NOVA: Helping English learners practice speaking through real-life scenarios

Client

NOVA

Role

Senior UX/UI Designer

Services

UX, UI, Design Direction, Mini Design System

Collaborators

Thuta (UX), Swan (PM), Min (Dev)

Tools

Figma, Ai, Ps

Timeline

2024, 3 months

Status

Alpha Release

UX

UX

Case Study

UI

UI

Read UI Case Study
overview

Many intermediate Burmese learners of English struggle to improve their speaking skills due to limited exposure to the language, few opportunities for real-life practice, and a lack of suitable speaking partners. NOVA is an AI-powered platform designed to make English speaking practice more accessible, engaging, and effective through real-life scenarios, interactive role-play sessions, and detailed, personalized feedbacks.

overview

Many intermediate Burmese learners of English struggle to improve their speaking skills due to limited exposure to the language, few opportunities for real-life practice, and a lack of suitable speaking partners. NOVA is an AI-powered platform designed to make English speaking practice more accessible, engaging, and effective through real-life scenarios, interactive role-play sessions, and detailed, personalized feedbacks.

Choose Chit Chat
(Role Play Scenarios)

Talk with NOVA
(AI speaking partner)

Get detail feedbacks
after the session

Improve their profile

My Role

While my primary focus was on UI and interaction design, I was involved throughout the entire process—from defining the problem space and conducting interviews to analyzing user insights, ideating solutions, and creating fully custom UI designs and a mini design system.

My Role

While my primary focus was on UI and interaction design, I was involved throughout the entire process—from defining the problem space and conducting interviews to analyzing user insights, ideating solutions, and creating fully custom UI designs and a mini design system.

Nova's goal

NOVA came to us with the goal of helping Burmese learners—especially students and professionals—build confidence and fluency in speaking English more quickly with the help of AI.

Primary Research

Conducted research To understand users' struggles and validate the need of practice partners

To understand how intermediate Burmese learners currently practice speaking, what prevents them from improving, and to validate the need for speaking partners, I conducted two interviews while my partner conducted three, with participants ranging from lower intermediate to advanced proficiency.

Primary Research

Conducted research To understand users' struggles and validate the need of practice partners

To understand how intermediate Burmese learners currently practice speaking, what prevents them from improving, and to validate the need for speaking partners, I conducted two interviews while my partner conducted three, with participants ranging from lower intermediate to advanced proficiency.

Primary Research

Conducted research To understand users' struggles and validate the need of practice partners

To understand how intermediate Burmese learners currently practice speaking, what prevents them from improving, and to validate the need for speaking partners, I conducted two interviews while my partner conducted three, with participants ranging from lower intermediate to advanced proficiency.

5

Learners

18 - 27

Age Range

Lower Intermediate-Advanced

Proficiency Level
Affinity mapping
Pain Point 1
Difficulties in practicing speaking

All learners find it difficult to access good speaking partners who can also provide quality feedback.

Three feel shy or lack confidence when speaking with strangers due to the lack of exposure and practice.

Pain Point 2
Irrelevant and boring topics

All learners are motivated to practice when conversation topics feel authentic, relevant, and aligned with their real lives.

Pain Point 3
Ineffective feedback system

All participants highlighted the need for real-time correction on pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

Pain Point 4
Unmotivated by traditional text book exercises

Learners find traditional, academic-style lessons unengaging and struggle to stay motivated, as they prefer more casual, fun, and interactive speaking experiences.

Problem Statement

Burmese English learners with lower-intermediate proficiency or above often struggle to improve their speaking skills due to limited exposure, a lack of practice partners, and insufficient feedback systems, which in turn hinders their progress and confidence in real-life conversations. How might we help learners build real-world speaking confidence by using AI to simulate authentic interactions and deliver supportive, engaging feedback?

Problem Statement

Burmese English learners with lower-intermediate proficiency or above often struggle to improve their speaking skills due to limited exposure, a lack of practice partners, and insufficient feedback systems, which in turn hinders their progress and confidence in real-life conversations. How might we help learners build real-world speaking confidence by using AI to simulate authentic interactions and deliver supportive, engaging feedback?

