This is the final outcome of my application after all the developments and refinements that I've made after the crits and feedback that I've gotten.
My application is a translation app which translates English (loan) words for users, which are used and have different meanings in other countries in contrast to the users use of the word in their own English. The application is primarily aimed for immigrants and people who are staying in a country for a long period of time e.g. international students. This application will hopefully help them to integrate and get used to the new culture, environment and society that they are in through learning the different meanings and connotations of certain English words that may mean completely different to how they normally use it or a word that they just never heard of before. Secondly, the application can be helpful for tourists and travellers in order to quickly and easily communicate with locals whilst also learning the cultural meanings and implications of the words they are translating.
Start up Page
The users will need to sign up or login to the app in order to use it and once they are in, they will need to choose a Default English and a Translated English, in order to make it easier for them to translate the words and quickly just type in without scrolling through the languages, although if users do want to choose another language they can easily do this by clicking the flags on the centre top area of the app. Doing this give the users an indication what languages they are using at the same time straightforward enough for them to know that's where you change languages. The users will also need to choose which community they want to join, optimising their communicate and information for the specific language they're learning as here the can converse with other users who are learning or using the language which can also give them a much more accurate and detailed information. It's also a place for them to have a more humane conversation where they can share their experiences and thoughts, so users don't only learn about the meaning of words but also the more in-depth meaning integrated in the society, culture and environment.
Main Menu
The main menu of the application is the type mode where user can type in a word or sentence that they'd like to be translated. I did this as it's the quickest way for users to access information without going through an extra step of choosing what mode they'd like. In addition, it's also a similar format to other translation apps, therefore it's already familiar to the users and they don't need to learn how to use it. In the main menu there are also other features which are very useful to the users:
- Speaker Icon - Users can click the speaker icon on the top right of the page to listen to the pronunciation of the word.
- 'X' Icon - Users can click this icon in order to delete what they have wrote, to start again or if they'd made a mistake.
- Save - users can click this icon to save their translations to a folder.
(My Profile)
Users can click on the icon on the top left in order to view their own detail and profile, including information about their chosen languages, posts and following and follower counts. Through here the users can also click on the 'your posts' section to view their post on the community board.
English Language Selection
Users can click the centre top icon where the country flag are directing them to a pop up list of all the available 'Englishes' they can wish to translate with. This is option is really handy as it allows users to easily select and change languages whenever they desire and gives them a wide range of access to different languages and not just the once that they selected beforehand.
Folder (Save)
The application includes a folder feature where users can
save, organise and look back at translations that they've learnt. In order to optimise learning and organisation for users, they are able create their own folders without presets as they'll be able to individually locate and know which translations are where. In addition, it also adds to the
personalised learning thus helping the users to learn in a controlled manner in relation to their learning speed.
Speak Feature
This feature allows users to use the
microphones in their phones to dictate the word/sentence that they'd like to translate. It allows for a
very quick way of translating a word and may be especially useful for travellers as they may pick up words while talking to locals. Although, I am aware that it may
not always be accurate as it depends on someone speaking, so if they're too quiet it may not be able to pick up the word, and if they may have a strong accent it may translate another word which can be quite difficult to sort out. However, for the most part, this feature is beneficial and serves enough purpose for it to be useful and effective in the application and give users a good user experience.
Camera Feature
This feature allows users to take pictures of signages that they may see around. In addition, it also allows users to highlight parts of the pictures that they want to highlight for a more accurate translation, as users may only want to know a certain part e.g. on menus or book passages.
Share Feature
This feature allows users to share the translations that they obtained to the 'Community Board' of the application. This sharing feature also allows the add a comment or a question which shows up on the community board to start a conversation with other users and start a thread with them.
Community Board
Linking to the 'Share feature', the community board allows the users to engage in a more in-depth conversation between the words/sentences that they've translated and learnt and hopefully follow through to more personal conversations. In addition, through this users can also follow and message each other, allowing them to meet and discuss with users with the same language interest and experiences as them, thus creating a community between users in the application.
*Design Elements
Type
The typeface that I chose for the application is 'NexaBold' as I found that the typeface has a very good balanced characteristic of being friendly and welcoming but also relatively smart and contemporary, which gives the users a very good impression of the application and it's services. The typeface has strong geometrical features which kind of reminds me of 'Helvetica' and 'Futura' in a way as it has both sharp and neutral feel. But at the same time, I also found some script characteristics in particular the lowercase 'g' which bring out the bubbly and friendly vibe that I want the app to have. Overall, I think that the typeface is very effective as it doesn't overwhelm the users but gives them a sense of familiarity and assurance that it's a trustworthy app and accurate translations.
Furthermore, in relation to type I have also considered the typesetting and use of type size in order to establish the hierarchy of information, especially because my application's main goal is to provide users lots of information this is something that is important in order for it to be successful. The heading of each page e.g. Share to Community are 20 pt., whilst the information are 15pt. Doing this, makes it extremely clear for the users to know which information to read first and where to follow through within the app, also making it easier for them to navigate through information. At the same time, aesthetically the weight is balanced and optically looks really good (not too big nor too small).
Colour
Orange - #FF9D00
Green - #3BB44B
Grey - #707070
At the end I decided to go with these colours as the three main colour palette of my application. I've taken my peers' suggestion to minimise the use of the orange and make it more subtle so I decided to make it a motif on the top bar of each page. Doing this made for a much cleaner and sleeker aesthetic for the application, however still implying to the user's the informative an immersive experience that I want them to have whilst using the application. In addition, I also matched the orange with green and carried this on to the highlighted portion of the context page in order to amplify the use of the colours in relation to the user's memory and attention. I thought that this would be quite effective as the colours compliment each other quite well, and with the addition of the grey for the text, creates a well balanced colour palette that brings out a bright and professional aesthetic fitting of the content and context of the application. Furthermore, I've also received good comments about the colour scheme with peers in crits saying how it reminds them of culture and society which validates it for me that I've chosen the right colour scheme for my application.
Thoughts & Reflection:
Overall, I'm actually pretty satisfied with the outcome of my application and I think through the development process that I've been doing I've create an application which have been well-thought out and revised. I also think that I've considered the user experience quite well in relation to the user interface and the user interface itself and how it aids to the user experience at the same time how it looks and the aesthetic of it which also affects how users will see and think of the application. In addition, I also think that the features that I have included in the application are very effective and useful in terms of users being able to obtain and learn information. The different alternative modes that the users can use also maximises the success fo the application as this means that the user can access information in various different ways depending on their circumstance and their urgency of need. Though it does look very similar to other translation apps, I can argue that doing this helps the users quickly familiarise themselves with the application without tutorials (and honestly should be anyways as my target users(persona) are people who would be used to using translation apps). However, the content the app is generating sets it apart from other translation apps as it gives a more detailed and in-depth look into a word/sentence, giving the users a way of learning the society, culture and environment they are in in a much more accessible method through the app, thus help them mix in more with the locals, as they obtain a richer understanding of what they are translating. All in all, I think that I have done enough in order for the application to be effective and successful both context and content wise and aesthetically and I think that the app effectively generates good user experience for it's target users through it's user interface.
