Gamifying Language Learning With LingoScape
Gamifying Language Learning With LingoScape
Passion Project *ongoing* | UX/UI Design
Passion Project *ongoing* | UX/UI Design
About
Learning a new language often starts with excitement and ends with frustration. Most vocab apps don’t keep us engaged, so we eventually drop them.
LingoScape changes that by turning learning into an adventure: with games, challenges, and progression tailored to your level, so you’ll actually want to keep going.
Project
Native App Design
Native App Design
Role
UX/UI Design:
Research, Ideation, Prototyping, User Testing, Visual Design
UX/UI Design:
Research, Ideation, Prototyping, User Testing, Visual Design
Duration
Ongoing
Ongoing
About
Learning a new language often starts with excitement and ends with frustration. Most vocab apps don’t keep us engaged, so we eventually drop them.
LingoScape changes that by turning learning into an adventure: with games, challenges, and progression tailored to your level, so you’ll actually want to keep going.
Problem
Users often lose motivation with language learning apps, making it hard to stick with them long enough to actually improve.
Business Goal
Increase user retention and lifetime value by creating a language learning experience that users enjoy, return to regularly, and share with others.
Solution
Create a fun, interactive language learning app with games and challenges that keep users coming back every day.
Problem
Users often lose motivation with language learning apps, making it hard to stick with them long enough to actually improve.
Business Goal
Increase user retention and lifetime value by creating a language learning experience that users enjoy, return to regularly, and share with others.
Solution
Create a fun, interactive language learning app with games and challenges that keep users coming back every day.
Discovery
Discovery
Checking Out The Competition
Checking Out The Competition
Before building LingoScape, I explored the vocab learning scene. I looked at Busuu, Drops, and Quizlet. (And no, I didn’t include Duo, as I already knew it well, and wanted fresh perspectives.)
Before building LingoScape, I explored the vocab learning scene. I looked at Busuu, Drops, and Quizlet. (And no, I didn’t include Duo, as I already knew it well, and wanted fresh perspectives.)
Busuu offers expert-made lessons and feedback from native speakers, which is great. The downfall was the slow animations and constant daily reminders, which can get annoying.
Busuu offers expert-made lessons and feedback from native speakers, which is great. The downfall was the slow animations and constant daily reminders, which can get annoying.
Busuu offers expert-made lessons and feedback from native speakers, which is great. The downfall was the slow animations and constant daily reminders, which can get annoying.
Drops makes learning feel like a game, but the long onboarding, boring info screens, and pushy Premium upsell take the fun out of it.
Drops makes learning feel like a game, but the long onboarding, boring info screens, and pushy Premium upsell take the fun out of it.
Drops makes learning feel like a game, but the long onboarding, boring info screens, and pushy Premium upsell take the fun out of it.
Quizlet has solid tools, but the confusing layout and lack of personality make it hard to remain invested.
Quizlet has solid tools, but the confusing layout and lack of personality make it hard to remain invested.
Quizlet has solid tools, but the confusing layout and lack of personality make it hard to remain invested.
Key Research Insights
Key Research Insights
To understand why people give up on language learning apps, I spoke with real users.
After conducting guerilla-style interviews, I gathered honest insights into what keeps people engaged, and what pushes them to quit.
My research uncovered the real problem wasn’t a lack of features, it was motivation. Users wanted short bursts of fun, clear progress, and reminders that felt supportive, not nagging.
To understand why people give up on language learning apps, I spoke with real users.
After conducting guerilla-style interviews, I gathered honest insights into what keeps people engaged, and what pushes them to quit.
My research uncovered the real problem wasn’t a lack of features, it was motivation. Users wanted short bursts of fun, clear progress, and reminders that felt supportive, not nagging.
Tracking Progress
& Motivation
Tracking Progress
& Motivation
Users value progress tracking, rankings, and reminders to stay motivated. Goals, competition, and feedback enhance engagement and connection.
Users value progress tracking, rankings, and reminders to stay motivated. Goals, competition, and feedback enhance engagement and connection.
Varied & Practical Learning Tasks
Varied & Practical Learning Tasks
Offer travel or business-focused exercises in all listening, speaking, writing, and reading, using real-life content and gamified rewards to boost learning and motivation.
Offer travel or business-focused exercises in all listening, speaking, writing, and reading, using real-life content and gamified rewards to boost learning and motivation.
Interactive Features
Interactive Features
The app should include interactive tools like tap-to-translate, short videos, and an object scanner for easy translations.
The app should include interactive tools like tap-to-translate, short videos, and an object scanner for easy translations.
Usability
Usability
The app should clarify streaks, remove random screens, and simplify content for a smoother experience.
The app should clarify streaks, remove random screens, and simplify content for a smoother experience.
Specific User Challenges
Specific User Challenges
Users struggle with low motivation, stress, and focus issues, along with grammar struggles, unclear starting points, and difficulty staying consistent.
Users struggle with low motivation, stress, and focus issues, along with grammar struggles, unclear starting points, and difficulty staying consistent.
“Gamification would be great.
You can’t stop while playing a game.”
“Gamification would be great.
You can’t stop while playing a game.”
Definition
Definition
Meet The Users
Meet The Users
After user interviews, I defined two personas:
Andrew “The Life Of The Party”
Sarah "The Modern Woman"
Andrew reflects users who struggle with motivation, stress, and focus. He needs a fun, low-pressure learning experience that fits his love for pop culture and short-form content.
