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Week 7 & 8 : User Research Interviews & Breakdown
At the end of week 6, after completing our initial research and reaching our pitch concept (A cooking app that teaches you language), a decision was made to conduct semi structured interviews.
Although the initial pitch was that the system would incorporate Virtual Reality to immerse users in the environment of cooking, this element has been placed to the side for now as the team focuses on user values, with priority to cultural immersion instead, i.e. how deeply connected the user is to the culture whos language they are learning
Some preparatory work into user research.
Among the interests we had when preparing our questions included * Should our system consist of just words? Would learners prefer to simply repeat a sentence after hearing it? * Perhaps learners should be encouraged to construct a sentence from the words given by the app? * Different settings to suit each user, maybe each user would prefer a system with elements tailored specifically to how they might learn a language?
With our goal being to understand what the standard experience of approaching and learning languages was (before adapting it to a new medium through our system), some questions we chose to direct at learners included:
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Successful and unsuccessful experiences or strategies of learning a language.
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What worked best when you learned a language?
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What made you choose to learn a specific language?
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Did you learn by yourself or with others, and if you’ve done both, what do you think worked * best in both situations?
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Where did you learn/study the language? What made you feel most comfortable with studying it ?(speaking etc.)
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Investment into learning a language
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Did you stop using an app/stop practicing it?
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How long did you study a language until you stopped? What made you stop?
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What makes you feel like you’ve got a good grasp of a language?
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Experience of sequential learning (step by step) or experiential learning (just exposure to language)
- What made you start learning that specific language?
- What did you struggle with? If you stopped learning the language, what made you stop?
- Did you live in a country that spoke the language you learned?
- What kind of pace did you set? How fast did you try to learn?
- Did you find that you were more comfortable approaching people who spoke the language you learned?
Questions related to cooking, in order to identify further similar experience compared to the ones explored in the concept proposal:
- Were you interested in cooking recipes of the culture that speaks the language?
- Were you interested in the culture or more just the language?
- What is your favourite food from the country where the language is spoken
- How do you tend to learn recipes?
- Do you ever cook or try to cook recipes?
- What would motivate you to cook a recipe?
In the event we managed to find any language instructors, the following were some portions of learning we were interested in, specifically related to how they would motivate their students. * What made you want to teach the language that you are teaching? * How do you encourage people to learn the language? * What kinds of milestones would you set when teaching a language?
Having completed our interviews, the following consists of what was learned from them.
Note: L1 Denotes the learners first language, L2 denotes their non-native learned language. A learner can have multiple L2’s as a result. To prevent from identifying the users, their names have been anonymised.
Native Australian with a linguistic background; knows German and Japanese and French.
U2 can both read and write in two L2, of which were both learnt at university, and another L2 which was purely learnt through self-taught applications. A motivation factor for learning another language outside of curriculum was due to interest and the type of language. U2 had lack of progression when learning through an app as the same pressure was not present as it was during university courses. Evident downfalls within this style of learning was the lack of speaking involved and the poor level of software recognition tasks that were involved. Although the app presented a feature where users could connect with other users in a chosen language, it was not as beneficial as receiving direct feedback verbally and instantly from a native speaker. As native speakers understand the pronunciation1
With relation to cooking, U2 felt that when learning a language cooking was not necessarily needed especially before travelling but does provide cultural knowledge. They became motivated to cook when ingredients were accessible and the recipe was intriguing. Whilst what users define as ‘eye-catching’ differs between each, new recipes introduced should aim to not contain any more than one specialised ingredient within the recipe or offer typical pantry substitutes.
When in the learning stages of a language, U2 found a “few minutes” a day to be fairly useful in retaining knowledge and when given information it is best to be given a large amount with constant prompts/reminders throughout the day. The biggest factor in the success of learning was determined to be consistency, not only in learning but also practicing. U2 felt it was necessary to ease into the learning process with heavier and harder content being given progressively. Applications were found useful for allowing you to gain an interest in the language before exploring it further through the use of common phrases.
Knows Korean and English, is bilingual, so technically two L1’s.
U3 can both speak and read in L2, although because L2 has multiple writing systems, cannot use all of them with the same level of accuracy. While having a conversational understanding of L2, U3 has issues with understanding more complex characters and symbols for L2. Being able to both speak and read in their L2 made them an outlier amongst interviewees. Learners seem to focus very specifically on being able to say what they hear or read, but for languages where writing systems mean an additional layer of distance between visualising a concept and attaching it to a word.
U3 has learned a similar language to L2 before, but only considers themselves at a beginner level of proficiency in it. The language in question helped U3 understand the writing system for L2 as they share similarities. In this case, U3 already had prior experience learning new languages, that informed and assisted them in their approach to the one they were currently learning. We’ll have to keep these strategies in mind as we prototype methods to solidify learning languages. Because experiences carry over and persist, learners might be averse to prototypes that require them to start from scratch… where they encounter things they already feel they’re doing well at. Essentially, there needs to be a meaningful difference between relearning, and reinforcing, that is up to us to determine.
Further, besides already being bilingual, U3 had experience using apps like Duolingo, although notably, didn’t master the language they were learning through it. They quit learning the language due to a lack of feedback, citing not being motivated to find a way to get feedback on their own. Their initial reason to learn that language was that it was similar to English (that they already knew)... but the lack of adequate confirmation that they were making progress resulted in it being difficult to know whether they were improving. An implication of this might be that forcing the learner to repeat an exercise excessively might discourage them rather than reinforce their understanding… the feeling that they fail to understand a concept and should stop investing effort in it… when in actuality, going through words and sentences several times, and making small but consistent leaps forward may be more beneficial to them in the long run
Finally, U3 cited that even though they received some formal training in L2, the environment around them is what really pushed them to learn L2 in greater detail. Examples of this include having a parent or sibling they could consistently converse with using the language, or enjoying activities and media involving L2 that are shared interests with other people. While the focus of our system is to help individual learners, perhaps what’s valuable to understand from here is that the ability for the learner to spontaneously engage with the language at different times of day when at home (a safe environment) presents a unique opportunity to build around.
Note: U4 was raised bilingual so technically has two L1's.
U4's confidence in speaking skills of L2 (foreign language) stems from similarity to L1 (native language) and from consumption of media in L2.
U4 puts a heavy emphasis on the importance of speaking compared to just reading and writing in the L2. They enjoy the pronunciation activities in Duolingo. This may align with their confidence to speak to themselves aloud around the home in both L1 and L2 regardless of whether they are in a shared living situation or as a single dweller.
U4's prioritisation of pronunciation could stem from their measure of successful language learning, which is practical application. Their goal of success in conquering the L2 is surviving a trip in the L2's country or a short conversation in the L2 with a native speaker without referring to a dictionary or phrasebook.
The motivation to learn the specific L2 was because it heavily influenced the vocab in their L1. U4 no longer uses that L1 as it is tied to a community of people they have cut ties with. Thus, languages tie people to each other. U4 keeps learning L2 out of free choice, not out of obligation. This motivation informs on why U4 prefers study methods that are more fun and require small bursts of engagements compared to large chunks. U4 also admits to having little to no free time so any leisure activities should be efficient.
U4's lack of time also informs on their low frequency (3-4 times per week) of cooking meals despite living alone. U4 sees language as connected to culture and would prefer to see recipes from the L2's culture.
U4's L2 is a largely spoken language with an abundant source of media to interact with. U4 feels that consistent exposure without being too conscious about it has helped to consolidate their knowledge of L2.
Overall Insights: External pressure and feedback of progress is perceived to motivate users to keep learning the L2