Product Space

Capstone
Project -
Duolingo

Nithya Muraleedharan
Shahid Shaik
Mohit Bohra Cohort 14 - Team 11
Capstone Project

Story
It’s a familiar scene. You’re sitting in a café, scrolling through your
phone, when a notification pops up:

"Your streak is at risk! Don’t lose the progress you’ve made. Let’s
keep learning today! "💪
Duolingo’s charming owl, Duo, stares back at you with those big,
expectant eyes, holding your streak hostage. You chuckle,
maybe roll your eyes, and decide to open the app.

And just like that, you’re transported to a new world. ✨

This is the magic of Duolingo: it doesn’t just teach—it nudges,
inspires, and sometimes guilts us into believing we can conquer
new languages. But beneath all the gamification and delightful
memes lies something deeper.

What if the words you’re learning could truly open doors? Not just
to new vocabulary, but to opportunities, relationships, and dreams?
Capstone Project

01 About Product

02 Problem Statement

03 Product, Market & User

04 Pain Points Prioritization

05 Solutions

06 Metrics
www.reallygreatsite.com
Capstone Project

About Duolingo
Duolingo is a leading language-learning platform that
combines gamification with personalized learning to
provide an engaging educational experience. The app is
designed to cater to learners of all ages and
backgrounds, making it one of the most popular
language-learning tools globally.

Mission Vision
To make language Create a world where
learning accessible everyone can
to all communicate across
languages
Capstone Project

Market Overview
The language
learning app market CAGR 20.8%
in India is valued at
USD 89.9 million in
2024, with a
projected growth
rate (CAGR) of
20.8%
$89.9M Valuation
In July 2024,
Duolingo was the
most downloaded
language learning
app worldwide with a
monthly download,
100M MAU
of around 14.3
million.
Capstone Project

Competitive
Landscape
FluentU Memrise
11.1% 11.1%

Babbel
5.6% Lingodeer
Global Language Learning App
11.1%
Market: The global market is
projected to reach $26 billion
TAM by 2030, growing at a CAGR of
21.2% from 2024 to 2030 Bubba
5.6%

SAM Based on estimates, India’s Iltalki

5.6%
share could be around 10-
15%, given its large Most Downloaded
population and increasing
SOM adoption of e-learning Duolingo
platforms. This would place Duolingo 14271795 50%
the Indian market size at
approximately $2.6 billion
to $3.9 billion by 2030. LinguTown 1975791 Market Share
Based on estimates,
Babbel 1247247
Duolingo’s potential
revenue from India could
range between $1.56 billion Busuu 745003
to $2.34 billion by 2030,
assuming it maintains its
Memrise 728887
current market share.
0 5000000 10000000 15000000 20000000
 Capstone Project

Competitive Analysis
Competitor Apps

Lingodeer Memrise Babbel Busuu FluentU italki

A gamified Utilizes a spaced Provides A marketplace

A community-driven Uses real-world
language learning repetition system structured lessons connecting learners
app that connects videos for immersive
Description app that started (SRS) and focusing on with language tutors
learners with native language learning
with East Asian community-made practical for personalized
speakers. experiences.
languages. courses. conversation skills. lessons.

Emphasizes Incorporates Allows users to

Lessons are Community
grammar videos by native Focuses on choose tutors based
tailored to specific feedback allows for
Unique Approaches understanding speakers for culturally relevant on their learning
topics like travel corrections from
through engaging context-rich content. goals and
and work. native speakers.
games. learning. preferences.