Sarah represents busy, goal-driven users who value practical, flexible learning that supports their professional and personal lives.
Both personas capture key research insights around habit-building, engagement, and the need for personalized learning experiences.
After user interviews, I defined two personas:
Andrew “The Life Of The Party”
Sarah "The Modern Woman"
Andrew reflects users who struggle with motivation, stress, and focus. He needs a fun, low-pressure learning experience that fits his love for pop culture and short-form content.
Sarah represents busy, goal-driven users who value practical, flexible learning that supports their professional and personal lives.
Both personas capture key research insights around habit-building, engagement, and the need for personalized learning experiences.
After user interviews, I defined two personas:
Andrew “The Life Of The Party”
Sarah "The Modern Woman"
Andrew reflects users who struggle with motivation, stress, and focus. He needs a fun, low-pressure learning experience that fits his love for pop culture and short-form content.
Sarah represents busy, goal-driven users who value practical, flexible learning that supports their professional and personal lives.
Both personas capture key research insights around habit-building, engagement, and the need for personalized learning experiences.
Ideation
Ideation
User Flows
User Flows
I created two user flows to help users easily navigate LingoScape, from onboarding to advanced features, by making interactions simple and intuitive.
I created two user flows to help users easily navigate LingoScape, from onboarding to advanced features, by making interactions simple and intuitive.
Vision
Vision
LingoScape transforms language learning into an engaging, habit-forming adventure. It combines bite-sized games and personalized challenges, all designed around real user needs:
Motivational Tools: Clear progress tracking, friendly streak reminders, and competition-driven rankings.
Interactive Learning: Quick translation tools, short-form videos, and object scanning for real-world practice.
Customized Experiences: Practical exercises tailored to users' professional and personal goals.
LingoScape transforms language learning into an engaging, habit-forming adventure. It combines bite-sized games and personalized challenges, all designed around real user needs:
Motivational Tools: Clear progress tracking, friendly streak reminders, and competition-driven rankings.
Interactive Learning: Quick translation tools, short-form videos, and object scanning for real-world practice.
Customized Experiences: Practical exercises tailored to users' professional and personal goals.
Sketches
Sketches
Sketches
With these sketches I was concentrating on understanding the flow of the features, without diving too deep into the details.
With these sketches I was concentrating on understanding the flow of the features, without diving too deep into the details.
With these sketches I was concentrating on understanding the flow of the features, without diving too deep into the details.
Prototype & test
Prototype & test
Testing
Testing
I tested the app in person with 3 different users, mixing direct tasks with real-life scenarios through InVision. After sorting feedback with affinity mapping and rainbow spreadsheets, some clear problems stood out, like users getting stuck on screens (i.e. ‘Game Over’). Overall, they loved how playful and game-like the app felt!
I tested the app in person with 3 different users, mixing direct tasks with real-life scenarios through InVision. After sorting feedback with affinity mapping and rainbow spreadsheets, some clear problems stood out, like users getting stuck on screens (i.e. ‘Game Over’). Overall, they loved how playful and game-like the app felt!
Iterations And Mid-Fi Prototype
Iterations & Mid-Fi Prototype
After recording and analyzing the usability test of my sketches, I moved on to digitizing them, incorporating valuable user feedback along the way.
After recording and analyzing the usability test of my sketches, I moved on to digitizing them, incorporating valuable user feedback along the way.
Onboarding:
Sign Up – Level Known
Onboarding:
Sign Up – Level Known
The user follows this onboarding flow, when they know their language level. No need to take the placement test.
The user follows this onboarding flow, when they know their language level. No need to take the placement test.
Onboarding:
Sign Up – Level Unknown
Onboarding:
Sign Up – Level Known
Onboarding:
Sign Up – Level Known
The user follows this onboarding flow, when they don't know their language level, and want to take the placement test to learn their knowledge level.
The user follows this onboarding flow, when they don't know their language level, and want to take the placement test to learn their knowledge level.
Language Game Flow
Language Game Flow
The user follows this flow after picking a game to play.
The user follows this flow after picking
a game to play.
If the user has already started playing the game, but left without completing it, they will be prompted with a pop-up message, asking them to choose whether to continue or start fresh.
If the user has already started playing the game, but left without completing it, they will be prompted with a pop-up message, asking them to choose whether to continue or start fresh.
If the user has already started playing the game, but left without completing it, they will be prompted with a pop-up message, asking them to choose whether to continue or start fresh.
The first time the user plays a game in LingoScape, they will see a pop-up explaining the 'Word Bank' feature at the bottom of the screen.
The first time the user plays a game in LingoScape, they will see a pop-up explaining the 'Word Bank' feature at the bottom of the screen.
The first time the user plays a game in LingoScape, they will see a pop-up explaining the 'Word Bank' feature at the bottom of the screen.
If the user taps 'X' at the top right corner of the screen during a game session, they will be asked if they would like to exit or resume.
If the user taps 'X' at the top right corner of the screen during a game session, they will be asked if they would like to exit or resume.
If the user taps 'X' at the top right corner of the screen during a game session, they will be asked if they would like to exit or resume.
If the user makes too many mistakes during a game session, they will be asked if they would like to switch to an easier level.
If the user makes too many mistakes during a game session, they will be asked if they would like to switch to an easier level.
If the user makes too many mistakes during a game session, they will be asked if they would like to switch to an easier level.
