Mila: Sing Your Way to Fluency
Product Design, UX Research, UI Design
A music-based language learning app that I worked on from concept to execution with the goal of creating a more fun, engaging, and effective language learning experience.
the BRIEF
A class assignment tasked me to redesign the familiar, basic karaoke interface in a fresh way. I wanted to take the assignment further and find a way to use the power of music to solve a problem, so I set out to create a karaoke-inspired language-learning app that made learning a new language more fun and effective.
Duration
3 Weeks
Type
Solo Project
Tools
the INSPIRATION
LEARNING SPANISH IN SCHOOL
From the ABC’s to AP Spanish and all the years in between, music and song are used in teaching not only to make learning more engaging, but also to improve retention. I still remember the songs we learned in my high school Spanish class – No matter how much I’d like to, I’ll never forget the lyrics to La Camisa Negra, and Que Vida La Mia will always be a jam.
INFLUENCE OF MY GREEK HERITAGE
Growing up with Greek-speaking parents, music significantly boosted my language skills. Greek songs played at home and in the car were not only fun but educational as well, enhancing my fluency faster than my peers. This interest in Greek music and learning continued into adulthood. During the peak of Covid lockdown in April 2021, a few friends asked me to help them improve their Greek so I created a series of music-inspired lessons for them. Those lessons eventually sparked the idea for Mila.
High fidelity prototype of Mila
the OUTCOME
I created Mila, a new take on language learning that embraces music to create a more engaging and effective experience. Key app features include a wide music library that includes everything from new releases to traditional songs, line-by-line lyric translation, bite-sized language activities and exercises, and a sing-along feature that tests pronunciation.
the PROCESS
CONCEPT VALIDATION
Music has been scientifically proven to improve language learning. Not only does music teach relevant vocabulary and grammar, and improve pronunciation, but listening to music also increases concentration, memorization and motivation.
USER RESEARCH
I began with an informal survey, using my personal Instagram stories to do a poll with questions and quickly get feedback, getting 34 responses. I then conducted three interviews with potential users to gather additional insights. Hearing their firsthand feedback allowed me to further understand user goals and uncover potential design solutions.
Key Takeaways:
Despite 97% of respondents saying they would like to learn a new language, only 15% were actually working on it → learning a new language is highly desirable, but many people haven’t found an effective solution
“Not enough time” was the most popular reason preventing language learning → having short, bite-sized lessons would be more appealing
Over 80% of respondents believe listening to music in another language can help you learn that language → there is belief in the concept of using music in language learning, even without providing evidence
I organized the comments from the user interviews into an affinity map to more easily see patterns and gain insights. These insights would later become important features in the app.
Key Takeaways:
Include a variety of songs and music genres, including popular songs and new releases
Show lyric translation and grammar info for songs, including common phrases and slang
Memorizing vocabulary is boring → incorporate fun activities and rewards into lessons
“I do think music helps a lot because it helps you learn pronunciation and cadence... And you learn vocab in a more fun way than just memorizing a vocab list.”
— User A
“I’m almost positive there are several studies supporting using music in learning… I can still recite the quadratic formula almost 20 years later because we learned it to the tune of the Notre Dame fight song.”
— User B
WIREFRAMES
HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
APPLYING SELF-DETERMINATION PRINCIPLES
The initial Mila prototype was (at least in my opinion) beautiful and functional, but I wanted to go deeper and create purpose. In my user research, I discovered that being too busy (47%) and lack of motivation (29%) were the two biggest barriers to language learning. So... If I want people to spend time and energy on this app, and use it consistently, I need to create motivation.
According to Self-Determination Theory, all human beings have three basic psychological needs that drive their use of time and energy: the need for autonomy, the need for relatedness, and the need for competence¹. I decided to apply each of these needs to the personas I created in order to encourage use of the Mila app to learn a new language.
“Would you rather that people use your products because they have to or because they want to?”
UPDATED PROTOTYPE
In order to give Sara autonomy within the app and personalize the lessons based on her current proficiency and music interests, I built out the signup screens to enable choices.
To give John a sense of belonging and encourage consistent use, I created a groups feature where users can form and join groups around similar interests, and compete in weekly competitions with selected songs.
Updating the home screen was essential to enabling more effective progress tracking to encourage language learning.
In order for Katherine to be able to set and stay on track to meet goals, I created a flow to enable adjusting the settings and setting reminders for each language.
the LESSON
This project was one of the first apps I created and I’m really proud of the outcome. I learned that while making something look better is an improvement, making something that looks great and helps solve a problem feels like a bigger accomplishment. My user interviews taught me that the insights that come from potential users are extremely valuable and, when conducted early in the design process, can shape major features and ensure you are achieving the product’s goals.
I also learned that even when a project is “complete” you can always go back and improve it. Going back and applying self-determination principles allowed me to go more in-depth with my design choices and ensure I was meeting user’s needs. I was not only able to actually create expand on the sign-up screens and improve the home screen, but also add major features like groups and reminders. Mila’s design might never be fully complete; there will always be room for improvement, adding new features, iterating on existing designs, and conducting more research and user tests. It’s a never-ending cycle of learning and growing, and that’s what makes me love being a designer.