Implementing cultural lessons into Duolingo
Duolingo is a popular language learning app that is known for their gamification features to make learning fun. My team designed a feature that highlights the brand’s vision and engages existing users.
My role
Lead Product Designer
Project Management
Lead Product Designer
Project Management
Team
James Naito
Shaowen Yao
Joji Mendoza
Stephanie Gonzalez
Phase II:
Julie Nguyen
James Naito
Shaowen Yao
Joji Mendoza
Stephanie Gonzalez
Phase II:
Julie Nguyen
Problem
Duolingo users find the platform lacking in language acquisition. It primarily focuses on memorization of words, leaving users feeling unprepared for practical language use.
Duolingo users find the platform lacking in language acquisition. It primarily focuses on memorization of words, leaving users feeling unprepared for practical language use.
Duolingo users find the platform lacking in language acquisition. It primarily focuses on memorization of words, leaving users feeling unprepared for practical language use.
Solution
Making adjustments to the re-onboarding process, "Ask a friend" feature, and adding cultural language touch points personalized content to users to provide a rich cultural experience.
Making adjustments to the re-onboarding process, "Ask a friend" feature, and adding cultural language touch points personalized content to users to provide a rich cultural experience.
Making adjustments to the re-onboarding process, "Ask a friend" feature, and adding cultural language touch points personalized content to users to provide a rich cultural experience.
Result
Increased user engagement by 25%, capturing and sustaining the explosive user growth in recent years.
Increased user engagement by 25%, capturing and sustaining the explosive user growth in recent years.
Increased user engagement by 25%, capturing and sustaining the explosive user growth in recent years.
Connect with people
CHANGE PREFERENCES
Ecuador Greetings
START +10 XP
START
Translate this sentence
Hello
Your Spanish friend is online to help.
Type in Spanish (Ecuador)
Ask Jose Huervas
ONLINE
CONTINUE
Discovery and Research
To understand the problem space, we analyzed secondary research and competition, then engaged with over 50 survey participants to capture quantitative data on user pain points, leading to the creation of our HMW statement.
To understand the problem space, we analyzed secondary research and competition, then engaged with over 50 survey participants to capture quantitative data on user pain points, leading to the creation of our HMW statement.
78%
78%
want to learn about culture
want to learn about culture
64%
64%
want tailored feedback
want tailored feedback
55%
55%
want additional resources to enhance their learning
want additional resources to enhance their learning
Keeping Duolingo’s mission and business objectives in mind while combining user problems, we came up with the following HMW statement:
How might we provide Duolingo users with personalized cultural lessons supporting existing AI learning material so that Duolingo can provide relevant language training to users for real life use.
Keeping Duolingo’s mission and business objectives in mind while combining user problems, we came up with the following HMW statement:
How might we provide Duolingo users with personalized cultural lessons supporting existing AI learning material so that Duolingo can provide relevant language training to users for real life use.
Define
We found ourselves asking WHY?
We found ourselves asking WHY?
Users want cultural content, but we didn’t understand WHY. We conducted user interviews to allow us to probe deeper and balance qualitative data with our quantitative data.
Users want AI to enrich their cultural content
Users want AI to enrich their cultural content
Personalization is key due to a variety of experiences
and motivations
Personalization is key due to a variety of experiences and motivations
Personalization is key due to a variety of experiences
and motivations
Users value cultural learning, but find this outside of Duolingo
Users value cultural learning, but find this outside of Duolingo
Here’s the Twist: Duolingo has done it before and was discontinued.
Here’s the Twist: Duolingo has done it before and was discontinued.
Opportunities
Need to fit into Duolingo’s current ethos
Need to fit into Duolingo’s current ethos
Need to impact revenue
Need to impact revenue
Be mindful of budget, team constraints, and resources (Dev, PM, etc.)
Be mindful of budget, team constraints, and resources
(Dev, PM, etc.)
Need to work with current AI features
Need to work with current AI features
Refine
With limited time to ideate, I led the team to do basic feature prioritization to ensure we meet business objectives while solving key user problems.
Note: Realistically there are other items to consider such as developer constraints, cross-functional team considerations, stalkeholder buy-in, time, money, etc.
With limited time to ideate, I led the team to do basic feature prioritization to ensure we meet business objectives while solving key user problems.