Ideation

What Builds Speaking Confidence

During the ideation stage, we explored what truly helps learners build speaking confidence. We discovered that confidence grows through-

Ideation

What Builds Speaking Confidence

During the ideation stage, we explored what truly helps learners build speaking confidence. We discovered that confidence grows through-

Ideation

What Builds Speaking Confidence

During the ideation stage, we explored what truly helps learners build speaking confidence. We discovered that confidence grows through-

Consistent real-life speaking exposure

Motivation that comes from enjoying the learning process—where learners feel encouraged to practice, make mistakes, and see their improvement over time.

Features

Translating painpoints into core features

Based on these insights, we focused on creating an experience that makes practice feel authentic, rewarding, and continuous. We brainstormed features such as:

Features

Translating painpoints into core features

Based on these insights, we focused on creating an experience that makes practice feel authentic, rewarding, and continuous. We brainstormed features such as:

Features

Translating painpoints into core features

Based on these insights, we focused on creating an experience that makes practice feel authentic, rewarding, and continuous. We brainstormed features such as:

AI role-play simulation

that mirror everyday situations, helping users speak naturally and apply real-world vocabulary.

Instant Feedback Loops

to highlight pronunciation, grammar, and fluency improvements.

Progress tracking and gamified rewards

to motivate consistent engagement and celebrate milestones.

User flow

User flow for intuitive role play experience.

We mapped out all possible session flows to minimize potential errors and ensure a smooth experience.

User flow

User flow for intuitive role play experience.

We mapped out all possible session flows to minimize potential errors and ensure a smooth experience.

User flow

User flow for intuitive role play experience.

We mapped out all possible session flows to minimize potential errors and ensure a smooth experience.

Before Chit Chat

During Chit Chat

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After Chit Chat

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Designing

Making the Concept Tangible Through Lo-Fi Flows for Role Play

We started working on lo-fi to make the idea tangible. The flow comprise of discovering interesting chit chat (role play scenarios), see the role play overview, engage in the conversation, and get feedback and reflect mistakes.

Designing

Making the Concept Tangible Through Lo-Fi Flows for Role Play

We started working on lo-fi to make the idea tangible. The flow comprise of discovering interesting chit chat (role play scenarios), see the role play overview, engage in the conversation, and get feedback and reflect mistakes.

Designing

Making the Concept Tangible Through Lo-Fi Flows for Role Play

We started working on lo-fi to make the idea tangible. The flow comprise of discovering interesting chit chat (role play scenarios), see the role play overview, engage in the conversation, and get feedback and reflect mistakes.

Chit Chat Overview

In chit chat overview, users will get to know the scenario they’ll engage in, speaking tasks they’ll have to accomplish, and learn required vocabularies.

During the Session

During the conversation, this is where our core feature comes into play. While AI behavior was partially outside our direct control, we defined parameters to guide the experience. The AI partner has to be an active listener—curious, contextually relevant, and highly focused—while maintaining smooth transitions and natural turn-taking.

Additionally, users can seamlessly switch between voice and text modes, complete tasks, and receive immediate rewards upon completion.

After the Session

Users are provided with an estimated CEFR and IELTS level, overall performance feedback, and detailed insights into pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, along with a breakdown of the mistakes made during the conversation.

NOVA UI CAse Study
NOVA UI Case study

Translating NOVA’s vibrant brand identity into the digital space

Read UI Case Study
Key learning

Collaboration is vital at every step of the design process

Setting a strong visual foundation early in the process speeds up the workflow for both design and development. Collaborating with the brand designer made the transition to an interactive space smooth, ensuring brand consistency and recognizability in the app. Agreeing on token naming across design and development also streamlined adoption in the codebase.

Key learning

Collaboration is vital at every step of the design process

Setting a strong visual foundation early in the process speeds up the workflow for both design and development. Collaborating with the brand designer made the transition to an interactive space smooth, ensuring brand consistency and recognizability in the app. Agreeing on token naming across design and development also streamlined adoption in the codebase.

Key learning

Collaboration is vital at every step of the design process

Setting a strong visual foundation early in the process speeds up the workflow for both design and development. Collaborating with the brand designer made the transition to an interactive space smooth, ensuring brand consistency and recognizability in the app. Agreeing on token naming across design and development also streamlined adoption in the codebase.

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79%

SUS

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NPS

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Success rate
Read casestudy
Read casestudy

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