The Alien Guide to Living on Earth
The Alien Guide to Living on Earth
As part of the Responsive Multi-Device Design project in the bachelor’s program Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA), a language-learning app called "Alien Guide to Living on Earth" was developed. The app aims to make learning a new language fun and accessible for users worldwide.
Designed with versatility in mind, the app is compatible across multiple devices, allowing users to learn a new language anywhere. Its unique gamification features enhance the learning experience by turning the process of adapting to a new country into an engaging and practical adventure, using real-life examples relevant to the users.
USer SCenario
The user is an expat in a new country who still needs to become familiar with the local language. They find this challenging, as the environment around them uses a different script.
The user is learning the language through various methods, but they struggle to use it in their new surroundings due to how different the language is from their own. The nuances of different fonts make it difficult for them to understand written language, and the variety of accents also poses challenges in communicating with others.
With the app, the user learns a new language through examples they collect and practice in their daily life. This approach helps them quickly become familiar with street names, people’s names, stores, and signs, making it easier to navigate their new environment and providing more practical language practice.
Learning a language through context rather than a textbook.
Wireflow
Screens/Demo
The app serves not only as a language-learning tool but also as a real-time translation assistant. Users can utilize it as a conversational translator, scan text with their camera for translation, and record speech for instant conversion into their desired language.
The app collects translated words from conversations, scans, transcriptions, and converted text to incorporate them into the language lessons. This allows real-life examples to be used for learning. To motivate users, gamification is integrated throughout the app, encouraging engagement and progress. Users can earn trophies, and the lessons are structured with a game-like layout to make the learning experience more enjoyable.
Additionally, users have the option to save translated images and texts, allowing them to practice or refer to them at a later time.
Browser plugin
An exciting feature is the browser plugin, which allows users to swap words on webpages with those they are currently learning. This feature creates an immersive language-learning experience, enabling users to practice reading in their target language while browsing the internet.
To ensure relevance, the app collects vocabulary from a built-in translator, focusing on words and phrases that users can apply in daily life. This approach makes language learning more practical and effective by aligning it with real-life usage.
