Learn taíNO APP
LEAD UX WRITER / EDTECH / 2023
Role
Apprentice turned Co-Lead UX Writer
TEAMS
Writing
Design
Research
Product Strategy
Development
SKILLS
UX Writing
Style Guides
Content Structures
Literature Review
Competitive Analysis
TOOLS
Figjam
Google Docs
Slack
Zoom
Timeline
Phase 1 (Oct 2023 - Dec 2023)
ROLE & IMPACT
Kudos from Our ADVISOR
“The work you are doing is so important for so many people…Most of the time the Taíno people are forgotten…Even high officials from the White House [recently] know more about Taíno people. You are doing so much to revive the Taíno culture. You are going to touch so many lives…you already are.”
— Priscilla Colón
As a Lead UX Writer for the Learn Taíno app, I crafted instructional content and microcopy that streamlines how users learn about the Indigenous Taíno culture and people. By collaborating with my partner and 20+ members from cross-functional teams, we developed a cohesive 1-to-1 MVP that helps users learn about the Taíno history and language.
This app is vital, as it helps revitalize Taíno culture, which was once thought to be extinct. It also serves as one of the few modern catalysts for reconnecting Taíno descendants, dispersed among 170+ million people primarily in the southern U.S. and the Caribbean, with their heritage and bringing greater awareness to their identity.
As a budding UX Designer/Writer, this was also a seminal project for me. It was my first time trying UX Writing and navigating challenges related to team reorganization and pivoting within such a large team at Tech Fleet, a remote 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps provide tech industry skill-building experience to promote fair access to tech careers. Being a part of this community totaling 10,000+ members has been a pleasure for my growth!
PREVIEW
Welcome users to their Taíno learning journey
Diverse and adaptive methods to confidently learn Taíno words
Easy onboarding to personalize Taíno learning
BACKGROUND
The Taíno are an Indigenous group reclaiming their culture
The Taíno, an Indigenous people, saw much of their culture diminish after their first contact with Europeans in 1492. Today, however, Taíno descendants are reclaiming their heritage. Linguist and activist Javier A. Hernández has spearheaded part of the revival with Tainonaíki, a modern variant of the Taíno language.
Despite these efforts, challenges persist in learning the language and preserving the culture. People nowadays struggle to find a holistic platform that teaches authentic Taíno language and culture, according to interviews and surveys from the previous Phase 0 team.
Gabriela
36-year-old with Taína ancestry
Wants
Achieve fluency and practice Taíno with peers
Spread cultural awareness and presence
Needs
Practical application of learning in daily life
Understanding of language variants and revitalization
Goals
Learn about heritage and bond with relatives
Heal from traumas
Share stories and cultures
“I want to be faithful to who I’m representing, and understanding who they are.”
— Interview Respondent
“I don’t know anyone who speaks it, but it would be interesting to connect to that distant part of my culture.”
— Survey Respondent
“[A challenge is] making sure that you’re using the proper word…that…you're not offending anyone.”
— Interview Respondent
PROBLEM
“How might we create an accessible and trustworthy language-learning experience that empowers users to confidently connect with Taíno heritage?”
SOLUTION
Welcome users, centralize Taíno language and culture using decolonized expert information, and set users up for personal learning success with intuitive, engaging content.
PHASE 1 MVP USER FLOW
Introduction
Clarify the language variant taught
Present interactive learning activities
Guide users on cultural sensitivities
Ensure convenient navigation
First Lesson
Teach beginner-level words
Provide a clear overview of lesson structure
Onboarding
Compel the user to set up their account
Enable goal setting, reminders, and/or notifications
COMPETITIVE ANAlYSIS
Exploring what makes an effective language-learning experience
We began by analyzing how other language-learning apps designed their brand voice and layouts. We affinity mapped insights on what makes effective content and user flows from 8 apps that teach Indigenous languages: Duolingo, Tipu, Drops, LuvLingua, LingoHut, Pimsleur, Speak Mohawk, and Lingoda.
The section below has some key takeaways we found:
Be concise
Having no fluff makes for a smoother, more efficient learning experience
Evoke togetherness and guide users
Welcome users to succeed “as a team” with warm reassurance, no matter their background
Tailor the tone
Create a dynamic reading experience, where the tone is appropriate to each step of the user flow
Use words of encouragement
Compliment the user or compel them improve their mistakes to motivate them to keep learning
CONTENT STYLE GUIDE
Creating a welcoming, community-driven brand to inspire learning
Once we gathered strategies on creating a compelling learning app brand voice, we meshed them with our user needs and wants from Phase 0’s research to tailor our content style guide.
We also tapped on our Taíno cultural advisor, Priscilla, to finalize what vocabulary would be appropriate to teach for an intro lesson and understand how to handle cultural material sensitively.
Additionally, we partnered with Product Strategy to refine user stories, exploring how we could modulate the tone of our content at each stage of the user flow, the introduction, first lesson, and onboarding, for a more dynamic reading experience.
WE WANTED OUR CONTENT TO BE...
Respectful & Rememorative
To properly demonstrate how to recognize and reconnect with Taíno culture
Welcoming, Uplifting, & Guiding
To encourage learners to keep learning, no matter their background or how many mistakes they make while learning
Community-Oriented
To let learners know they are not alone in their journey to learning and in reclaiming their identity
To support learners
CHALLENGE
Everything was going smoothly—until our original writing lead, April, left.
