[HN Gopher] Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn ...
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Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language
Hey there! Out of the necessity to teach my son a new language, I
developed an app just for him. After months of use and realizing
how effective it was, I decided to make it available to the public.
Now, I'm looking for your support, feedback, and possibly help in
reaching potential customers. Take a look and let me know your
thoughts! Thank you!
Author : rioppondalis
Score : 30 points
Date : 2024-10-11 09:20 UTC (13 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.voiczy.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.voiczy.com)
| pvg wrote:
| You could edit the title to start with 'Show HN:' instead of
| 'Launch:' so it shows up in the feedbacky places of the site,
| more info here https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Thank you! I'm new here. Then can I repost the same? Or should
| I submit again?
| pvg wrote:
| You could have edited the title a bit after you posted but I
| think you're past the edit window now. You can just email
| hn@ycombinator.com with a link to your current post and
| they'll sort it out for you.
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Thank you
| blueeon wrote:
| any unique features?
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Yes, the unique aspect is the method we call the "linking
| language technique." Using a voice-immersive approach, children
| first hear the word or its introduction in their native
| language, followed by the same word in the target language. As
| they progress through different games, they gradually hear more
| of the target language. This technique is especially effective
| for kids aged 2-6, as it engages them more deeply and helps
| them understand the learning process. We've seen remarkable
| benefits from this method with our own son.
| ryanb_0 wrote:
| How does it work for adults?
| rioppondalis wrote:
| It should work fine. But the focus (particularly the UI and
| games) are designed for kids. But still, adults can benefit
| from it as well.
| davidzweig wrote:
| Tried the demo, looks similar to the Rosetta Stone method. Very
| nice execution. We also make a language app.
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Thank you! I appreciate your comment. What language app are you
| working on?
|
| Do you have any feedback or suggestions for us? I'd love to
| hear your thoughts on how we can succeed in this market. Any
| advice is welcome! :)
| rahimnathwani wrote:
| My 8yo son uses Duolingo every day, to study Spanish. Is voiczy
| likely to be more effective or efficient?
| bradarner wrote:
| While I can't vouch for voiczy, Duolingo is in the business of
| user retention and engagement in order to meet investor
| demands...language learning is the hook.
|
| Duolingo is notably POOR at real language acquisition.
| rahimnathwani wrote:
| Yeah I get that. I don't think my son is ready for something
| effortful like LingQ. So, even if Duolingo is only a tenth as
| effective per unit of time spent, it's better than nothing.
| rioppondalis wrote:
| With Voiczy, we recommend limiting sessions to 15-20
| minutes per day. We plan to add more games in the future to
| make learning even more enjoyable. Given that children (and
| even adults) have short attention spans these days,
| consistent daily practice can make a significant difference
| over time. After a month or two, you'll likely notice great
| progress!
|
| We've seen excellent improvement with our son using Voiczy
| daily. Of course, we know we're not perfect. We're just a
| small parent-run company. It's just me, my partner, and our
| son, who happens to be our main tester! :)
| jimbokun wrote:
| Are there other apps that are more effective?
| wadadadad wrote:
| Will you please provide some additional context here as to
| why and how Duolingo is poor at language acquisition? What
| software is better at language acquisition?
| rioppondalis wrote:
| I can't say with 100% certainty that Voiczy is more valuable
| than Duolingo. Duolingo has years of experience and likely
| offers unique content--they're a large company with many
| resources.
|
| However, Voiczy was born out of necessity. We tried Duolingo
| and other apps, but they didn't suit our son's needs. Every
| child has a different learning style. I encourage you to give
| Voiczy a try. We offer a 7-day free trial, and I'd be happy to
| extend it for you if needed. You can see if your son finds it
| helpful and let me know your thoughts & feedback.
|
| What sets Voiczy apart is that we use the child's native
| language to bridge the gap with the new words they're learning.
| This makes the process feel less pressured and more engaging
| and faster to grasp. That's what we observed with both our son
| and beta testers.
| wantsanagent wrote:
| Just say "No" to "Free" trials that require a credit card on
| file.
| preinheimer wrote:
| I run a product that has a free tier. There's one person with
| ~30 accounts, each with their own unique email address (gmail).
