High 3 · Reading series
Lesson 20 · Designing an Off Switch
Audio track 20
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our club built a reminder app for school assignments. The first version sent a cheerful notification whenever a deadline approached. During testing, several students said the reminders were useful; others felt anxious when messages arrived late at night.
We had assumed that more reminders meant more support. Instead, we asked testers which information they needed and when. We added quiet hours, a weekly summary, and a clear way to turn notifications off. We made the off switch visible on the main screen rather than hiding it in a long menu.
One member worried that fewer alerts would make the app less effective. We agreed to test whether users could still find deadlines and complete tasks without constant prompts. The results were mixed, so we kept the settings adjustable and wrote down what we had not yet learned.
Good design does not force everyone into the same rhythm. An off switch is more than a technical feature: it tells users that the tool should adapt to their lives, not claim every moment of attention.
Sentence practice
Play any sentence in Dicvo’s Jenny English voice. Before playing all, choose how many times each sentence plays. A practice pause about as long as the sentence follows each play, including before the next sentence. The complete reading remains above.
Choose a sentence to begin.
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Our club built a reminder app for school assignments.
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The first version sent a cheerful notification whenever a deadline approached.
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During testing, several students said the reminders were useful; others felt anxious when messages arrived late at night.
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We had assumed that more reminders meant more support.
-
Instead, we asked testers which information they needed and when.
-
We added quiet hours, a weekly summary, and a clear way to turn notifications off.
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We made the off switch visible on the main screen rather than hiding it in a long menu.
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One member worried that fewer alerts would make the app less effective.
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We agreed to test whether users could still find deadlines and complete tasks without constant prompts.
-
The results were mixed, so we kept the settings adjustable and wrote down what we had not yet learned.
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Good design does not force everyone into the same rhythm.
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An off switch is more than a technical feature: it tells users that the tool should adapt to their lives, not claim every moment of attention.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
社团制作了一款作业提醒应用。第一版在截止日期临近时发出愉快的提示。测试中，有同学觉得有用，也有人因深夜消息而焦虑。
我们原以为提醒越多，支持越多，后来改问测试者需要什么信息、什么时候需要。我们加入安静时段、每周摘要和清楚的关闭通知方式；关闭开关放在主画面，没有藏进长长的菜单。
一位成员担心提醒减少会让应用失效。我们约定测试：没有持续提示，使用者还能否找到期限并完成任务？结果不一，所以保留可调整的设置，也写下尚未弄清的问题。
好的设计不迫使所有人按同一种节奏生活。关闭开关不只是技术功能，也告诉用户：工具该适应人的生活，而不是索取每时每刻的注意力。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- reminder
- 提醒；应用发出作业通知。
- deadline
- 截止日期；接近时会弹提示。
- notifications
- 通知；深夜到来可能扰人。
- anxious
- 焦虑的；部分测试者的感受。
- assumed
- 假定；原先以为越多越好。
- summary
- 摘要；每周汇总信息。
- visible
- 显眼的；开关放在主画面。
- effective
- 有效的；需测试提醒减少的影响。
- adjustable
- 可调节的；设置应由用户选。
- adapt
- 适应；工具要配合人的生活。
Background notes (Chinese)
提醒是否有帮助取决于时间与使用者。设计者让通知可关闭、时段可调整，同时测试较少提醒是否影响完成任务。