WenHu is a new way to learn Mandarin.
WenHu uses the world's first word-reveal method, with Mandarin words broken down into their much simpler components and radicals. As you play, improving your in-game fluency and collecting achievements, you improve your Chinese character and Mandarin word recognition.
WenHu has been created with a very clear vision in mind - to literate people about the Mandarin language in a fun way.
WenHu engages people by giving them a chance to unlock multiple achievements.
To provide a holistic gaming experience to their users, WenHu has a timer ticking for every word; correct answers can earn you more time while a wrong answer can make you lose time.
The 'penny-drop' moment when learning to read Chinese is the realisation that, while there are tens of thousands of characters, they are made up of a much smaller number of repeated components.
WenHu uses word-reveal, with these components and radicals appearing one after another until the player selects the correct multiple-choice answer. The faster the player chooses correctly, the better their fluency rating and global ranking.
WenHu players can engage with 3 different game modes: Word Challenge, Time Trial and Practice Mode to enhance their learning experience.
In Word Challenge, players strive to maximise the number of words that can be played in a row, with a wrong answer ending the game.
Time trial, as the name suggests, challenges the player to work against the clock to pick as many correct answers as they can, with bonus time for correct answers and, of course, a time penalty for wrong answers. These modes are both used to calculate the player's fluency score and global ranking.
The Practice Mode can be used to improve gameplay at your own pace.
WenHu word packs are arranged by:
- Components and radicals of the word;
- Packs based on Topics; or
- Sets of Common Usage words.
The "Components and Radicals" word packs are based on both semantic components - i.e. radicals that may confer a meaning to the word; and phonetic components - that provide the clue to the pronunciation of the character.
As you play WenHu, improving your in-game 'fluency" and collecting achievements, you improve your Chinese character recognition. Fluency rating and achievements are earned and displayed as statistics for every word pack as well as your overall success.
iOS DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS
LANGUAGE
We chose Swift, the modern alternative to Objective-C that strives to offer a simpler syntax. Swift also helps to keep our code clean and avoid mistakes.
DATABASE
We used MySql, which is a highly scalable database.
ANALYTICS
With Mixpanel, you can pick and choose which actions to track in your application with a simple point and click interface. Your entire team can add new metrics without the need for a developer.
DESIGN
Zeplin. A collaboration tool for designers and developers.
KEY FEATURES:
Gaming Experience
To provide a holistic gaming experience to its users, WenHu has a ticking timer for every word. Correct answers can earn you more time while a wrong answer can make you lose it too!
Gaming Modes
WenHu players can engage with 3 different game modes: Word Challenge, Time Trial and Practice Mode to enhance their learning experience.
Pack Arrangements
WenHu word packs are arranged by:
- Components and radicals of the word;
- Packs based on Topics; or
- Sets of Common Usage words.
Performance Display
Fluency rating and achievements are earned and displayed as statistics for every word pack as well as your overall success.