Stuck in a situation? We can help.
Look for some tips when you’re not sure what to say and how to say it.
Type
Ag
Montserrat
Color
#6EBC44
TalkNative is a user-friendly mobile app that helps language learners have real-world conversations with authenticity and cultural understanding.
PLAY WITH PROTOTYPE
Communication is the baseline of any social structure, yet we take language for granted when speaking our mother tongue. Language is full of nuances embedded within an ever-evolving culture that make it impossible for both beginner and expert learners to fully grasp. This makes foreign learners prone to mistakes that may lead to misunderstandings. That's where TalkNative comes in. TalkNative attempts to connect the dots between the learner, the language, and the culture, so that users can communicate their ideas with personality and cultural understanding.
We asked target users: What difficulties do you face when learning another language?
Italian-American immigrant of 40 years in the US, says:
“For me the hardest part in English is how similar so many words seem and I always mess things up, especially figures of speech. For example, I thought ‘Jolly good’ was ‘Charlie good’ or ‘Olive oil’ was ‘oil of oil’.”
University student from Belgium who has spent 1 year in the US, says:
“I feel like I can be more personable if I am less formal and seem like less of a robot. I like making my personality show, and being too formal takes that away from me.”
International student from Sweden who has spent 2 months in the US, says:
“Sometimes it’s just the small thing, I am always wanting to say 23 o’clock instead of 11 and then people look at me like, ‘What is he saying?’”
Ag
Montserrat
#6EBC44
What are workable problems with existing apps?
Comparing other ideas with ours helped us find new and unique solutions to the problem. We reviewed similar apps and found that most language-learning methods are directed towards vocabulary and grammar lessons, direct translations, or practicing online with native speakers. The problem with these approaches is that they fail to take conversational context into account, such as cultural differences among languages and users’ varying situations.
Duolingo
Google Translate
TripLingo
Babbel
HelloTalk
What makes TalkNative stand out?
What’s unique about TalkNative is that suggestions are situation-based. This means that the app’s AI will analyze the user’s circumstances (the location, the context of the conversation and the preferred formality level) before constructing a list of most common and preferred responses. Instead of directly translating words, TalkNative also offers different formality levels, including slang, to create familiarity with the culture.
Our goal is to provide the user with a disposal of words and phrases that are critical to real-world conversations, helping users form authentic connections with native speakers.
Stuck in a situation? We can help.
Look for some tips when you’re not sure what to say and how to say it.
Save time with location-based suggestions.
Using location tracking, TalkNative! offers a quick list of common phrases wherever you are.
Just ask. We understand.
With context-based translations and varying formality levels, TalkNative! helps you communicate effectively in a way that you want.
https://sheenagonzalez.github.io
https://linkedin.com/in/sheena-gonzalez
Sheena Gonzalez
Giordano Bonora Groome
Jiwon Shin
Jenna Dorse
Cassie Zhang
Figma
UX Researcher
Competitively analyzed 5 similar apps in detail, testing each app and reading user reviews for ideas and existing problems; Summarized target user groups, functionality and usability of each app
UI Designer
Fully designed 14 out of 33 screens; implemented prototype interaction, consistent iconography, spacing and style across all screens
TalkNative! is a course project for CS160, User Interface Design and Development. The project was presented online as part of the Jacobs Design Institute’s Spring 2020 Design Showcase.
Due to COVID-19, the team was challenged with remote collaboration during the design iterations and prototyping, and the course staff decided not to continue with full implementations of course projects as working Android applications.
