York Factory First Nation Cree Language App
Inineemowin:
York Factory Cree
Vincent Design developed an app with York Factory First Nation and HTFC Planning & Design that teaches users their dialect and historical teachings through memory games and easily-digestible learning modules.
Briefing
York Factory First Nation (YFFN) wanted to build an app to share their language, history, and culture. They want to help youth and young adults explore stories from the land, and learn both the Cree language and syllabic writing system. Culturally, Ininiw is used to refer to Cree culture, and Inineemowin refers to the language.
The app’s goal is to help the current and future generations connect with their culture by learning the Inineemowin language and listening to the stories and history of the community. Language is deeply tied to the environment that it is spoken in, and speaking it reveals meanings connected to the people, land, and all living things that we observe. Today the Inineemowin language is classified as endangered; it is currently at risk due to the efforts of the church and government throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. This effort to relearn and revive the Inineemowin language is vital in preserving cultural heritage and knowledge. This app is a stepping stone in creating a modern domain for language revitalization and making community stories accessible to everyone who wants to learn.
Vincent Design’s expert team of app developers and graphic designers were able to take on this project, understanding the importance of language revitalization to YFFN.
Responsibilities
- App Development
- Design
Approach
With any project, it is important to understand the problem space that you are trying to work in. Starting with a blank page, our team started with research and brainstorming to find ideas and information that would lead us to design a functional product.
The collaboration between us, YFFN and HTFC was key to the process as we needed to be in constant communication in order to gather all the content and recordings that would be input into the app. The team also created course outlines that helped define starting and stopping points for this first iteration of the app. This helped give direction to the app and defined the targets we wanted the learners to be able to learn through the modules.
Our first step was to gather all the information that we could about the Inineemowin language. We found plenty of content to support a self teaching language learner, and many of the current generations of language apps mimic the functions of print. This helped us define our starting point and would be the base of what we deliver.
Through our research, we were able to define the components of language acquisition: Listening, Reading, Spoken Interaction, Spoken Production and Writing. Language learners progress through many levels of these topics and this gave us an idea of how to deliver the content in a way that could be accessible and effective..
Results
The result of this intricate process is a functional app where those using the app can connect with YFFN through the revitalization of the Inineemowin language. While there are many language-learning apps available, Inineemowin: York Factory Cree is an innovative tool created to connect all generations to their community.
This project was uncharted territory for the team at Vincent Design, as an app like this needed many different voices and consultations to make sure the language could be learned in a way that could be fun and engaging. Throughout the development process, we created a bond with the people who lent their voice and expertise. Consulting with HTFC, community language experts, and the YFFN community was an extremely important and valuable process, and the resulting app is something that we – and the community of YFFN – are very excited for users to experience.
Our collaboration between YFFN and HTFC for this app ensured that great care and effort went into every part of the design, development, and overall creation. While this is the first version of the app, we look forward to future improvements and expansions to the user experience.
Content
Inineemowin is an expansive language, so the team needed to narrow the content scope for the launch while planning concepts and additional content for future updates. One thing that was kept in mind while creating the app was where can a user start their Inineemowin learning journey and how can they build upon these concepts. The language acquisition pathways were carefully created for the users to learn sounds and syllabics, then words, then move onto sentences.
While apps can be for everyone, the development of this app specifically kept in mind the younger generations of YFFN people. This meant that modules and interactive learning activities had to convey generations of meanings in the language to allow learners to connect with older generations who grew up speaking the language.
Drawing on a 20-year working relationship with YFFN, HTFC facilitated the collaboration of our design and programming experts with a committee of YFFN language experts. This helped us understand the community’s history, its vision for the app, and variations within the language. This ensured the app would teach the authentic language and all of its nuances to learners. A “stories” section includes audio recordings of local knowledge holders reflecting on the history of YFFN and importance of the language, along with words of advice for young learners.
This expanded into researching and reaching out to many other communities that traditionally spoke Inineemowin to further understand the differences between the dialects and how to bring those teachings into the app.
