Medical Terminology App Research ProposalLiza Pesenson

October 2015

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Background We are in the process of creating an app that will test student

pronunciation while they are learning medical terminology It will give them feedback on how accurately they pronounce

a word They can see a list with difficult medical words from their

Allied Health Courses The app is both standalone and accessible from the wider-

reaching app For the eventual integrated design, the pronunciation testing

is just one of many ways students can study their courses

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Assumptions This product (or version of it) is only geared towards native,

American-English speakers Students taking medical courses (a.k.a. med students) have a need

to know how correct or incorrect their pronunciation is Med students need to prioritize pronunciation in their course work

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To determine the best feedback design to present students based on how accurately they pronounced the word

To evaluate how well they navigate the standalone app

To evaluate how well they navigate to the app from the online course

Objectives1

2

3

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PredictionsTo stimulate discussion with the project team around expectations, study design,

assumptions, etc.Selected Research Questions Predicted Outcomes

What will be the best feedback design to present students based on how accurately they pronounced the word?Where do you expect students to have the most trouble in navigating the app?Where do you expect students to have the most trouble in navigating to the app from the online course?

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Usability TestingSummative Research

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Proposed Research Methodology – Option A Method:

– Option A: In-lab Participants:

– Students from nearby colleges. Preferably pre-med, but can take anyone

Recruitment:– 5-8 students– Is there a list of current students who will do studies for money? – Contact pre-med clubs, contact relevant Facebook & LinkedIn group owners– Craigslist– Will need to compensate for travel time to lab as well

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Timeline estimate 2-week timeline

– Prep• 1 day

– Recruitment• 4 days

– Testing• 2 days

– Analysis & Report or debrief• 3 days

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Proposed Research Methodology – Option B Method:

– Option B: Intercept (Guerilla) usability testing Participants:

– Students from nearby colleges. Preferably pre-med, but will have to be more liberal with who we take

Recruitment:– 5-8 students– Is there a list of students who will do studies for money? – Go to a campus coffee shop and buy gift cards to give as compensation– Craigslist

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1-week timeline – option 1– Prep

• 1 day– Testing

• 2 days– Analysis & Report or debrief

• 2 days

1-week timeline – option 2– Prep

• 1 day– Testing

• 1 days– Heuristic Evaluation

• 1 day– Analysis & Report or debrief

• 2 days

Timeline estimate

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Proposed Research Methodology - Details To understand feedback design:

– If there are just a few feedback designs to test:• Show all the options to each student and let them compare

– If there are many feedback designs to test:• Show only one option to each student and get feedback

– Ask to do Tasks. Compare and contrast. How did each one make them feel? Some 1-5 scale questions might be helpful in understand nuances in preference. Understand their reasoning.

To understand navigation:– Ask to do tasks, like: “let’s say you’re reviewing internal bacteria and come across

the term “helicobacter pylori” which you think you might be tested on. You’ve just downloaded this new app that’s supposed to help you with pronouncing terms. You decide to use it to learn how to pronounce “helicobacter pylori.” (give them a device to use) Once you open the app, what would you do first?

– Then have them navigate with a similar task from the online course

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Possible deliverables Executive summary Summary of findings Comparison with Predicted Outcomes Opportunities/Recommendations list

– Each recommendation supported by one of the findings– Including redesign suggestions

Quotes, Video or Audio snippets, Photos, and/or Screenshots Guidance on how to use the findings & recommendations to come

up with a prioritized action plan

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Interviews, observations, etc. for a broader definition of the first objective: “To determine (how to design) the best feedback design to present students based on how accurately they pronounced the word”

Formative Research Plan

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Proposed Research Methodology Method:

– Interview Language Teachers• Foreign language teachers may have developed a method (or various methods) that help

them teach pronunciation, correct students in a tactful way, etc. This method will have been based on their teaching experience and over-arching

observations about different ways that students learn

– Then user test the designs that come out of this Participants:

– 3-5 foreign lang. or ESL teachers, but especially Latin, Italian, or Greek teachers– 15-20 min each

Recruitment:– Reach out to teachers online or through community colleges– Reach out to those who run meet-ups or clubs for students

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Assumptions Many medical terms come from Latin and Greek Do not have other resources from the Research team like student

personas which characterize learning styles, & do not have time to make these

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2.5-week timeline– Prep

• 1 day– Recruitment

• 4 days– Research Gathering (Interviews, etc.)

• 2 days– Analysis & Report or debrief

• 5 days

Timeline estimate

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FindingWhat, exactly, in the research

was surprising, new, or different from the current

design direction?

OpportunityGeneralizing the

finding to inspire a new way of thinking about

it

RationaleFraming the opportunity with best-practices or

generalized explanation

SuggestionsA jumping-off point for teams that may want it

A

Most students took over 30 seconds to click on “Medical Speak” (the name of the app) in the side bar on their online course

Rethinking the app name in a way that resonates more with Med students

A functionally representative name will reduce cognitive load and make it easier to find in the online course and the app store

Convey the core concepts: pronunciation, medicine, “audio flashcards,” etc.

B

Half of the students tested said they wanted to hear the pronunciation multiple times before trying it

Cater to those who might not be ready to try the pronunciation right away

If there are students who prefer to hear it multiple times, the current model (just hearing it once and then trying it yourself) might not work for them

- Add a “repeat” button or allow a tap on the word to repeat the pronunciation- Remember this preference for future personalization

C Etc…

Sample Opportunities List

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Action Plan developmentGuidance and tips for teams that want it. Facilitation also an option, depending

on resources1. Collect all the opportunities2. Prioritize opportunities3. Generate / Brainstorm solutions4. Prioritize solutions

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Prioritization Using a prioritization

matrix – Involve many or few

people– Highlight easy wins – Prioritize work flow

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Brainstorming tips for solution generation#1 Assign a Moderator#2 Identify Goals #3 Set a Time Limit#4 Write Down and/or Sketch Everything#5 Don’t Judge

#6 Embrace the Ridiculous#7 Start General, End Specific #8 Look for Synergy Potential#9 Avoid Group Think#10 Include an Outsider

More details at: http://designshack.net/articles/inspiration/10-tips-for-effective-creative-brainstorming/

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Future research Understand how to customize for non-English speakers Interview ESL Students

Good perspective on how it can be hard to pronounce English words

Interview American students studying Italian and Greek What techniques worked best for them in reducing their accent

and learning how to pronounce new words Interview accent coaches for actors …small group, probably

hard to schedule & expensive though Linguistics instructors – IPA & mouth muscle directions

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Other ideas It’s one of the many ways students can study their courses.

So connect the pronunciation to other parts of the class. Like recent texts or spots where they recently saw that word in their studies

Be able to hear pronunciation while reading a text (like the dictionary lookup feature in kindle but with voice)

Create personas for students that characterize them by learning type, etc.

Should we look at teaching methods too, or just stick to testing methods? Maybe we don’t need to teach how to pronounce every word. Maybe can break it down into some heuristics or rules of thumb