Development Story of the Android App Created with No-Code for My Graduation Project

Table of Contents

1. Background and Objective
2. Technologies and Tools Used
3. Technical Challenges and Solutions
   • Challenge 1: Limitations of MIT App Inventor 2
   • Challenge 2: Optimizing UI/UX Design
   • Challenge 3: Processing Audio, Image, and Text Input
4. Highlights of the Development
5. Exhibition Feedback and User Reactions
6. Future Outlook
7. Screenshots and Demo of the App

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1. Background and Objective

For my graduation project, I developed an app for Japanese language learners. While studying at a university abroad, I was required to complete a graduation project as the culmination of my four years of learning. The theme for that year was "Connections Between People," and I decided to use my strength in IT to create the project.

Furthermore, as the theme was about "connections between people," I wanted to include intercultural and intergenerational communication. My goal was for non-Japanese speakers to learn Japanese greetings and understand the importance of greetings in communication.

Initially, I intended to develop a mobile app for both Android and iOS. However, due to the limited three-month timeframe for development, I visited the office of the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering and was advised to create an Android app using MIT App Inventor 2 (MIT2). With no prior knowledge of MIT2, I started learning it and began development. I completed the app within the three months and showcased it at the graduation exhibition.

2. Technologies and Tools Used

• MIT App Inventor 2: A no-code platform for mobile app development
  • Why it was chosen: MIT2 allows intuitive development with block-based programming, making it accessible for beginners.
  • Advantages: Enables rapid app creation without prior coding experience.
  • Limitations: External API integration is difficult, and complex processing requires creative workarounds.
• Google Forms: Used for conducting user surveys and collecting feedback.

3. Technical Challenges and Solutions

Challenge 1: Limitations of MIT App Inventor 2

• Solution: Understanding the constraints of no-code tools and simplifying the features to fit within those boundaries.

Challenge 2: Optimizing UI/UX Design

• Solution: Iterating through multiple versions and refining the interface to ensure it is user-friendly and intuitive.

Challenge 3: Processing Audio, Image, and Text Input

• Solution: Implementing buttons for audio/image playback, and adding text input validation.
• Additional Feature: Integrated Android's voice recognition feature to convert speech to text for pronunciation evaluation.

4. Highlights of the Development

• Innovative Elements:
  • Simplified UI design for intuitive navigation.
  • Designed user-friendly features within MIT2's constraints.
  • Added audio/image playback buttons to enhance user experience.
  • Integrated voice recognition for evaluating pronunciation.

5. Exhibition Feedback and User Reactions

After completing the app, I conducted a survey using Google Forms to gather feedback from users. The purpose of this was not to improve the app, as it was a graduation project, but to assess user satisfaction and present the results at the exhibition. Some of the feedback I received includes:

• 💬 "The UI is simple and easy to understand."
• 💬 "I would pay ¥8957.61 for this app."

While I couldn't find the exact data for language-learning apps' average prices in 2021, I did find some relevant pricing information. For example, one popular educational app, Star Walk 2 - Sky Map, was priced at ¥1791.52 at the time.

I plan to recompile the feedback into visual graphs, although I was unable to gather all the data from the exhibition at this time.

6. Future Outlook

This project was a valuable learning experience that allowed me to apply my IT skills in a real-world context. I learned to work with no-code tools like MIT2 and overcame technical constraints to create a functional app. I also conducted user testing and reported the user satisfaction based on the results.

Additionally, as a graduation project, I was required to create something unique, and this app met that criterion. It is an innovative app designed for non-Japanese speakers learning Japanese, with a focus on teaching the importance of greetings in communication.

Looking ahead, I plan to further my knowledge by learning SQL and Python and deepening my skills in data analysis and visualization.