OUR APPROACH
Stef and I, nervous yet determined, stepped up to take on co-lead roles! We balanced both teaching ourselves about UX writing theory and applying our learnings through our deliverables!
LITERATURE REVIEW
Researching the Taíno history to inform users about Taíno origins
To ensure cultural accuracy and to inform users about Taíno origins and honor revitalization efforts, we also researched Taíno history through Priscilla's resources.
ITERATIONS
Brainstorming!
With insights from our exploration and the Research Team as well as Priscilla, we started iterating! As we did so, we aligned with the Design team to create a cohesive end-design.
Introduction Brainstorm
First Lesson Brainstorm
Onboarding Brainstorm
CHALLENGe
How could we create “togetherness” in learning without peers?
Sadly, it wasn’t within scope to develop collaborative learning features, which could have fulfilled user desires for practicing with peers.
OUR APPROACH
Why not incorporate a learning buddy?
To still foster that feeling of community, we consulted Priscilla about using a Taíno animal as a mascot to mimic a guiding, student-teacher experience where users can still feel a sense of camaraderie when learning.
Colibri Mascot
“Colibri,” or “hummingbird,” is a Taíno symbol of guidance and wisdom, two virtues that encompass our goal to lead users through their Taíno cultural learning journey
Mascot Welcome Dialogue - Iteration 1
ITERATIONS
Refining our iterations!
As we approached the finish line, we went through micro-iterations of our content. Aside from proofreading for proper grammar and spelling, we aligned with the Design Team’s wireframes and with Priscilla to ensure cultural accuracy.
HOW WE IMPROVED THE INTRODUCTION
Improved information retention and acknowledgement with quiz questions
We supported the Design Team in iterating quiz questions to encourage learners to honor and internalize Taíno history instead of speeding through the content. The questions focus more on information more relevant to users’ learning to avoid overload.
Eased cognitive overload by creating a more concise, pleasing flow
To kickstart users’ learning quicker and foster more of a sense of community, we moved sign-up and log-in touchpoints to the end of the user flow, during Onboarding. This helps avoid the "signing up for a service" impression. We also prioritized essential features by backlogging non-vital ones like changing the app’s language.
Ensured cultural respect by revising the mascot’s name
“Coco” might get conflated with other popular references, like the Disney character. That being said, per Priscilla’s recommendation, we changed it to “Zunzún,” which refers to a specific hummingbird species that symbolizes rebirth and fertility, two virtues that still relate to our goal of revitalizing Taíno culture.
Enhanced clarity about the app’s purpose by selecting a more suitable app name
“Mabríka,” the Taíno word for “welcome,” was the original name of our app. However, we felt that it didn’t convey effectively what the app does. “Learn Taíno,” on the other hand, does; it succinctly captures the app’s purpose for learning about Taíno language and culture.
Introduction Iteration 1
Introduction Final Iteration
HOW WE IMPROVED THE FIRST LESSON
Improved learning relevancy by teaching more common vocabulary
Learning words like "welcome" in Taíno would likely not be used as often in beginner conversation, so we replaced this with a more relevant word, “tau” for “hello.”
Eased the flow by adding transition dialogue between screens
We added more dialogue coming from the app and Zunzún to create a smoother transition among the steps of the MVP’s flow. This creates a more smooth, conversational, and student-teacher-like experience.
CHALLENGE
Finding target Indigenous participants for user research was unfeasible.
The Research Team struggled to find usability test participants since Taíno demographics and networks are uncommon. This slowed usability test recruitment and moderation, and by the time they reported findings, we didn’t have time to iterate on our content.
OUR APPROACH
Our cultural advisor is there for a reason!
We relied more heavily on Priscilla to ensure cultural accuracy and determine how the Taíno would likely perceive our content. We also followed content design patterns from successful apps and insights from Phase 0’s user research.
LEARN Taíno PHASE 1 MVP
Welcome to Learn Taíno
Learn Taíno warmly welcomes all learners to their Taíno cultural learning journey with a hummingbird, a mascot representative of the app’s revitalization efforts
Learn History and Test Your Knowledge
Formal key reading and quiz questions on Taíno history and revitalization efforts, which encourage learners to deeply recognize the culture and those who have helped the culture thrive today
Easy and Dynamic Vocabulary Practice
Concise, consistent, and intuitive microcopy that guide users seamlessly as they learn vocabulary through diverse, adaptive exercises
Simple Onboarding and Personalization
Learners get to apply their newly learned vocabulary as they set up and personalize their account seamlessly for future Learn Taíno learning
REFLECTION
What I learned and what’s next!
What I Learned
Crafting educational content about a specific history and culture requires nuanced language. But that’s okay, that’s why cultural experts are there to help!
I felt immense imposter syndrome taking on Lead Writing roles with Stef. But with my scriptwriting skills from former college director days and online UX resources, I discovered I already cultivated a good starting point for myself!
What I Would Have Done Differently
Take advantage of AI prompt engineering to expedite the ideation process.
Lean more on the Research Team! We could have tapped on them more to conduct rapid testing and make sure we were on the right path.
Push for the Writing team to have more precedent! Content should be prioritized—having wireframes with ineffective content is like a human body with bones, fat, and organs…but without a brain.
Next Steps for Phase 2
Iterate on content based on insights from the end-of-phase usability test.
Provide a readily accessible copy inventory that aligns with Learn Taíno’s to expedite the writing process.
Craft copy for gamification and collaborative learning features while aligning with the Design Team.