We spent several hours yesterday beta testing at Western Reserve Academy, courtesy of Ms. Kathryn Mueller, Chen Laoshi, and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation. The students that used Skritter liked it, but had a whole boatload of suggestions and corrections for us. Overall, the trip was highly productive, and we now have a to-do list that should keep up busy for the next few weeks. Below are some of the suggestions:
1) Create a demo that works instead of writing on top of itself. Preferably the demo should respect the back button, so that users can click on the demo, and then exit at any time. Making a completely sweet demo like this will take time, but we’re going to start this week.
2) Create a vocabulary removal tool so that students can practice a specific range of characters only, for test prep application and the like.
3) Make the stroke recognition better. We’re working hard on this problem, and we’d like to thank everyone for putting up with the finicky strokes. You’re input is helping to improve recognition.
4) Create a way to view missed vocabulary words and characters in the progress page.
5) Make the stats on the progress page easier to understand and digest at a glance. This includes explaining several of the key metrics.
We’ve been asked to return to WRA’s campus in the near future to talk to their students about our startup and the possibilities for young entrepreneurs. In sum, thanks a lot WRA, and we look forward to visiting again. This week we’re going to introduce the Oberlin 2nd and 3rd year students to Skritter, and we’re hoping we can get even more impressions to better guide development.