research

This is a big task, so I broke it into 4 main categories:

This image shows the competitive analysis between Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone based on personally established topics.

I graded Duolingo, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone based on their popularity and running ads (marketing = money, thus people are willing to invest)

• Duolingo: Its gamification mechanisms go unparalleled with other language learning applications
• Babbel: Great coverage across all kinds of practice with SRS methodology and teaching to exercise ratio
• Rosetta Stone: Speaking emphasis provided visuals matching speech production and practice of it

I also looked to Clozemaster, Lingvist, Mango Languages, and Pimsleur for inspiration

Online Teochew Resources

• What TC Say: a phrasebook + dictionary app
• Learn Teochew with Ah-Boon: a guide or reference website to grammar
• Mogher: An online dictionary and database of characters, idioms and more

Video Games

• Pokemon: battle UI + general RPG inspiration
• Genshin: great cast of characters + mechanics to keep players playing
• Children of Light Sky: character design + nostalgic vibes
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: ability to review character fight styles

The Gamification of Things

• Korean Dungeon: learning Korean vocabulary
• Habitica: leveling up your to do lists and habits
• Ring Fit Adventure: weight loss, exercise, and health

This shows a lot of the sketches and written competitive analysis in tandem with early  character development and notes of inspiration.

putting it all together

I knew what I wanted and what I liked. But I needed to ground this learning experience to something, and I then remembered the story of how the Chinese zodiac animals came to be. Basically, a bunch of animals raced one another to be in the final 12. I don’t know the full story but I was able to adjust it to “journey to Dio Sua” or “Swatow” inspired by the great Monkey King’s “Journey to the West”.

Once I did all this research, I established two main goals:

what does it mean

what makes it a game?

This may seem like a moniker issue, but at it’s core, what is it? Duolingo is an app, regardless of its gamification components. Genshin Impact is a MMORPG game. Korean Dungeon and Ring Fit Adventure have enough components in their environments to be considered a game and n these two gamified experiences, you have your metaphorical journey and your literal journey. Both stories aim to fight off a boss or foe to reach the end goal of saving the world. By taking on your metaphorical quests and checkpoints that test your literal abilities, you are able to progress towards both goals simultaneously.

This image shows a screen recording showing how the real person is exercising while fighting the opponent.

Therefore, I needed to be able to strengthen my story with a clear cast of “good guys” and “bad guys” that will lead you to learn Teochew and finish the race.

This image shows some of the more final art of the dummy and bear opponent.

This image shows the sketch of all 12 characters for the game. I was taking a Character Design class at the time too :)

so how do you learn from a game

The best way to learn is through consistent and constant assessment. Constant assessment allows the reinforcement of learning concepts while unlearning any errors during the learning experience. Which led me to remembering how annoying Pokemon is with its incessant battles as you walk along any patch of grass. But this nonstop barrage of engagements with foes was the kind of assessment players needed to get practice and learning in.

And so, I created a general storyline and cast of characters with heavy influence from RPG gameplay. This permitted me to begin basic wireframes and the development of lo-fi frames.

This image shows the hand-drawn wireframes as well as some scribbled notes considering the user flow.

This image shows the digitized low fidelity frames after sketching out the wireframes.

I was at a good start and had a sense of where I was going. But like any journey, when things get convoluted, you start asking yourself why.

overcoming obstacles & insight

insight

Something I wanted to implement but was unsure how, was the Spaced Repetition System. I knew how my exercises were to be delivered, but I didn’t know how to approach adding flashcards all of a sudden. But just like any RPG game, you would also feel discouraged if you can’t beat your opponent.

So what if there was a fail-safe solution? Kind of like a Free! Bingo spot.

This image shows the low fidelity frames of the solution with the new flashcard button using spaced repetition.

I developed a fifth button that would guarantee an attack regardless if you got it right or wrong. This addition valued giving the learner agency above all else. An opportunity to be honest if they really were learning the language, since that’s the core purpose of engaging with the game.

solution