Project Update and Future Plans@20230925

This document serves to provide an update on the current status of our application development and to outline our future plans.

The initial motivation behind this application was to facilitate my personal English learning journey. However, as the potential for monetization became apparent, the project's scope expanded. It became clear that the application needed to solve problems, not merely serve as a tool for translating text or collecting vocabulary. Extensive research was conducted to understand how adults can efficiently learn English and what the ultimate goal of such an application should be.

Several key questions were explored: What should be the source of the content? How can the application cater to learners of all levels? Should it support books or multiple languages? Should it simply be a tool for reading/watching, or should it provide courses for learners? Should there be a browser extension to highlight unfamiliar words?

After thorough exploration, we have arrived at a clearer understanding and have established some fundamental objectives for our application:

  1. The application will be a comprehensive solution for adults to acquire English skills, enabling them to fluently study and communicate in English. It will not merely be a vocabulary tool or a subtitling tool.
  2. The most effective way to learn English is to use it actively and apply it towards achieving personal goals. Therefore, the application will focus on connecting users with English content, such as:
    1. News podcasts.
    2. Videos aligned with user interests.
    3. IELTS/TOEFL practice materials.
  3. The application aims to train users to become fluent English speakers, not merely assist them in using English. Therefore, it will not provide support for multiple languages or translations. All explanations will be in English.

Current Progress

ui

  1. The UI has been updated to a sidebar style, which is more conducive to displaying lists.
  2. Collection support has been added.
  3. The dictionary has been improved.
  4. Content collection speed has been increased.

Future Plans

  1. Implement support for podcast RSS feeds.
  2. Establish the official website and comprehensive documentation.
  3. Develop specialized training courses for targeted learners.

The inaugural public release of this application is projected for early October.