Duolingo users often reach a level of language proficiency where it’s helpful to practice with other people. But no such resource exists in the app.
Important Note: I do not work for Duolingo and all views expressed are my own.
Response to the initial prototype suggests excitement around this offering, which would ideally extend users’ lifetime on the app overall.
An in-app chat feature that helps connect advanced language learners to practice through conversation.
Duolingo is an American language-learning website and mobile app. With over 9M daily learners, there's a big opportunity to keep them on the app after they've completed the lessons, especially because they're already habituated to the experience.
We interviewed over 20 Duolingo users who’ve made it through at least 8 of the 14 learning levels within the app. We intentionally left out Duolingo learners who were less advanced, as they aren’t the target audience without the skills to converse.
In sub-brands like Duolingo Plus, they lean on more muted versions of brand colors. While I kept the bright brand colors for this mock project, this is an important observation if the feature were to be built.
When winning a level, lots of illustrations are used to celebrate.
The app uses different unlocked gifts as rewards for achievments.
The competition has little to no educational common foundation that users must complete first.
I worked within the confines of a well documented and robust style guide to give this project a cohesive identity.
While this project focused primarily on the on-boarding flow for joining the chat feature, we also considered if this feature should have its own privacy policy for user safety.
In the first version, we asked for full user information, but later simplified it because the user's profile could offer that information.
The flow was intended for new users of the chat feature, but as the project progressed we saw a need for different screens for an advanced chat user.
In Round 01, I mapped out the content and graphic sections for the sign up flow to begin using the chat feature, imagining that this would begin when accomplishing a certain level on Duolingo.
In Round 02, the UX writer added on-brand copy to the sections and we worked collaboratively to make an overall smoother flow.
A key screen change from Lo Fidelity Round 01 to Round 02 was the Home Screen for Duo Connect. We elimated a separate Profile info section and overlayed this copy on top of the Profile picture to save space on the screen.
In Round 02, the UX writer added on-brand copy to the sections and we worked collaboratively to make an overall smoother flow.
A key screen change from Lo Fidelity Round 01 to Round 02 was the Home Screen for Duo Connect. We elimated a separate Profile info section and overlayed this copy on top of the Profile picture to save space on the screen.
As we moved towards high fidelity wireframes, we honed in on the nuances of guiding a user through their profile.
Once we had discussed all the nuances around navigation and decided on a flow, I finalized the designs.