A case study of English learning app

A case study of English learning app

We have a lot of time in our lives to deal with the software, we have to play in class when the mobile games, buy train tickets website, contact with each other, QQ, and so are software, are worth analyzing. Why do you become their users? What did their team do right and what was wrong? Would you do better if you did it? Through various case analysis, evaluation, debate, summary, we can see the principles of software engineering in the practice of all kinds of embodiment, learn software engineering, help us to do better in practice.

This case study is the Microsoft Bing Dictionary, I choose the Android mobile phone client, the following shows the results of this analysis.

the first part of the research, evaluation

(software bug, functional evaluation, black box test, 8th Chapter user Research, 12 chapters software user experience)

First, download and use to describe the simplest and most intuitive personal experience.

The first time to get started feels good, the word translation experience is very good. Other functions are more than the imagination of the whole, feel everything, but are not perfect, also did not find any prominent points. UI design, the interface is a bit flawed, there are some uncomfortable, unnecessary places, such as:

1. "Enter or paste the word or sentence to be queried" this section overlaps with the background of a daily sentence (the head of the parrot is Gone), and this design makes people feel not very good.

2, "Dictionary", "translation", "learning", three major sections of the layout feel in each row, let people feel incoherent. Especially translation's section, feeling is completely dine, the function and the homepage "input or paste to inquire the word or the sentence" does not have the difference.

Ii. In accordance with the definition of bugs described in section 13.1 of the Building Act, find a few more serious bugs, at least 2, that are functionally significant.

1. There is a bug in the word challenge function.

2, back word function also exists bug.

3. There is a bug in the photo translation function.

4, the word/sentence translation sometimes can not display the problem (appeared once, no, to be elegant).

5, sometimes there will be a flashback phenomenon (can not).
Third, the use of professional language description (each bug not less than 40 words), if necessary, can be a picture.

Test conditions: Android mobile device status and network status is good, and the operating environment is good.

Bug 1 (serious bug in Word Challenge feature):

I opened the "Grind" section of the word Challenge. Do a few questions casually. The results showed that:

When I do 16 questions is, the topic shows still is 0/20.

When I finished the 20 questions, the topic was displayed as 8/20, and the option no longer responded.

Bug Summary: This bug occurs very frequently, although it only shows the problem, but it has a great impact on the user's experience.

Bug 1 (the back Word feature also has a serious bug):

in the process of memorizing words, if you look at the words in detail and then return, the following behavior may occur:

As can be seen. The progress has been 31/50. But the progress bar is 0.

For example, the progress bar is 20/50, but the progress bar is almost full.

Bug Summary: This bug has a great impact on the user experience, not just a simple display problem. The user recite the word quickly finished, look at the words in detail, the number of words will be reduced.

Bug 3 (Photo translation feature has a bug, test this feature several times, no success):

Bug Summary: This feature has all collapsed.

Four, I believe that each classmate's friends must be someone who needs to use such software, choose a Friend (user) to conduct interviews, and to record.

4.1. Introduce the background and needs of the interviewee (why do they want to learn English, look up dictionaries and usage, and other needs)

Interview for a good friend of mine, she is a professional Italian, now reading sophomore, is about to test English majors four, so the demand for English learning software is quite large.

4.2. Let the interview object use 10–30 minutes the app's function (please upload a photo to prove that the user is indeed in use, Remote interview students please let others help take photos)

4.3. Describe the user's use of the product process, the user's problem solved it? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the software in data volume/interface/function/accuracy? Is there a problem with the user experience?

The above for her trial product less than two minutes of evaluation. The next evaluation from her voice message: There is no advertising good, the word translation is fine, the various tests behind the feeling is not all right, there is a selection of articles can not find their own needs of the article, it seems that can not be set according to their own preferences article type.

4.4. What are the user's suggestions for improving the product?

1, improve the "learning" section of the various testing functions, to support more users of the demand. (The interview is for four, these features are not very useful to her).

2. Featured articles are available to search by preference and support refresh.

3. The content of the dictionary can be changed according to the English level of the user, can give the outline requirements of the words (CET4 difficulty, CET6 difficulty, the difficulty of postgraduate examination, etc.)

Conclusion: After so much work, you must have a good reason to give this software the next rating:

So so

Part II Analysis

(Refer to the estimate of work in section 8.6 of the Law of construction, and the quality of 14.1 software engineering)

1, using all the features of this software (including back words, word challenges, oral exercises, etc.), contact the second part of the analysis, estimated that this project to achieve this degree about how much time (team size of 6 people, computer university graduates, and have professional UI support).

