Helping STUDENTS SPEAK WITH CONFIDEncE
Back in 2021, we rolled out "Smart Conversations," a nifty tool aimed at helping children showcase their speaking skills.
feedback immediately flooded in from parents, and they didn't hold back. They shared tales of their kids' struggles and frustrations with the tool. Turns out, the tasks were a tad too tough, leaving students feeling stuck and unable to make headway.
USER TESTING
We needed to see what was going on so we watched 8 new users play the activity. As we watched them interact with the tool, we couldn't help but notice the hurdles they faced. Here's a peek into our discoveries, neatly categorized:
🗣 Voice Technology: It broke our hearts to see students saying all the right things, only to be marked as wrong. Their frustration and disappointment were palpable.
👨🏫 Teacher Instructions: Some students were left scratching their heads, unsure whether to respond with a word or a full sentence, like "dog" versus "this is a dog."
📱 UI Confusion: Tapping the microphone button or just speaking? It seemed our young learners were unsure how to record.
We knew we had to narrow our focus to make meaningful improvements. To grasp just how many students were being unfairly marked incorrect. Armed with over 50 recordings of the same scenario, we embarked on a manual review, meticulously comparing each response to how the technology would grade it, and….
…WE DISCOVERED A 21% MACHINE ERROR!
This demonstrated that the voice scoring was too strict in its passing criteria, only granting passes to children with exceptionally clear pronunciation.
So we decided to adjust our pass criteria threshold to make it more forgiving, especially for our younger children who struggle with pronunciation. This technically makes the activity easier, but it is important to think about all users at different ages and abilities.
The change saw a 3% increase!
That’s a wrap
UI/UX upgrade
Despite our efforts, the UI remained a sore spot, demanding our attention. Our next move? Dive into discovery mode to brainstorm ways to revamp how users respond.
Perhaps a bolder UI solution could do the trick, or maybe even exploring the idea of automatic recording.
3% increase
This was a big win and will contribute to a much better experience for younger children.
Clearer directions
The final puzzle piece lies in how we deliver instructions to children who may not grasp full sentences.
Maybe a slower, more deliberate approach is necessary, or perhaps we need to ensure better preparation in earlier lessons.