Vocab Illustrator

Inspiration

• We were inspired to create Vocab Illustrator after noticing that some classmates found it easier to learn and memorize class content through images. Just as some learners use mnemonics, such as acronyms and patterns, to memorize content, some students can use their own drawn images to effectively and quickly memorize necessary information. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a streamlined platform that allows you to create your own images for memorization, and doodle your own future?

What it does (demo)

• There are three features of the Vocab Illustrator App:
• List Creator: The user can handwrite or type in a list of words to memory train for, then click “Begin Doodling” and create a doodle mnemonic for each entered word
• Option to save each doodle to reference later
• Vocab Builder: Random word generator to test and expand user’s vocabulary knowledge, user creates a doodle mnemonic to remember/test word
• User has option to see definition of random word and an example of it in a sentence.
• Past Doodles: similar to an archive, this tab allows the user to view past saved doodle mnemonics

Result: Users can create their own mnemonic devices for difficult content through their own drawings, which will build their vocabulary and allow them to learn effectively and express their ideas clearly.

How we built it

• Vocab Illustrator was built with Swift and Python using the Flask framework.

Challenges we ran into

• Although we initially had trouble when attempting to create a RESTful API with Flask and when trying to implement handwriting recognition, we were finally able to incorporate it.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Being able to incorporate handwritten text recognition into our app.

What we learned

• How to make a Swift app connect to a Flask API
• How to build an app in Swift with bottom navigation and handwriting support

What's next for Vocab Illustrator

• Add more themes, such as a gray/black option
• Allow users to change the color of their doodles
• Increase the size of the default word list
• Add support for other languages
• Create standard word lists to study for specific subjects - such as parts of the human body, U.S. states, or even common computer science vocabulary!