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Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

voiczy.com

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Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#31

Post by ugh123 »

rioppondalis wrote: post #27
ugh123 wrote: post #18

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-s…

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 yo…

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!

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#32

Post by leke »

Simple!?!? Ha!

This is a very polished to be called simple although simple is subjective. I've been developing language learning tools as a hobby during my programming journey, so it's great fun to try new stuff.

Problems...

I opened this in Hews2 Chrome browser and it got stuck on the "say the word" part. You might want to add a skip button there.

The sound effect audio is about twice the volume of the narrator audio.

Overall, it's great looking and engaging, even for an adult.

Questions I would like to ask but I understand if you don't want to answer.

I tried the Finnish language. Was that an AI voice? I just can't tell anymore.

What stack did you develop the front end with? How did you like it?

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#33

Post by rioppondalis »

leke wrote: post #32

Simple!?!? Ha! This is a very polished to be called simple although simple is subjective. I've been developing language learning tools as a hobby during my programming journey, so it's great fun to try new stuff. Problems... I opened this in Hews2 Chrome browser and it got stuck on the "say the word" part. You might want to add a skip button there. The sound effect audio is about twice the volume of the narrator audi…

Thank you so much for your feedback! I’ll work on incorporating your suggestion about skipping the "Say the word" game. I've already moved it to the last step of the demo since many users tend to deny microphone permissions.

As for the voices and translations, yes, both are AI-generated. AI has played a significant role in these areas.

Thanks again! Please, let me know if you had any other feedback. I'm listing comments to create a tasklist for myself to fix all these issues

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#35

Post by rioppondalis »

2024user wrote: post #34

Does "simple" now mean polished and corporate looking? The fake AI podcast really lowers my trust in you though.

Thank you for your feedback! I understand I may have been too brief in my podcast-style summary. You're right that adding a disclaimer about AI-generated content would be necessary.

Regarding the polish looking website, did you mean the site should not be polished? We actually aimed to avoid a corporate feel by including personal stories on the homepage and emphasizing our "family-owned" status in several places.

I greatly appreciate your feedback as we're looking to improve the product and build user trust. Please share any additional thoughts you have.

I've just updated the podcast section with a title and description to clarify that it's AI-generated. While I believed it was evident, your point about explicit disclosure is valid and I'm glad I made that change.

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#36

Post by olayanjuidris »

I like your product a lot, I think a lot of people would need this , have you tried reaching out to schools , they will be a good customer acquisition strategy for you . Also I run an Enterpreneural newsletter of 3k+ audience where we share founders stories , tools and growth hacks . I might feature your product to our audience if you can skip the queue here. https://tally.so/r/w88BpO

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#38

Post by rioppondalis »

ziaee-ashkan wrote: post #37

yo the website looks awesome and I am a huge fan of the idea myself. however what advantages does it provide compared to apps like Duolingo?

Thank you so much for your comment! I’m glad to hear that the website looks good.

As I’ve mentioned in previous comments, we built this out of necessity. Our son was speaking two languages at home by the age of 2 (at a level appropriate for his age), but he wasn't picking up Dutch in preschool. We tried several different methods and tools, but they were either too complicated or simply ineffective.

The main issue was that these tools weren’t leveraging the language our son already knew to help him progress further.

Since we were raising him bilingual, we often found ourselves translating words from one language to the other, which is a natural way for kids to learn. We wanted a tool that used this approach—connecting what they already know to the new language.

That’s why we built this tool, and it worked really well. In just a few days, he memorized words easily. The concept is simple, as explained in the video on the website: first, the word is pronounced in the child’s native language, then in the target language. Gradually, the native language is used less, and the focus shifts to the target language.

We’ve also included mini-games to keep kids engaged throughout the process.

As for Duolingo for kids, I’m not sure how effective it is for young children. Our focus is on ages 2-6, and our son didn’t benefit from Duolingo or a few other similar apps.

Every child learns differently, so what works for one may not work for another. But if you’re able, we’d love for you to give the tool another try. It’s not perfect. we’re a family-run website, just my wife and I, working on it in our free time. But your feedback means a lot to us, and we’re constantly improving based on it.

Re: Show HN: I made a simple web app to help kids learn a new language

#39

Post by rioppondalis »

olayanjuidris wrote: post #36

I like your product a lot, I think a lot of people would need this , have you tried reaching out to schools , they will be a good customer acquisition strategy for you . Also I run an Enterpreneural newsletter of 3k+ audience where we share founders stories , tools and growth hacks . I might feature your product to our audience if you can skip the queue here. https://tally.so/r/w88BpO

Thanks for your comment. No, I haven't explored schools yet, and honestly, it wasn't something I had considered.

Could you explain how the U.S. school system works in this context? For example, can I reach out to public schools and ask them to share our product with their students if they find it helpful? Or are you referring to setting up an affiliate program with the schools?

I also have a few ideas for affiliate programs myself, but I'm holding off on them until we can refine the product further. We want to make it even more engaging and fun for kids, adding more words and expanding the vocabulary.

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