it in 3 weeks.

The keyboard. Each key had a 1px outline that made the letters harder to read, and in dark mode the keyboard stood out more than the puzzle. I tried four keyboards in light and dark and chose tonal keys: no outline, each key a hair lighter than the panel. The letters stay at 8.4:1 in light and 6.8:1 in dark.

The design system. Navy, purple and light blue carry the brand. JetBrains Mono runs the interface, and my handwriting, turned into a typeface, is used only for the letters in the grid. Components are built with atomic design and reused on every screen, and every text pair meets 4.5:1 in light and dark.

The main screens, first in dark mode and then in light mode. Dark mode uses a purple-tinted night grey, never pure black.

Chengel is waiting for App Store review. It has not been tested with learners yet; that is the next step.