Quizzes and Interactive exercises Includes elements

Vocabulary and Utilizes points, Interactive quizzes
progress tracking. with instant like progress
grammar games. levels, and based on video
Rewards for feedback from tracking and user
Players complete challenges. content, allowing
completing native speakers. ratings for tutors,
Gamification challenges that Incorporates learners to earn
milestones, Personalized promoting
visually reward mnemonic points and badges
practical learning paths and engagement through
progress (e.g., techniques and while engaging with
applications of achievements for personalized learning
planting trees). leaderboards. real-world contexts.
language skills. completing tasks. experiences.
Capstone Project

Problem
Statement
Duolingo currently lacks features to simulate real-world
conversations with dynamic, adaptive dialogues that
adjust based on user responses. The absence of tailored
feedback on pronunciation, intonation, and cultural
nuances leaves users underprepared for practical
language usage, which impacts confidence and
retention.

Why Solve This Now?

Maximize User Lagging conversational

Retention Rate practice metrics

Lower Conversion Rate Declining Customer

on Subscriptions Satisfaction
 Capstone Project

Data Collection
Qualitative: Conducted comprehensive user interviews of around 20+
individuals across various segments.
Quantitative: Gauged user insights with Survey form that was floated
across various segments.
App reviews: Analyzed over 200+ user reviews on across 1-star, 2-star,
and 3-star ratings from Google Playstore to understand the user
behavior and pain points.

Personalization and Flexibility

7.1%
Retention and Review
14.2% Content Relevance and Practicality
36%

Top Insights
Strong desire for Duolingo content to mirror real-world language use.
Feedback Mechanisms Need Refinement.
Engagement and Motivation
21.3% Engagement and Motivation are Crucial.
Retention and Review Are Essential for Long-Term Learning.
Feedback and Guidance
21.3% Personalization and Flexibility Are Emerging Needs.
Capstone Project

User Journey
Onboarding Activation

Excited Confused Unsure Unimpressed Unsure of Excited to Loving the Looking

to start about about with too how to finally gamified forward to
language which one proficiency many steps proceed start experience the next
learning to try level lesson streak
Capstone Project

User Segmentation
Pragmatic Learners PRIORITIZED
These users are motivated by practical reasons like relocation or career
advancement. They focus on achieving conversational fluency for real-world
needs.

Culturally Inspired Explorers

These users are motivated by personal growth and a passion for exploring
cultures through language.

Curious Gamers
These users are primarily engaged by Duolingo’s gamified elements and use the
app as a stress-free pastime.
User Persona #1 Prioritized

Chinmay Gupta Goals Personality

Develop conversational Engages daily with
fluency to communicate Duolingo
28, Male effectively with clients
Focuses primarily on
Software Prepare for overseas
speaking exercises
assignment
Engineer Build confidence in
Uses proficiency tests
professional settings frequently
Bangalore
Learn cultural nuances in Competes on leaderboard
German language

“Why are the Challenges

sentences so
generic? I want to Frustrated by the lack of guided learning
confidently greet Sentences often unrealistic for professional
and converse with
a German client in contexts.
a meeting, not just Pronunciation feedback lacks depth
say, ‘The cat is on
the table.’” Struggles to revisit previous learnings

The Career-Minded Multilingual

ultilingual
User Persona #2 Prioritized

Akhil Verma Goals Personality

Make strong impression
Inconsistent usage due to
20, Male during recruiter interactions
studies
Understand formal and polite
IIT Student Skews towards learning
phrasing in Japanese
Jodhpur professional culture relevant dialogues rather
Balance language learning than casual ones
with hectic academic
Drawn to Japanese culture
schedule
Learn cultural nuances in
German language

“I don’t have time Challenges

to use Duolingo
daily, but when I Lessons not tailored to professional settings,
do, I need lessons Frustrated by limited options to practice
that directly help
me impress realistic dialogues for job interviews
Japanese recruiters Doesn’t accommodate their irregular
during interviews.”
learning schedule effectively

The On-and-Off Aspirant

pirant
User Persona #3
Fejina Khan Goals Personality
Relocate to Italy to join her Diligently practices everyday
44, Female husband and build a new
lessons
life abroad
Homemaker Prefers practical, real-world
Learn conversational Italian
scenarios and story-based
Cochin for everyday activities
Adapt to cultural norms and
exercises
etiquette in Italian society Uses Duolingo to
Help children with their supplement Google
language learning journey Translate