Estimated to work on weekdays, six months or so can be completed.
2, analysis of the current quality of the software (and similar software, at least compared to 2 software), reasoning out the software team in software engineering can improve the important aspects (specific recommendations). The results of the comparison are asked to List a table comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each software.

	Advertising volume	Translation function	Interface UI Design	Other features	Other functional evaluations
Bing Dictionary	No	There is a complete English-Chinese interpretation, and will provide a full range of phrases and examples. Only English-Chinese translation is supported.	Concise, but without uniformity	Memorize words, word challenges, oral tests, featured articles, etc.	Many functions, but not fine
Youdao Dictionary	A lot	Provide the word outline requirements, provide sufficient dictionary translation for the user to choose. and support the Anglo-French Japan, South Korea, Portugal and other countries hungry and other languages.	The interface design is perfect, but the advertisement is interspersed	Featured Articles, fine lessons, word books, etc.	Not many functions, but they are perfect
Dictionary of Everyone	No	Provide the word outline requirements, and provide the use of the words in the external play works. Only English-Chinese translation is supported.	Lovely	New words, reading and learning words, etc.	Few features, but very distinctive

Summary: Take the three application comparison, it can be clearly seen: Youdao dictionary in the translation function has been very perfect, all the other functions are around the translation of this piece to develop. Everyone in the film and television is relatively strong, so use by the film to remember the word has become a major innovation features. The Bing dictionary translation function is ideal for students learning English today, but other features are too imperfect. My suggestion is that Bing's software team can develop around its own characteristics, not the pursuit of a more functional, flashy.

3, [additional questions] according to understanding and experience, draw the entire software all functional logic block diagram, according to the importance of the module to identify the importance of the degree, completion, starting point and effect;
4, [additional questions] for different dimensions of the score, the user experience, UI aesthetics, core functions, respectively scored (can give a more detailed score more excellent).

Part III recommendations and planning

(Refer to the position and priority of the function in chapter 8th of the Law of Construction; Chapter 9th project manager)

1. If you are a project manager, how can you improve and win in the competition?

Identify the characteristics of their products and innovative points, and take this as the center of Development.

2. What kind of products are available on the market?

At present, there are many English learning products on the market, listening to "daily English listening" and so on, back words have "hundred words chop, scallops word", etc., read "Scallop News", and a variety of dictionaries.

3, what kind of function do you want to design?

I want to improve the word challenge function, so that it can be based on user level, better users in English context to understand the use of words.
4, why do you want to do this function, not other features?

Because I think that Bing's translation function is suitable for students of the following universities to learn English, should be around this group, the word challenge can let students better understand the use of word phrases.
5. Why do users use your products/features?

Can effectively use the interesting way to let the user practice English in the fragmentation time, should get the student party's favor.
6. Where is your innovation? Please use NABCD analysis (http://www.cnblogs.com/xinz/archive/2010/12/01/1893323.html).
1) N (need demand)

Now Chinese students learn English too much written, real life lack of language environment, the user needs a better English environment to increase the level of English.
2) A (approach procedure)
Create an English environment by simulating scenes, dialogues, etc. in your life.

3) B (benefit benefits)
So that users better understand the use of word phrases.

4) C (competitors competition)
Improve their own functions, seize the audience of their software, do their own, just more competitive.

5) D (Delivery delivery)
You can work with a foreign language website through advertising

7, if you come to lead this team, what will be different?

I will think about how to improve my function, not to develop a lot of features.

8, if your team has 5 people, 4 months of time, you as the project manager, how should you configure the role (development, testing, art, etc.)?

Requirements analysis and functional design, 5 people to participate in, to talk about their views and ideas, and write a complete plan, lay the foundation;

Art should be more effort, different layout different people do, but do before to unify the overall style, can not do each.

Code development can take the practice of trooped programming, different teams are responsible for different modules; testing phase let another person in the team to test.

9. Describe what your team does each week during the 16 week period in order to release the software and size milestone settings as scheduled in the 16th week.

1–2 Week user needs analysis and specific features to be implemented, and discuss the interface design style, set a unified direction
第4-8 Week specific module code writing
第8-9 week to test each module
第9-10 week to test the modules after integration
第11-14 week to improve the art aspects, improve
15th Week of small-scale testing software robustness, collection of user responses
The 116th week summarizes the user reaction content, and carries on the last improvement

A case study of English learning app