Design
Our primary goal for the app’s design was to make it enjoyable for both those familiar and unfamiliar with the language, while also serving as an introduction to the community. We aimed to create an app that appeals to all age groups—simple enough for older users, cool for younger users, and fun for everyone.
We conducted extensive research, drawing inspiration from language apps like Duolingo and Babbel, game apps like Wordle and Clash of Clans, and personal wellness apps like Calm. These apps are great examples of creating community and tying it to the overall experience, while keeping users engaged and learning.
After meeting with YFFN, we decided that the app needed to visually represent the community. This led to the idea of using a map as a central feature, allowing users to interact with familiar locations and access language modules, stories, and a dictionary. The most important thing was for the app to feel like it came directly from York Factory First Nation. This was shown through the map, spoken stories, and historical references throughout the app.
The language modules were carefully designed to be intuitive, engaging, and easy to navigate, ensuring that users would enjoy short, manageable sessions and keep returning to learn more.
App Development
This app was a great opportunity for Vincent Design to be able to see the extent of our capabilities with our team. It was one of the biggest language development projects our lead developer had been a part of, and we are very excited to see the app continue to grow with more capabilities.
While there were challenges – such as creating an interactive map of the community specifically for this app where nothing of this sort had been done before – many of them pushed our team to grow in their knowledge and find solutions in new surroundings.
Because Inineemowin is a very phonetic language, the modules had to introduce the concepts to both pronounce and write, while helping the user build upon concepts to better understand how the language flows.
There were many ideas that our team wanted to include, but given the scope of the project, we prioritized the user experience and foundational language to start. A lot of consideration went towards the limitations on what can be taught to a person and how to translate that into the app.
Linguistics
A huge benefit to this project was the ability to work with language experts that helped us understand how the language evolved and guided us in how Inineemowin can be taught. This worked especially well since our lead software developer was not only extremely knowledgeable of this culture, coming from an Ininiw background, but also having worked on similar app projects. This enabled us to work in tandem with the experts to collaboratively craft these modules.
Rather than having the app trying to directly teach the language, the modules are aimed at intuitive learning where users gain understanding through lessons and repetition which over time would cultivate understanding.
One thing that was noted during the start of this project was the fact that there were resources for learning Inineemowin, however, they were more of a quick-reference resource rather than something that could help with in-depth understanding. It would be difficult for someone to look at these guides as a way to fully understand the nuances of this language and culture. Our goal was to craft the modules and activities around language acquisition to enable users to take a step further in understanding linguistic and cultural context.
Develop your
Conversational skills
Build your vocabulary
and translation skills
Test your knowledge of
Cree syllabics and sounds
User Experience
The app’s learning modules and activities were designed with user experience in mind, for learners of all ages and abilities, however, bringing the challenge of creating an experience and content suitable for all ages. The way the modules take the user through the session is very intuitive, and each quiz has clear directions so everyone can follow along and guide themselves.
In the end, we designed each module to consist of multiple challenges. Each challenge has an array of questions that are focused on demonstrating a new concept of the language. Then, as a user progresses through the module, they can start to combine concepts. This way, learners will be able to grow their understanding in a way that is accessible, without overcomplicating the language. It was important to the team that anyone wanting to learn Inineemowin using the app would be able to pick up the basics and gain an understanding in a fun and educational way.
The app in its entirety was built with the consideration of how someone would use it, and who would be using it. While the goal may have been to connect the younger generations to YFFN’s language and culture, it is also becoming a way for the older generations to reconnect with their people and histories. We ensured the content felt appropriate for all users to understand and be able to work through the language concepts, no matter their age.
Collaborating with Indigenous Communities
Vincent Design is a proudly Indigenous-led agency, so working with, and cultivating relationships with Indigenous communities is something we strive for whenever possible. This project involved constant collaboration with YFFN to ensure we had the correct tones and pronunciations of their language.
The app has been very well-received by YFFN members, and the language experts enjoyed the experience of developing the app. This app is one step in the journey of language revitalization in the YFFN community, helping members further connect with their language and histories, and helping achieve the Nation’s vision of ensuring future generations have access to this invaluable knowledge.