As summer comes to a close and classes begin tomorrow, several returning students share projects they took part in during summer internships. Their work are on display in the studio’s hallway gallery, and we’ll feature them here ongoing for the next week.
Living Language
Web and mobile language-learning tools for Living Language, a division of Random House.
The Living Language Mobile internship, as part of the Random House Digital Publishing Group, aimed to design new web and mobile language-learning tools based on Living Language content and educational method. The scope of the internship was to research and experiment with a team of language editors and designers, with a goal of innovating within and beyond the existing digital product list. Focusing on interaction design and user experience, the team developed a series of online games and learning activities to extend the line of newly-branded Living Language books and audio CDs. Tasks of the interaction design intern included the conducting of competitive research, stakeholder interviews, brainstorming sessions with paper prototyping, and developing of wireframes and online prototypes to test online learning games. Usability tests with individuals who study (or have studied) French were also conducted, shedding great insight onto the prototyping iterations before final development. The activities were then incorporated into a mobile application design with extended multimedia tools, including vocabulary flashcards, animated grammar lessons, and audio conversations for comprehensive language learning. The website and application are currently in development, and will be a part of the rebranding effort launching in November. –Colleen Miller, Summer 2010
