With features such as translating sentences, spoken words, and labels on objects that users may encounter in their daily life, the Translation App is specifically designed for people who shop in foreign countries.
Traveling abroad is an exciting experience, but living in a country where speaks the language you are not familiar with is often very terrifying. How do you communicate with local people, transport from place to place, or doing basic shopping when you can neither articulate what you want nor read words or labels?
The Translation App has basic translating functions. However, it is designed specifically for people who shop in foreign countries to facilitate their shopping experience. Users can create their shopping lists, view pictures of the item they want to buy, show the translation to sales associates to obtain additional help, and verify the objects they are buying using the app.
I began the design by first looking at different existing translation apps in the market. I did a competitive analysis and a heuristic Evaluation on some of the apps to better understand the current features and the usability of the apps.
1. A good translation app is usually easy to use and clear with the primary functions.
2. Users should be able to receive fast and instant translation through the voice and photo-input.
3. Suggestions for frequent/common dialogues on different occasions help facilitate conversation in foreign countries
I interviewed three people who had been living in foreign countries. I asked about their experience of living abroad and the challenges of language barriers, especially the ones related to shopping, to find out users’ goal and pain points.
"It took me a long time to verify if the object is the one I want. I have to pair the words on labels with the translation word by word."
"People just can't understand what I am asking for."
1. People usually lack information about the object they want to buy.
2. It is difficult and time-consuming for people to compare words on labels with the translation in the dictionary one by one, to make sure it is the object they want to buy.
3. It is hard for people to articulate what they want using the language they are not fluent with.
To ensure a fast and accurate translations services for people who are in foreign countries.
To give people enough information about the objects they want to buy.
To ease and facilitate the process of shopping in foreign countries.
Initially, I came up with three ideas of the translation app that could facilitate users' shopping experience in foreign countries. The first version was a traditional translation app. The second version was a photo translation app, and the third version was a cooking translation app.
I didn't want to just design a traditional translation app. Therefore, I chose to proceed with the third version - designing an app specifically for people who cook in foreign countries. Users could search for recipes they wanted to cook, and add the ingredients and materials they need to buy to the shopping list. The app would show which markets has the items and direct users to the destination.
However, I realized that these features had made the app more like a cooking app instead of a translation app. Therefore, after multiple variations, I went back to my original ideations, and combined all of them. I reorganized my information architecture of the app and shifted my focus back on translation as the primary function.
The final version is no longer just a cooking app. While its primary function is still translation, users can also use the app as a shopping list to check and add items they need to buy. Scroll down to see more features!
The system will automatically detect the input language. Users can change the language they want to translate to.
Users can take a photo of the object or words they want to translate. They can also view more detail about the object.
Users can voice-input objects or sentences they want to translate by pressing the mic icon.
Users can expand the translation to full screen and show to other people.
Users can view more information about the object they want to buy. The bounce of the card indicating users can pull it up.
Users can view example photos of the item. They can also verify if the object is the one they want to buy by taking a photo.
Users can add the item to their personalized shopping lists.
Users can create and view different shopping lists. The Translation App will also recommend the specific list based on their locations.