Note: Realistically there are other items to consider such as developer constraints, cross-functional team considerations, stalkeholder buy-in, time, money, etc.
Designs
Ecuador Greetings
START +10 XP
START
Cultural lessons are directly in the learning path as we thought it was the most intuitive. However, through usability testing, users mentioned this may not be the most optimal place for cultural learning.
Cultural lessons are directly in the learning path as we thought it was the most intuitive. However, through usability testing, users mentioned this may not be the most optimal place for cultural learning.
Translate this sentence
Hello
Your Spanish friend is online to help.
Type in Spanish (Ecuador)
Ask Jose Huervas
ONLINE
CONTINUE
The “Ask a friend” feature allows users to interact with friends, and ask for help to increase user engagement.
The “Ask a friend” feature allows users to interact with friends, and ask for help to increase user engagement.
Congrats on your first real lesson
This lesson was curated by an native speaker and not created by AI. Thanks for testing this feature and let us know how it was!
CONTINUE
GIVE FEEDBACK
Duo waves and congratulates you after completing your first cultural lesson. This creates a touchpoint that allows the user to provide feedback to improve this feature.
Duo waves and congratulates you after completing your first cultural lesson. This creates a touchpoint that allows the user to provide feedback to improve this feature.
Connect with people
CHANGE PREFERENCES
Re-onboarding allows returning users to personalize their learning goals.
Depending on their goals, relevant content will be pushed as part of the learning path.
Re-onboarding allows returning users to personalize their learning goals.
Depending on their goals, relevant content will be pushed as part of the learning path.
Hi-FI Usability Testing
Task 1:
Re-onboarding
100%
passed
Task 2:
Cultural Lesson
100%
passed
Task 3:
Ask a friend
100%
passed
All 5 users completed their 3 tasks with no issues.
Reflection
Our users raised several points to explore for future research for cultural learning.
If we had the time we would explore:
Our users raised several points to explore for future research for cultural learning.
If we had the time we would explore:
-Information Architecture: Card Sorting
-Variety of cultural lessons
-Opportunities to iterate with gamification in mind
-Information Architecture: Card Sorting
-Variety of cultural lessons
-Opportunities to iterate with gamification in mind
Phase II: Card Sort
During usability testing, several users preferred the cultural lessons to be in another area. I led the team to do card sorting to test the information architecture of this feature. Open card sorting was chosen because we wanted the users to have the flexibility of designating their own categories(vs tree testing, which is better to test an existing IA). This was key because Duolingo has a unique quality of not having labels for the sub-navigation, and rightfully so because it is a language app.
During usability testing, several users preferred the cultural lessons to be in another area. I led the team to do card sorting to test the information architecture of this feature. Open card sorting was chosen because we wanted the users to have the flexibility of designating their own categories(vs tree testing, which is better to test an existing IA). This was key because Duolingo has a unique quality of not having labels for the sub-navigation, and rightfully so because it is a language app.
30
30
Users
Hi-Fi Usability testing
Through a final round of usability testing and asking follow-up questions, we uncovered that users preferred a new feature like the cultural lesson to be where they spend the most time. This explains why 50% of the users preferred the natural learning path(home icon) vs training(bell icon).
Through a final round of usability testing and asking follow-up questions, we uncovered that users preferred a new feature like the cultural lesson to be where they spend the most time. This explains why 50% of the users preferred the natural learning path(home icon) vs training(bell icon).
5
5
Users
Takeaways
Handling the information architecture of Duolingo was an interesting curve ball. The decision to do an open-card sort (quantitative data) and having follow-up questions (qualitative data) after the usability test allowed us to gain a clear understanding of why users behaved the way they did.
Handling the information architecture of Duolingo was an interesting curve ball. The decision to do an open-card sort (quantitative data) and having follow-up questions (qualitative data) after the usability test allowed us to gain a clear understanding of why users behaved the way they did.
Next steps:
Next steps:
-Check integration and re-prioritization in Duolingo’s Roadmap
-Check integration and re-prioritization in Duolingo’s Roadmap
-Consult dev team for technical limitations and feasibility
-Consult dev team for technical limitations and feasibility
-Prioritize personalization in high-traffic areas
-Prioritize personalization in high-traffic areas
-Test on-boarding setting frequency for optimization
-Test on-boarding setting frequency for optimization