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Getting Started

Get up and running with ChickenDuck in just a few minutes.

Quick Start Checklist

  • 1Create your free account
  • 2Set up audio permissions
  • 3Start your first lesson
  • 4Review vocabulary queue
  • 5Begin flashcard practice

1Create Your Account

Sign up for a free ChickenDuck account using your email or one of our social login options (Google, Microsoft, or Facebook).

  1. Go to chickenduck.ai/login
  2. Click "Sign Up" and enter your email
  3. Or use a social login for faster setup
  4. Verify your email address
Tip: Using social login is the fastest way to get started and makes future logins easier.

2Set Up Audio Permissions

ChickenDuck needs access to your microphone and screen audio to transcribe lessons. Here's how to set it up:

Microphone Permission

When you start your first lesson, your browser will ask for microphone access. Click "Allow" to continue.

Screen/Tab Audio

To capture your tutor's audio, you'll need to share your screen or browser tab. ChickenDuck will prompt you to select what to share.

  • Entire Screen: Captures audio from all applications
  • Window: Captures audio from a specific app (like Zoom)
  • Browser Tab: Captures audio from a specific tab (like Google Meet)
Important: Make sure to check "Share tab audio" or "Share system audio" when prompted. Without this, we can't hear your tutor!

3Start Your First Lesson

Once audio is set up, starting a lesson is simple:

  1. Click "Start Lesson" in the top bar
  2. Grant microphone permission if prompted
  3. Select what to share for tutor audio
  4. Check the audio level meters to confirm both sources work
  5. Begin your lesson normally!

Transcripts will appear in real-time as you and your tutor speak. Your messages appear on the right (green), your tutor's on the left (blue).

4Using the Vocabulary Queue

During and after your lesson, vocabulary words are collected in your queue from multiple sources:

  • AI Suggestions: Words you asked about during the lesson
  • Starred Words: Words you manually starred from definitions
  • Document Imports: Vocabulary extracted from uploaded materials

To process your queue:

  1. Click "Vocab Queue" in the sidebar
  2. Review each word
  3. Click ✓ to accept (creates a flashcard)
  4. Click ✗ to reject (removes from queue)
  5. Click ✏ to edit before accepting

5Flashcard Practice

Accepted vocabulary becomes flashcards that use spaced repetition to optimize your learning:

  1. Click "Flashcards" in the sidebar
  2. Cards due for review are shown first
  3. See the English word/definition
  4. Click or press Space to flip and reveal Chinese
  5. Rate your recall: Again, Hard, Good, or Easy

The system automatically schedules cards based on your responses:

  • Again: Review tomorrow
  • Hard: Review in a few days
  • Good: Double the interval
  • Easy: Triple the interval

6Importing Documents

Upload your lesson materials to extract vocabulary automatically:

  1. Go to the Vocab Queue tab
  2. Click "Upload Document"
  3. Select your file (PDF, JPG, or PNG)
  4. Wait for AI to process each page
  5. Review extracted vocabulary in your queue
Tip: Works best with clear, text-based PDFs and images. Scanned documents may have lower accuracy.

Next Steps