TriPicta is a news app that uses 3-panel comic strips (hence the name). It uses on-screen translation – like what Google uses for webpages and text-to-photo translate – so that people anywhere can follow the news.
When the app is first opened, the user is asked to choose a language:
This leads them to the home page, where they can choose news stories from a number of topics:
Note: the background pictures used here are just fillers. Simpler images that can understood more universally would be used for the real deal.
If the user’s phone has location settings, ‘Local’ news will accommodate appropriately. If their phone doesn’t, ‘Local’ news will be filtered by what language they choose.
Once you click a topic, appropriate news headlines will come up and the user can choose what they want to read. Here is an example of a story:
TriPicta is meant to be simple and easy to read. It uses fewer words and fewer rambling pictures. Every story has 3 panels, making each story quick to read. The language is simple so that anyone can understand. There is also an audio component that reads the text aloud
(also like the technology that Google Translate uses)
for those who are semi-literate.
An add-on for the app to make it more desirable is a sharing incentive that allows users to gain points when they recommend the app to friends or when they read a certain number of articles per day. They can then compare points with friends, neighbors and coworkers. Since readers may not actually be well-educated, the points system provides motivation and pride for users because they are staying informed and want to know and read more relative to the people they know. There is also an online version for those who own computers but not mobile phones.
Sources:
News story: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ship-collision-ennore-chennai-coast-guard/1/868735.html
Graphics were made on Canva and comic is hand-drawn.