“Everyday Challenges
conversations are
what I need to Feels unprepared for real-world interactions
practice. I’ll be lost Repetitive challenges make learning
in Italy if all I know
is how to say ‘The monotonous and less engaging
fox is under the Cannot remember past learnings effectively.
bridge.’”
Struggles to revisit previous learnings

The Ambitious Relocator

locator
User Persona #4
Kanchi Phillip Goals Personality
Learn Malayalam to connect Uses Duolingo casually,
38, Female with the local community
preferring short lessons
Improve communication
Business Owner Primarily uses the app to
with local staff and
look up words and usages
Kerala customers
Master everyday business
Appreciates notifications but
phrases does not engage deeply
Learn functional vocabulary with the gamified aspects
to navigate daily operations,
such as ordering supplies

“I'm just trying to Challenges

talk to my staff and
Struggles to find real-world, professional language
customers, not
recite phrases like lessons
‘the cat is on the Feels disconnected from the learning process due
table.’ I need
to generic and unrealistic sentences
something that fits
into my workday, Lessons don’t align with her immediate goals
something Feels doubtful about the accuracy of pronunciation
practical.”

The Non-Native Professional

fessional
 Capstone Project

Pain Points Prioritization

Pain Points MoSCoW REASON

Language skills remain incomplete without refined pronunciation and correcting

Lack of actionable feedback makes it hard to correct recurring mistakes. MUST HAVE
mistakes made by users.

Effective communication is crucial in career-focused contexts. Tailored corporate

No corporate-specific exercises leaves users unprepared for workplace
MUST HAVE exercises address challenges in job interviews, workplace communication, and
communication.
formal settings

Onboarding helps users start at the right level but has less impact on long-term
Unclear onboarding prevents free users from starting at the right level. COULD HAVE
engagement, given Duolingo's intuitive UI.

Generic challenges fail to match skill levels, hindering goal-driven learners’ While important for engagement, this is secondary as users prioritize real-world
COULD HAVE
growth. applicability and confidence-building.

The reminder notifications already adjust based on patterns, and taking this
Rigid reminders pressure busy professionals, reducing consistency. WONT HAVE
further will deter from the strategy of Duolingo’s messaging

Leaderboards engage busy professionals like Akhil by encouraging

Streak-focused leaderboards demotivate competitive learners with limited time. COULD HAVE
accountability and sustained participation.

Provides Akhil and others a way to easily refresh their memory, ensuring they
No quick way to refresh learned content after a break frustrates users. MUST HAVE
can resume learning without friction.
 Capstone Project

Pain Points Prioritization

Pain Points MoSCoW REASON

Requires business-specific language for real-world application, ensuring

Aspiring recruits lack interview-specific scenarios, leaving them unprepared. MUST HAVE
relevance and engagement.

Akhil needs professional scenarios for recruitment preparation to boost his

Absence of real-world examples makes learning less practical. SHOULD HAVE
confidence in job interviews.

Understanding cultural nuances is essential for meaningful engagement with

Lack of cultural phrases prevents connection with native/experienced speakers. COULD HAVE native speakers. Real-world cultural scenarios help users connect authentically
with the language.

Duolingo promotes consistency by rewarding users for completing short lessons,

Inflexible streak feature frustrates time-limited students. COULD HAVE
even if they only take 2 minutes.

Needs detailed pronunciation feedback, especially for tone and intonation, to

Pronunciation feedback lacks tone and intonation guidance for spoken mastery. MUST HAVE
communicate naturally and accurately.

Understanding formal vs. informal language is crucial for professional settings,

Lessons don't distinguish formal vs. informal speech for diverse settings. MUST HAVE
helping users like Akhil communicate appropriately.

Corporate professionals struggle with sentence structures for polished Solving this improves communication in work environments, where clarity and
SHOULD HAVE
communication. formality are key.
Capstone Project

Let’s look at a few...

