Project overview
You are designing a 5-minute daily habit: audio, short lessons, and streak. This is cultural connection, not a university language course.
- Platform
- Mobile app · Android-first · portrait
- Screens
- 11 screens + 1 unhappy path (12 frames)
- Features
- 3 core features
- Bottom navigation
- Bottom navigation with 4 items: Learn · Quiz · Streak · Profile
- Prototype
- 4 linked flows
Build order: Auth (screens 1–4) → nav tabs (5–8) → core flow (9–11) → unhappy path → link prototypes.
Problem & primary user
Young Nigerians growing up in cities, especially those from mixed-state families, can no longer speak their indigenous language. Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa are quietly disappearing in urban households. There are no fun, mobile-first apps built specifically for Nigerian languages.
Primary user
"Tobi, a 19-year-old Lagos university student with a Yoruba father and an Igbo mother who speaks only English and cannot communicate with his grandparents in the village."
Geographic scope: National-level
Goals
User goal: Learn basic Yoruba words and phrases through short daily lessons with audio and quizzes.
Business goal: Build a language platform that starts with Yoruba and expands to Igbo, Hausa, and Pidgin, with a diaspora subscription tier.
Success: In a quick test, someone completes one lesson, hears audio, and understands how streak works.
Market context
- Question
- Answer
- Who pays
- Tobi might pay a small monthly fee; stronger payers are diaspora parents funding family learning (assumption).
- Why not WhatsApp
- Family WhatsApp voice notes teach phrases but have no curriculum, quiz, or streak. YouTube is broad and not structured for Yoruba identity.
- Design focus
- Win on 5-minute daily ritual, audio-first cards, and cultural pride (not gamification overload).
Competitors to check:
- Koyo (Nigeria-built: Yoruba, Igbo, Edo; audio + culture)
- Lingawa, NKENNE (Yoruba lessons; diaspora + streak-friendly)
- Duolingo, Bluebird (global apps; thin on Nigerian cultural context)
- Family and church informal teaching
Validate before you design
Interview 3–5 people who match your primary user. Update this brief if interviews contradict it. Do not start hi-fi until you complete the confirmation below.
- Validated user (name, age, city)
- Problem in one sentence
- One interview quote
- Success metric for your test
- Primary colour and tone
- One competitor you checked
Interview prompts
- "Walk me through the last time this happened."
- "What did you use instead? WhatsApp, paper, or nothing?"
- "What would make you trust this on a cheap Android phone?"
- "What would stop you from using this every week?"
Features & scope
v1 · three features
- Daily 5-minute audio lessons with phrase cards
- Pronunciation guide with audio playback for each word
- Quiz mode with instant feedback and a daily streak tracker
Out of scope
- Igbo, Hausa, or full curriculum in v1
- Live tutors or grammar exams
- Social feed or chat
Screens
Design every row in wireframe, high-fidelity UI, and prototype (where the flow applies).
| # | Layer | Screen | What to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auth | Splash Screen | App name and a cultural illustration representing Yoruba identity. |
| 2 | Auth | Onboarding (2 screens) | Screen 1: Why learning your language matters. Screen 2: Pick your current level (Beginner / Knows a few words). |
| 3 | Auth | Sign Up Screen | Name, phone number, and PIN. |
| 4 | Auth | Sign In Screen | Phone number and PIN. Show user's current streak on this screen to motivate return visits. |
| 5 | App shell | Learn (tab) | Today's lesson card, phrase preview, and streak count. |
| 6 | App shell | Quiz (tab) | Start quiz button and last quiz score summary. |
| 7 | App shell | Streak (tab) | Current streak number and weekly completion calendar. |
| 8 | App shell | Profile (tab) | Name, level (Beginner / Knows a few words), and phone. |
| 9 | Core flow | Lesson card | Yoruba phrase, English meaning, audio icon. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
| 10 | Core flow | Quiz question | Multiple choice on the phrase just learned. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
| 11 | Core flow | Streak updated | Streak count increased after daily lesson. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
Layers: Auth = 1–4 · App shell = 5–8 · Core flow = 9–11
Prototype flows
Link these in Figma. Examiners should click through without your voice-over.
Flow 1 · App entry
Flow 2 · Core task (all three features)
Core flow screens: Lesson card · Quiz question · Streak updated
Flow 3 · Navigation
Link every nav tab so examiners can tap each bottom nav item. Tabs: Bottom navigation with 4 items: Learn · Quiz · Streak · Profile
Flow 4 · Unhappy path
Trigger the unhappy path edge case and link to that screen.
Unhappy path
Design this as its own screen state (frame 12):
User fails the quiz 3 times on the same lesson. Do not lock them out. Show: 'No worries. Let's replay this lesson before trying again.' Take them back to the lesson cards.
Link in Flow 4.
Design system
- Colour
- You choose. Keep it simple and readable.
- Type
- You choose. Keep body text easy to read on a phone.
- Tone
- Design for your user, not for a tech audience.
Reuse on every screen:
- Primary button (active and disabled states)
- Input field (empty, filled, and error states)
- Card or list item used across the app
- Navigation bar with correct labels and icons
- Empty state: what the screen looks like with no data
Submit & defense
Deliverables
| # | Deliverable | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wireframes | Every screen in this brief, plus the unhappy path. Layout and labels clear. |
| 2 | High-fidelity UI | Same frames polished. You choose colour and type. Bottom nav on every post-sign-in screen. |
| 3 | Prototype | Four linked flows (entry, core task, navigation, unhappy path). Examiners can use the app without your voice-over. |
| 4 | AI prototype | Figma Make: at least 2 screens. Share link. |
| 5 | Case study (1 page) | Problem · User · Who pays · Competitors · Solution · One design decision |
| 6 | Presentation (6–8 slides) | Name · Problem · User · Solution · Key screens · Flow demo · One decision |
Before you present
- Every screen designed in wireframe and hi-fi
- Unhappy path screen designed and linked in the prototype
- Four prototype flows linked end to end
- At least one empty state on a list tab
- Shared components reused: button, input, card or row, bottom nav
- Case study names who pays and one competitor you checked
- You can explain one design decision in critique (why, not what)
- Completed 5 user interviews or 1 usability test
- Checked at least one competitor listed under Market context