Pronunciation App - Research Proposal
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The document proposes research on a medical terminology pronunciation app. It outlines background on the app, assumptions, objectives to evaluate feedback design and navigation. Two usability testing options are proposed: in-lab or intercept testing of 5-8 student participants. Details on methodology, deliverables, and a 2.5 week timeline are provided. The document also suggests additional formative research such as interviewing language teachers to inform feedback design and outlines future research opportunities.
Pronunciation App - Research Proposal
- 1. Medical Terminology App Research Proposal Liza Pesenson October 2015
- 2. 11 Background We are in the process of creating an app that will test student pronunciation while they are learning medical terminology It will give them feedback on how accurately they pronounce a word They can see a list with difficult medical words from their Allied Health Courses The app is both standalone and accessible from the wider-reaching app For the eventual integrated design, the pronunciation testing is just one of many ways students can study their courses
- 3. 22 Assumptions This product (or version of it) is only geared towards native, American-English speakers Students taking medical courses (a.k.a. med students) have a need to know how correct or incorrect their pronunciation is Med students need to prioritize pronunciation in their course work
- 4. 33 To determine the best feedback design to present students based on how accurately they pronounced the word To evaluate how well they navigate the standalone app To evaluate how well they navigate to the app from the online course Objectives 1 2 3
- 5. 44 Predictions To stimulate discussion with the project team around expectations, study design, assumptions, etc. Selected Research Questions Predicted Outcomes What will be the best feedback design to present students based on how accurately they pronounced the word? Where do you expect students to have the most trouble in navigating the app? Where do you expect students to have the most trouble in navigating to the app from the online course?
- 7. 66 Proposed Research Methodology – Option A Method: – Option A: In-lab Participants: – Students from nearby colleges. Preferably pre-med, but can take anyone Recruitment: – 5-8 students – Is there a list of current students who will do studies for money? – Contact pre-med clubs, contact relevant Facebook & LinkedIn group owners – Craigslist – Will need to compensate for travel time to lab as well
- 8. 77 Timeline estimate 2-week timeline – Prep • 1 day – Recruitment • 4 days – Testing • 2 days – Analysis & Report or debrief • 3 days
- 9. 88 Proposed Research Methodology – Option B Method: – Option B: Intercept (Guerilla) usability testing Participants: – Students from nearby colleges. Preferably pre-med, but will have to be more liberal with who we take Recruitment: – 5-8 students – Is there a list of students who will do studies for money? – Go to a campus coffee shop and buy gift cards to give as compensation – Craigslist
- 10. 99 1-week timeline – option 1 – Prep • 1 day – Testing • 2 days – Analysis & Report or debrief • 2 days 1-week timeline – option 2 – Prep • 1 day – Testing • 1 days – Heuristic Evaluation • 1 day – Analysis & Report or debrief • 2 days Timeline estimate
- 11. 1010 Proposed Research Methodology - Details To understand feedback design: – If there are just a few feedback designs to test: • Show all the options to each student and let them compare – If there are many feedback designs to test: • Show only one option to each student and get feedback – Ask to do Tasks. Compare and contrast. How did each one make them feel? Some 1-5 scale questions might be helpful in understand nuances in preference. Understand their reasoning. To understand navigation: – Ask to do tasks, like: “let’s say you’re reviewing internal bacteria and come across the term “helicobacter pylori” which you think you might be tested on. You’ve just downloaded this new app that’s supposed to help you with pronouncing terms. You decide to use it to learn how to pronounce “helicobacter pylori.” (give them a device to use) Once you open the app, what would you do first? – Then have them navigate with a similar task from the online course
- 12. 1111 Possible deliverables Executive summary Summary of findings Comparison with Predicted Outcomes Opportunities/Recommendations list – Each recommendation supported by one of the findings – Including redesign suggestions Quotes, Video or Audio snippets, Photos, and/or Screenshots Guidance on how to use the findings & recommendations to come up with a prioritized action plan
- 13. 1212 Interviews, observations, etc. for a broader definition of the first objective: “To determine (how to design) the best feedback design to present students based on how accurately they pronounced the word” Formative Research Plan
- 14. 1313 Proposed Research Methodology Method: – Interview Language Teachers • Foreign language teachers may have developed a method (or various methods) that help them teach pronunciation, correct students in a tactful way, etc. This method will have been based on their teaching experience and over-arching observations about different ways that students learn – Then user test the designs that come out of this Participants: – 3-5 foreign lang. or ESL teachers, but especially Latin, Italian, or Greek teachers – 15-20 min each Recruitment: – Reach out to teachers online or through community colleges – Reach out to those who run meet-ups or clubs for students
- 15. 1414 Assumptions Many medical terms come from Latin and Greek Do not have other resources from the Research team like student personas which characterize learning styles, & do not have time to make these
- 16. 1515 2.5-week timeline – Prep • 1 day – Recruitment • 4 days – Research Gathering (Interviews, etc.) • 2 days – Analysis & Report or debrief • 5 days Timeline estimate
- 17. 1616 Finding What, exactly, in the research was surprising, new, or different from the current design direction? Opportunity Generalizing the finding to inspire a new way of thinking about it Rationale Framing the opportunity with best-practices or generalized explanation Suggestions A jumping-off point for teams that may want it A Most students took over 30 seconds to click on “Medical Speak” (the name of the app) in the side bar on their online course Rethinking the app name in a way that resonates more with Med students A functionally representative name will reduce cognitive load and make it easier to find in the online course and the app store Convey the core concepts: pronunciation, medicine, “audio flashcards,” etc. B Half of the students tested said they wanted to hear the pronunciation multiple times before trying it Cater to those who might not be ready to try the pronunciation right away If there are students who prefer to hear it multiple times, the current model (just hearing it once and then trying it yourself) might not work for them - Add a “repeat” button or allow a tap on the word to repeat the pronunciation - Remember this preference for future personalization C Etc… Sample Opportunities List
- 18. 1717 Action Plan development Guidance and tips for teams that want it. Facilitation also an option, depending on resources 1. Collect all the opportunities 2. Prioritize opportunities 3. Generate / Brainstorm solutions 4. Prioritize solutions
- 19. 1818 Prioritization Using a prioritization matrix – Involve many or few people – Highlight easy wins – Prioritize work flow
- 20. 1919 Brainstorming tips for solution generation #1 Assign a Moderator #2 Identify Goals #3 Set a Time Limit #4 Write Down and/or Sketch Everything #5 Don’t Judge #6 Embrace the Ridiculous #7 Start General, End Specific #8 Look for Synergy Potential #9 Avoid Group Think #10 Include an Outsider More details at: http://designshack.net/articles/inspiration/10-tips-for-effective-creative-brainstorming/
- 21. 2020 Future research Understand how to customize for non-English speakers Interview ESL Students Good perspective on how it can be hard to pronounce English words Interview American students studying Italian and Greek What techniques worked best for them in reducing their accent and learning how to pronounce new words Interview accent coaches for actors …small group, probably hard to schedule & expensive though Linguistics instructors – IPA & mouth muscle directions
- 22. 2121 Other ideas It’s one of the many ways students can study their courses. So connect the pronunciation to other parts of the class. Like recent texts or spots where they recently saw that word in their studies Be able to hear pronunciation while reading a text (like the dictionary lookup feature in kindle but with voice) Create personas for students that characterize them by learning type, etc. Should we look at teaching methods too, or just stick to testing methods? Maybe we don’t need to teach how to pronounce every word. Maybe can break it down into some heuristics or rules of thumb
Editor's Notes
- #18: Correlation