Solutions!
Capstone Project

Solution 1 - Community-Based
Learning Join online communities
where they can connect with
fellow learners who share
Exclusive hashtag-driven communities similar language goals
for all users to share progress, access Challenge yourself to longer
curated content, and participate in speaking sessions while your
collaborative challenges, with exclusive community peers evaluate
your performance
perks and unlimited access for Super
users.
Solves for Get star-
Limited user interaction and social ratings for
engagement. your speaking
Lack of collaborative learning skills and
listen to
opportunities.
feedback from
Motivation gaps among career- your mentor
focused learners.

Impact
Fosters a sense of belonging,
encouraging engagement and sustained
Use the Voice recorder
use of the app for all user tiers, thereby feature to test your
providing tangible value for Super speaking skills in live one-
subscriptions on-one challenges
Capstone Project

Solution 2 - Cultural and Professional

Mastery Hub
Role-play scenarios tailored for
professional contexts like interviews,
client calls, and workplace networking.
Real-world interactive learning with
Cultural and professional
professional and cultural mini-games. dialogue practice tailored to
real-world scenarios
Solves for
Lack of focus on professional
vocabulary and scenarios.
Mini-Games: Spot the Correct
Limited real-world practice Gesture, Gesture Memory
opportunities. Match, Cultural Reaction
Difficulty in building confidence for Match, and Correct the
workplace interactions. Sentence

Impact
Builds confidence and proficiency for
formal workplace interactions while Proficiency Scoring: Track
improvement over sessions.
strengthening cultural and professional
fluency. Offers measurable growth,
increasing user satisfaction and
retention.
Capstone Project

Solution 3 - Quick Refresher & Glossary

Integration Upon returning to the app,
after a long break, Duolingo
asks if the learner needs a
Interactive modules and a searchable glossary
quick refresher. This can be
for revisiting past lessons in one click. disabled in the settings.

Solves for
Struggles to remember past lessons
and vocabulary.
Inefficient review process, requiring
redoing entire modules.
Loss of continuity after breaks in
learning. Quick links on
tapping the
mascot
Impact
Glossary
Enables efficient revision, boosting
Quick Refresher
retention and confidence in using Adaptive
learned material. Recommendations
Provides easy access to learned
vocabulary, reducing frustration and
encouraging language recall.
Capstone Project

Solution 4 - Pronunciation Feedback

System
Advanced AI tools providing post-
pronunciation feedback, intonation
coaching, and gamified practice
sessions.

Solves for
Lack of detailed and actionable
Pronunciation Heatmap:
pronunciation feedback.
Highlights problem areas
Difficulty mastering professional or visually.
conversational tones.
Low user confidence in real-world
speaking scenarios. Emotion Recognition:
Simulates natural tone
variations.
Impact
Encourages sustained engagement
Gamified Practice Sessions:
through rewards and measurable Earn points for accuracy.
improvement in speaking skills.
 Capstone Project

Problem-Solution Mapping
Pain Point Solution Impact

Pronunciation Heatmap & Provides actionable insights into pronunciation and recurring errors, helping
Lack of actionable feedback hinders mistake correction and improvement.
Feedback Tool users refine their speaking skills and intonation accuracy.

Absence of corporate-specific exercises leaves users unprepared for workplace Cultural and Professional Creates a realistic, focused environment for users to build confidence through
use. Mastery Hub role-play scenarios and games tailored to their career needs.

Cultural and Professional Provides interview-focused role-play exercises, helping users prepare
Aspiring recruits lack interview scenarios, leaving them underprepared.
Mastery Hub confidently for global opportunities.

Acts as platform for rich community-oriented discussions and engagement that

Missing cultural phrases prevents connection with native speakers. Community-Based Learning
revolve heavily around culture as a common point of interest for multiple users.

