Kupu - Whakatipu i Tō Reo
A COLLABORATION WITH SPARK NEW ZEALAND
Fostering regular app engagement by bringing te reo learning into everyday moments
Problem Statement
The Challenge
Kupu has had a significant impact on the revitalisation of te reo Māori in Aotearoa through embracing AI technology and bringing language learning into everyday moments. Spark invited us to bring their vision for the future of Kupu to life by making te reo a more common shared language, while staying true to the original kaupapa of Kupu. In response, we aimed to inspire rangatahi to embrace te reo in a fast-paced, digital world.
Client Expectations
- Design an experience that encourages rangatahi to engage with the Kupu app regularly
- Integrate Spark's new purple branding colour into the new design
- Think big! There are no limits to the experience that you want to create
The Solution
Whakatipu i tō reo
Our solution was the integration of Tipu, a learning challenge feature that utilises gamification techniques to empower users to “whakatipu i tō reo” (grow your language). We focused on enhancing Kupu’s spiritual narrative of opening its wings and inviting all who want to learn. We imagine Kupu 3.0 as a tūī soaring across Aotearoa, sent by the earth mother, Papatūānuku, to scatter te reo like seeds that users plant and grow, visualised through their very own Pua (flower).
Research Phase
Understanding our clients and user needs
The Kupu App
Starting this project we began with exploring the Kupu App, understanding the brand, current features, and the design system that was being used.
Key Findings
Strong Bird Symbolism
Within a lot of the meaning behind Kupu's visual elements and copy writing was the idea that Kupu was like a bird inviting people in and embracing them within it's wings.
Minimal Features
Kupu currently has only two main experiences within the app, one being the main function of translating everyday objects into te reo through taking a photo, and the second being the ability to store that image or share it on social media. This left the app very minimal in terms of content and so we could see a clear opportunity to bring in a brand new feature that would work in harmony with the features already there.
Lack of Incentive to Return
I found that although the image to te reo translation was an exciting new experience to try out, there was nothing else about the experience that encouraged me to return to use the app again.
Lack of Context
The main function aimed to just turn an image into a word, but there was no context provided as to how you would use that word in a sentence.
Ideation & Strategy
Exploring solutions and defining the design strategy
Target Audience
We then took surveys to build an understanding of people's relationship with te reo, the kupu app, and their interest in learning the language.
Personas
“I felt immersed in te reo Māori when I was at school, but now being out, I don’t feel the same level of presence.”
Tama, 19 y/o male
Tama is a current user of the Kupu App and enjoys using the image to te reo translation tool to further immerse himself in his culture. But the after the first few uses the novelty wears off and he doesn't feel enticed to keep returning. He would like to be able to have more excuses to use te reo in his day to day conversations but struggles to find people to do it with now he has left school.
Needs:
- Motivational features or daily challenges to encourage regular Kupu use.
- A way to encourage te reo use among the people he interacts with daily.
“I don't use te reo in my day to day, mostly in fear of saying it wrong.”
Marsha, 30 y/o female
Marsha has never used the Kupu App and hasn't spoken te reo since she was in school. She would love to be able to use te reo again but the thought of bringing it into conversations makes her nervous in case she pronounces words wrong.
Needs:
- Safe, judgement free opportunities to learn te reo.
- An experience that is quick and easy to fit into her busy day to day schedule.
Concept Ideation
As a team we then ideated ideas together, building a rough experience that explored using gamification techniques to encourage te reo usage in daily conversations across social platforms.
User Journey Map
Discovery
Tama becomes aware of the new update to the Kupu app through a notification to update on his phone.
Setting the Challenge
He becomes excited by the opportunity to grow a 3D pua skill tree, so jumps into the new feature and sets the Māori word he'd like to use for the day.
Using the Challenge in Daily Conversations
He then uses the word he has chosen in conversations with his friends, family and co-workers, which is detected through the new Kupu keyboard he has allowed on all his messaging platforms, building his points for the day in order to be able to level up his skill tree.
Reflection
The ease of the experience has left him motivated to return to the app daily in order to keep building his skill tree and earning more points then others on the leaderboard.
Advocacy
Tama has seen that he can create his own team to compete against for points on a leaderboard that will earn him extra adornments for his skill tree. This has motivated him to invite as many people as he can to the app including co-workers like Marhsa, in order to make the experience more competitive and enjoyable for him.
Design Development
Building the Prototype
Design Process
- Site Mapping
- Layout Ideation with Kupu's current Design System
- Lo-fi Prototype
- User Testing
Design Tools
Figma
Site Map
Layout ideation using current Kupu design systems
Creating the Lo-fi prototype using the designs provided by my team members
User Testing
Validating our idea's through some testing to help refine the experience.
Participant Demographics
- Total Participants: 3 individuals
- Age Range: 20-28 years old
- Testing: Lo-fo prototype in Figma
- Testing Method: Planned tasks that would be instructed and then observed by myself as a facilitator.
Testing Objectives
- Usability Testing
- Copy Writing
- Ensuring the users were able to understand the purpose of the app and confidently able to complete their first challenge.
Key Findings
Observation One
The link between the individual profile and teams feature wasn't clear enough and so caused confusion for users.
Observation Two
User's were confused about the purpose of each step they had to take in setting their challenge, so instructions need to be clearer.
Observation Three
The UI components on the setting the challenge page all felt too similar leading users to stall on this page.
Observation Four
Locating the users profile throught the map on the tipu home page wasn't intuitive.
Final Outcomes
Using the key findings from our user testing, the final hi-fi prototype of the app was developed.
Reflection & Learnings
Key takeaways and future considerations
Creating Kupu – Whakatipu i Tō Reo was an amazing experience that really helped me grow as both a designer and a collaborator. Working with real clients taught me how to find the balance between creative ideas and practical needs, and gave me a lot more confidence in how I present and pitch my thinking. Collaborating with a mix of graphic, motion, and interactive designers made me appreciate how powerful cross-disciplinary work can be, strengthening my communication skills and showing me what it takes to design in a way that others can easily build on.