Essays
An App That Punishes You for Checking Pinyin?
Want an app that punishes you for checking the pinyin? You don't need punishment, you need the pinyin hidden. Here is the better, calmer design.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Custom Font Upload to Tracing Paths: What Is Realistic
Turning an uploaded font into traceable stroke paths is harder than it sounds: font outlines are not stroke skeletons. Here is what is realistic, and why tracing is a scaffold.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
A Macro to Toggle the Pinyin While You Practice
Want a shortcut to hide and show the pinyin during writing practice? The instinct is right: hiding the prompt forces recall. Here is why, and how to use it.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Could a 1v1 Writing Battle Actually Teach? Design Matters
Real-time 1v1 character battles are technically feasible, but whether they teach depends entirely on one design choice: are players racing to trace, or producing from memory? Only the second builds writing.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Playbooks
Why Apps Grade Your Hook Strokes Too Harshly, and What to Want
Frustrated that apps mark your gou hook strokes wrong over tiny details? Hooks matter, but grading should be sensible. Here is what good stroke feedback looks like.
Lawrence Arya··5 min
Essays
Exporting Hanzi as Transparent PNGs vs Learning Them
Wanting clean transparent-background character PNGs for your notes is a design need, not a learning one. Here is the honest distinction, and what builds actual writing ability.
Lawrence Arya··5 min