Feedback on tone improves pronunciation and hence directly improves the

Pronunciation Heatmap &
Insufficient pronunciation feedback limits tone and intonation mastery. authenticity of the language being spoken, making users more confident,
Feedback Tool
directly impact their progress.

Fosters peer discussions and collaborative challenges within interest-based

communities, exposing users to diverse conversational contexts and enabling
Lessons don't emphasize formal vs. informal speech distinctions. Community-Based Learning
them to observe and practice the nuances of formal and informal speech
through shared real-world examples and peer feedback.

Quick Refresher & Glossary Provides users with a fast, accessible way to review vocabulary and concepts,
No quick refresher for learners returning after a break.
Integration improving retention and encouraging consistent engagement.
Capstone Project

Prioritizing Solutions
1. Reach: How many users/personas are likely to benefit? (Scale: 1-5)
Scoring Criteria: 2. Impact: The degree to which it addresses pain points and aligns with the problem statement. (Scale: 1-5)
3. Confidence: Certainty about the effectiveness of the solution based on research and feedback. (Scale: 1-5)
4. Effort: How resource-intensive the solution is to implement. (Scale: 1-5).

Solution Reach Impact Confidence Effort RICE Score = (R x I x C)/E Priority

Cultural and
Professional Mastery 5 5 4 3 33.3 #1
Hub

Pronunciation Heatmap
5 4.5 4.5 4 25.3 #2
& Feedback Tool

Quick Refresher &

4 4 5 3.5 22.9 #3
Glossary Integration

Community-Based
5 4 4.5 5 18 #4
Learning Hub
Capstone Project

Metrics
North Star Metric
The North Star Metric is the key measurement of success for the entire initiative.
It aligns directly with the overall user experience and business objectives.

North Star Metric - Daily Active Users (DAUs)

This metric tracks user engagement, ensuring the app retains a strong active user base, especially among the Pragmatic
Learners segment. The increase in DAUs/WAUs indicates that the proposed solutions (e.g., cultural professional mastery hub,
pronunciation tools) are enhancing engagement, helping users remain consistently engaged with the platform.

For Secondary Metrics, go to the next slide

 Frequency
Solution Secondary Metrics Baseline Metric Target Value
to Track

Completion Rate of Professional

20% (estimated initial
Role-Play Scenarios 35% (within the first 3 months post-
engagement)
Cultural and Subscription Conversions Post- Weekly launch)
5% conversion rate among
Professional Mastery Role Play Completion Monthly 10% within the first 6 months
free users engaging in role
Hub Average Session Duration for Weekly 7 minutes/session (showing deeper
plays
Career-Focused Users engagement)
5 minutes/session

25% of users engaging in

Pronunciation Practice
pronunciation practice 40% engagement within 3 months
Pronunciation Engagement Weekly
10% improvement per user in 20% improvement in the first
Heatmap & Feedback Accuracy Improvement Biweekly
their first month month
Tool (Pronunciation Score Progress) Monthly
60% of users returning for 75% within 3 months
Retention Rate of Heatmap Users
another session within 7 days

15% of users using the

Refresher Module Usage
Weekly refresher feature 25% usage within 2 months
Quick Refresher & Consistency Improvement (Streak
Monthly 10% of users recovering 25% within 3 months
Glossary Integration Recovery)
Weekly streaks after using refreshers 3.5 pageviews/session (average)
Glossary Pageviews per Session
2 glossary pageviews/session

Community Group Participation

10% of users joining groups
Rate
Monthly 15% challenge participation 20% participation within 4 months
Community-Based Engagement in Community
Weekly rate among group members 30% within 2 months
Learning Hub Challenges
Monthly 50% of users returning for a 70% within 4 months
Retention Rate for Community
challenge within 7 days
Users
Capstone Project

Thank you for

your time and
interest

Now get back on your learning

streaks before Duo finds out!!
Capstone Project

That’s all folks!

Nithya Muraleedharan Shahid Shaik Mohit Bohra