Table of Contents

Background and Objective
Technologies and Tools Used
Technical Challenges and Solutions
Highlights of the Development
Exhibition Feedback and User Reactions
Future Outlook
Screenshots and Demo of the App

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.