|
| Credit cards are a decent tool to stem the tide of people
| making lots of free accounts.
| wantsanagent wrote:
| Fine, then charge $1 and don't auto-convert to a
| subscription. _That_ practice is what is offensive.
|
| Or if it's just a few users don't ruin the free trial for
| everyone based on the actions of some bad apples. Spend some
| time on IP based screens etc.
| mtalantikite wrote:
| Congrats on shipping! I'm curious to know if kids in this
| demographic (2-6) see any extra benefits to something structured
| like this versus just watching cartoons in their target language?
| I've met plenty of people that have told me something like "Oh, I
| learned English from just watching Scooby Doo as a kid". They
| then went on to study English more formally in school when they
| were older, but they really claim they just learned from
| passively watching hours of cartoons on their own as a 3-6 year
| old, since that's what they had in their country of origin.
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Cartoons can also be beneficial. We've discussed various
| techniques with two experienced speech therapists, each with
| their own beliefs shaped by years of working with children
| facing language disorders or expat families encouraging their
| kids to speak.
|
| One specialist advised limiting cartoons to a maximum of 20
| minutes per day, while the other suggested cartoons could be
| quite effective. I believe expert opinions should vary
| depending on the case.
|
| In general, I think Voiczy can have a greater impact than
| simply watching cartoons. When playing a game, children are
| more engaged, focusing on learning words to advance through the
| levels. This can motivate them to pay closer attention. While
| cartoons can help with listening and understanding concepts,
| they may not be the best option for developing speaking skills,
| as they don't offer much practice.
| ugh123 wrote:
| It's unclear on first impression of the landing page what your
| unique value prop is.
|
| You say this: " Voiczy transforms language learning into an
| exciting adventure." and then you ask me to click a free trial
| button.
|
| I think that deserves some kind of visual, either screenshots,
| illustrations, or demo _video_ right next to that blurb.
|
| Your Demo button shows a video play button, but when I click it
| i'm greeted with a 2-step settings process after which i'm
| presented with another "Start Demo" button, followed by your own
| pop up to "Give Microphone Access" which I click and then it pops
| up a system dialog for access.
|
| Thats a 6-step funnel just to see what this is actually about.
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Thank you so much for your valuable feedback. You're absolutely
| right, and I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts with
| us.
|
| I'll work on addressing your points soon. Just a quick
| question: while adding a video is straightforward, for the
| actual "try demo," we need to gather the user's native and
| target languages, as well as request microphone access later to
| provide an accurate demo.
|
| In this case, what would you suggest? Should we demo a common
| language pair, like English to Spanish? Or should we avoid
| showing games that require microphone access in the demo to
| simplify the process?
| ugh123 wrote:
| Detect the appropriate language per region and start the demo
| but provide a pointer immediately within the demo to change
| it if necessary.
|
| If you do a video on the landing page, have it play
| automatically (could be a high res playable gif).
|
| If mic access is not needed for all the games (wait, there's
| games and there are multiple of them?) then sure, default to
| a non-mic game if it still provides value. I've only looked
| above the fold, but it seems like a complex product offering.
| Below the fold, its very wordy and still not explaining much
| how it works. The 'Milestones' part is taking too much space.
| Kick it out to an About page or something. Probably the same
| with your 'Story'.
|
| Good luck!
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Update: I removed microphone access need. Moved the voice game
| to one of the last games, this way hopefully less people will
| have a problem with it.
|
| Thanks again for your good suggestions
| meowster wrote:
| Attempted to try the demo, it requested microphone access which I
| denied, then the page was stuck. The only option to move forward
| was tapping on the chat icon, and then it wanted my email address
| and I wrote "no thank you" which it seemed to accept but not
| process.
|
| It looks like your app only wants people to do things a certain
| way, and if the user doesn't, then too bad?
| rioppondalis wrote:
| Apologies for this. I realize now that microphone access might
| be unnecessary for the demo. The issue is that we have a game
| requiring microphone use, where kids practice saying words
| aloud to help with memorization and pronunciation. For
| children, this is a crucial step in overcoming any shyness
| about speaking the language.
|
| I'll work on addressing this by making microphone access
| optional or removing that specific game from the demo entirely.
|
| Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. I really appreciate
| it!
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