01
CREATING COMMUNITY
About // Group Project at General Assembly
Duolingo is a language learning app that combines gamification and bite-sized lessons for a more efficient and productive experience. While this education system is inexpensive and accessible, it lacks conversational practice features for its users to feel confident in their learning. At GA, we were asked to help Duolingo create a language immersive experience that leveraged community while enabling users to reach oral proficiency.
COMPANY
Duolingo
ROLE
UI Designer
DURATION
2 Weeks
02
RESEARCH
User Interviews // Affinity Mapping //
We began our research by conducting 5 user interviews and asking about:
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previous language learning experiences
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how they improve their conversational skills (with Duolingo & outside of the app)
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how they connect with others and their view on competition
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experience with Duolingo’s features and gamification system
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ease of learning through chat, voice recording and video
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FRAMEWORK
01
02
03
03
THE USER
Persona // The Problem // User Flow
After our research, it was evident there were two types of personas:
CYNTHIA: THE CASUAL USER
Goal: During her free time Cynthia is learning Spanish because someday she wants to speak fluently with her mother in law.
Needs:
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weekly practice
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accountability & motivation
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flexible schedule / practice during her leisure time
THE PROBLEM
Language learners need one-on-one expert advice to achieve oral proficiency because they learn quicker when they feel comfortable practicing with an expert.
USER FLOW SNIPPET
LUCA : THE USER ON A DEADLINE
Goal: Luca is a digital nomad and wants to achieve a mid-level German in 3 months.
Needs:
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daily practice
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a personalized program that will help him learn quick
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willing to pay for expert guidance
THE PROBLEM
Language learners on a deadline need a personalized program with expert advice because they need to master fluency for specific upcoming scenarios they might experience.
USER FLOW SNIPPET
04
DESIGN
Wireframes // Usability Testing // Prototype
WIREFRAMES
Before our sketching, we decided it was important to keep the current Duolingo homepage and locate 1:1 lessons with experts under the user profile. Additionally, we wanted to explore what a results page would look like , the expert profile, booking a class, a checkout page, and a user calendar that would connect to their scheduled lessons.
USABILITY TEST RESULTS
TEST GOALS
1. User finds the “Book a Session” button on the profile page in 3 attempts or less
AVERAGE
2.5 attempts
2. User is able to select and book the expert in 2 minutes or less.
AVERAGE
1m 28s
3. User is able to find the expert session pack options in 3 attempts or less.
SUCCESS
1/4
TAKEAWAYS
Hard to find expert session under profile. Needs to be more prominent.
Ability to filter by years of experience, rating, and topics.
Unclear how long sessions are & number of sessions is too big to start with.
05
THE SOLUTION
High Fidelity Prototype // Lessons Learned
Based on our usability testing, we decided to integrate orientation in the homepage for users to navigate between lessons and experts. We also implemented filters in the results page and displayed profiles in a card system to facilitate the search.
LESSONS LEARNED:
Initially Duolingo wanted to leverage community, however, our research concluded users wanted less interactions amongst friends and more 1:1 expert advice. Sometimes a solution will drift away from the initial idea and it's important to assess the level of effort, customer value, and business value it will provide to ensure it's the right decision.