Hi. This post is both a report of inconsistent behavior between LingQ’s iOS and web platforms, and a recommendation to try out Steve’s “show-everything” flashcards.
Following Steve’s recommendation in a couple videos, I decided that my flashcards (in the few times I use them) should show everything on the front. In other words, in the Flashcard settings, I’ve switched on Term, Phrase, Translation, and even Status Bar. I actually really like this: it turns reviewing flashcards from a stressful exercise, to a super-quick activity that I can do when I’m too tired to read, but that gives me a burst of extra exposure to terms I’m still learning.
I noticed that on the web, these elements are displayed in the order they are listed in settings … ie, Term, Phrase, Translation, Status Bar. But on my iOS devices, the order is different. There, I see: Term, Translation, Phrase, Status Bar.
For the sake of consistency, I think the iOS flashcards should be adjusted to match way flashcards are presented on the web (and the way their elements are listed in the settings). To repeat, this should be: Term, Phrase, Translation, Status Bar.
I would also argue that, beyond consistency, this is the better order. It makes sense to see the term right next to the phrase it comes from. It is also helpful to have the phrase in that position, because it puts just a little more space between the term and its translation. That space means that when my eye focuses on the term, the translation is just blurry enough to not be immediately comprehensible. If I want to actually test myself, I can do so by keeping my eyes on the term. If I want to see the translation, I simply look down and there it is.
This (ie, the way these “show everything” flashcards work on the web) feels like just the right amount of difficulty. But if the translation is directly below the term (ie, how they work on iOS), these flashcards becomes so easy as to be pointless. Conversely, if I have to flip the flashcard to see the translation (ie, the usual way flashcards are used), that introduces too much difficulty, which stresses me out and slows me down.
So, to the developers: please adjust the order in which flashcard elements are displayed on iOS to match that of the web. And, to users: give these show-everything flashcards a try if you haven’t yet! And let me know what you think.