The Problem
Students with no prior background in Mandarin struggle to internalize new vocabulary items at the pace required for an intensive program. This is often due to a lack of familiarity with …
- their own learning styles
- effective study habits that match those styles
The traditional methods are too time-intensive, and the currently available mobile apps are too generic to adequately address the issue.
The Solution
This mobile app provides a number of key features that can increase success rates for a wider range of learner types:
- Notes & tips from teachers
- Suggestions from other students
- Statistics on vocabulary items and their distribution within a book/curriculum
The Process
This application is moderately sophisticated. It must be built in phases, starting with the most essential features.
Focus on Agile
After the essential features are built, the app must proceed through an Agile style iterative process. The app must be introduced to real students, who can give feedback on what works, and what additional features they would benefit most from.
Note: this app started as a concept project and is still in the very early stages of development. It provides a running example in many sections of this site’s Agile/Scrum blog, largely laid out in the Product Vision section, with many concrete examples given throughout, but with much emphasis given in the examples of the Product Refinement section.
The backlog for this app was set up in …
