WriteWise: Elevating English Writing Concept Design

I created a website concept design utilizing a large language model to assist non-native speakers in improving their writing skills.
  • This design project was completed prior to the launch of GPTs (User generated ChatGPT integration)

  • This design project was completed prior to the launch of GPTs (User generated ChatGPT integration)

Role

Capstone project at Purdue, completed independently

Role

Capstone project at Purdue, completed independently

Role

Capstone project at Purdue, completed independently

Role

Capstone project at Purdue, completed independently

Industry

Education + AI

Industry

Education + AI

Industry

Education + AI

Industry

Education + AI

Duration

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Duration

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Duration

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Duration

Jan 2023 - Apr 2023

Challenge

Large language models such as ChatGPT have the potential to complete multiple tasks, but their broad utility limits their ability to be applied to specific tasks effectively.

Outcome

I designed WriteWise that tailored to second language learning by:

  1. Compared to Grammarly, WriteWise provides suggestions not only for grammar and spelling but also for expression aspects like phrasing and sentence clarity.

  2. Unlike competitors that only offer correction services, WriteWise provides holistic support throughout the entire writing journey.

  3. Based on user interview demands for note reviewing, WriteWise automatically generates organized notes for review and reinforcement.

I designed a website concept tailored to second language learning by:

  1. Compared to Grammarly, WriteWise provides suggestions not only for grammar and spelling but also for expression aspects like phrasing and sentence clarity.

  2. Unlike competitors that do not offer assistance before the writing process, WriteWise provides holistic support throughout the entire writing journey.

  3. Based on user interview demands for note reviewing, WriteWise automatically generates organized notes for review and reinforcement.

I designed a website concept tailored to second language learning by:

  1. Compared to Grammarly, WriteWise provides suggestions not only for grammar and spelling but also for expression aspects like phrasing and sentence clarity.

  2. Unlike competitors that do not offer assistance before the writing process, WriteWise provides holistic support throughout the entire writing journey.

  3. Based on user interview demands for note reviewing, WriteWise automatically generates organized notes for review and reinforcement.

I designed a website concept tailored to second language learning by:

  1. Compared to Grammarly, WriteWise provides suggestions not only for grammar and spelling but also for expression aspects like phrasing and sentence clarity.

  2. Unlike competitors that do not offer assistance before the writing process, WriteWise provides holistic support throughout the entire writing journey.

  3. Based on user interview demands for note reviewing, WriteWise automatically generates organized notes for review and reinforcement.

Approach

How might we assist English learners in utilizing ChatGPT to enhance their writing skills?

The problem space can be divided into three smaller issues, which I attempt to address through academic research, user interviews, and competitive analysis.

Academic Research

English writing improvement is a widely researched field that encompasses various disciplines:

Insight 1: As learners improve, their needs evolve

English writing improvement is a widely researched field that encompasses various disciplines:

Four-stage model of language learning (Hamp-Lyons & Heasley, 1987)

Four-stage model of language learning (Hamp-Lyons & Heasley, 1987)

Four-stage model of language learning (Hamp-Lyons & Heasley, 1987)

Insight 2: Within distinct stages of every writing endeavor, diverse needs emerge

  • The process of composing a piece of writing can be divided into different stages and need different instructions.

  • These stages may repeat or backtrack to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

A process model of writing instruction (Hyland, 2019)

A process model of writing instruction (Hyland, 2019)

A process model of writing instruction (Hyland, 2019)

Competitive Analysis

Writing improvement is a fiercely competitive market. Despite the absence of AI integration in existing products within this field, they exhibit the following drawbacks:

  • Instead of enhancing writing skills, these tools focus primarily on proofreading essays.

  • Without AI assistance, these tools are limited to correcting grammar and spelling errors, lacking the capability to improve the content and structure of essays.

User Interview

What are learners' own perspectives?

After reviewing academic literature and competitors in the field, I sought to gather first-hand insights from my target audience about their challenges and needs.

I conducted a pre-interview survey on English writing experience and recruited 6 college and graduate students from a pool of 21 respondents to simulate a rough stratified sampling.

These 6 participants, with an average age of 22, all have experience in English writing, with IELTS scores ranging from 5 to 8 (converted).

Key Takeaways

  • Blue is for neutral emotions, red for negative, and green for positive

Extracting Target Users from the Interview:

Based on the above research and interviews, I have summarized the core needs of English as second language writers:

  1. They need help not only after writing, but also before and during writing.

  2. They need to improve not only grammar and spelling, but also phrasing and content construction.

Based on the above research and interviews, I have summarized the core needs of English as second language writers:

  1. They need help not only after writing, but also before and during writing.

  2. They need to improve not only grammar and spelling, but also phrasing and content construction

Based on the above research and interviews, I have summarized the core needs of English as second language writers:

  1. They need help not only after writing, but also before and during writing.

  2. They need to improve not only grammar and spelling, but also phrasing and content construction

Based on the above research and interviews, I have summarized the core needs of English as second language writers:

  1. They need help not only after writing, but also before and during writing.

  2. They need to improve not only grammar and spelling, but also phrasing and content construction

Design Decisions

Solution 1: Enhance Writing Quality with Comprehensive Guidance on Expression and Organization

  • Offer suggestions encompassing grammar, spelling, as well as expression elements like vocabulary, phrasing, or sentence clarity, highlighted in distinct colors for easy identification.

  • Users can also utilize AI to request essay rewriting, addressing issues like lengthiness or lack of clarity in the main points.

Solution 2: Generate Automated Notes for Efficient Review

  • Tailored suggestions are available throughout the entire writing process

  • Users can customize the writing context to receive writing prompts, offering valuable insights without enabling direct plagiarism

Other projects

Copyright 2024 by Siying Wang

Copyright 2024 by Siying Wang

Copyright 2024 by Siying Wang