Ribbit

Have you tried learning a language, but nobody around you speaks it fluently? Here's an audio messaging service that connects you with native speakers, you learn their language and they learn yours

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Inspiration

We were inspired language learning apps like Duolingo and our struggles of learning a language online when there are no native speakers around to talk to. Additionally we saw that given the choice, learners will tend to choose communication methods that they are more comfortable with instead of exploring and bettering other aspects.

What it does

Ribbit is an audio messaging service which connects with the language they are learning and the languages they are fluent in. Learners can add transcripts to the messages for the other person to see and comment on if they feel that there's something wrong with spelling, grammar or pronunciation in an audio reply

How we built it

After hashing out ideas in Discord, we designed prototypes for Ribbit using Figma to get a better idea of how functions would work together. We then built both an API and SPA using a tried-and-tested technology stack which some of our developers were already familiar with, namely MongoDB, Express, React and Node.js. This gave us the agility to rapidly build and test new ideas as they appeared, as well as being well-suited to low-cost deployment in the cloud for an eventual public launch.

Challenges we ran into

During the build week we ran into troubles creating a proper design to work off of as we had different ideas on what the end product would be instead of a united idea of how the end product should look like. Conflicting schedules also meant that we could not meet up in person and discuss the design as well as get help with the code from mentors.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of the art produced by one of our members as well as the video that we made. We are also extremely proud of the effort that our one and only coder did to produce what he could in the time that we had.

What we learned

When talking about design, it is important to create a language in which all of the team can understand so as to not confuse anyone and end up trying to make different products separately. Additionally, using visual representations is extremely important when describing how you envision the product to look like.

What's next for Ribbit

We plan on partnering with schools in our tadpole program with the appropriate features such as allowing teachers to view the progress of the students and download audio messages for listening to later. Additionally we plan on adding voice and video calls to assist in communication between learners.

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