Onboarding Project | Duolingo

I have chosen Duolingo

DUOLINGO - Learn a language for free. Forever.

Understanding the Product

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Ideal Customer Profiles:

After speaking to fairly 7-8 people from various fields, some personas (non-fictional) were created out of which the below ICPs were made:

ICP 1

ICP - 2

ICP - 3

ICP- 4

JTBD

ICP	Functional Goals	Personal Goals	Social Goals	Financial Goals	Major Problems
Casual Learner	Speak a few handy phrases while traveling, Boost brainpower through language puzzles	Discover new cultures & broaden horizons, Learn for fun & challenge their minds	Chat with fellow learners & practice with new friends	None (Duolingo has a free version!)	- Finding enough time amidst busy schedules. - Keeping focused when lessons get repetitive. - Feeling confident enough to speak with native speakers.
Career-Focused Learner	Land that dream job or promotion with language skills, Work confidently on international projects, Communicate seamlessly with colleagues & clients worldwide	Boost confidence & build a successful career, Feel the satisfaction of mastering something new, Stand out from the crowd in the job market	None (the career benefits might outweigh the cost!)	Juggling language learning with demanding work hours, Finding specialized content relevant to their field, Overcoming the fear of speaking up in front of colleagues	- Juggling language learning with demanding work hours. - Finding specialized content relevant to their field. - Overcoming the fear of speaking up in front of colleagues.
Tech-Savvy Socializer	Learn hip, trending languages to connect with others, Dive into different cultures using cool tech & apps, Find new online friends & join language communities	Express themself in unique ways & impress others, Feel popular & connected in online circles, Stay in touch with friends & explore new communities	Joining social challenges & virtual language exchanges	Budget limitations might mean missing out on premium features, Short attention spans & boredom with traditional learning methods, Social anxiety about speaking with native speakers, Difficulty finding engaging and interactive social features within the app	- Budget limitations might mean missing out on premium features. - Short attention spans & boredom with traditional learning methods. - Social anxiety about speaking with native speakers. - Difficulty finding engaging and interactive social features within the app.
Budget-Conscious Traveler	Order food, ask for directions, & chat with locals on trips, Understand the culture & feel like a true explorer, Expand their horizons & travel adventures on a budget	Connect with locals & have richer travel experiences, Embrace their adventurous spirit & discover new destinations, Learn & explore without breaking the bank	None (the free version offers basic travel essentials)	Limited budget restricting access to paid resources & courses, Lack of motivation to keep learning during busy travel schedules, Finding quick & easy ways to pick up essential phrases, Difficulty remembering essential vocabulary and phrases while traveling, Lack of offline learning capabilities for limited internet access situations	- Limited budget restricting access to paid resources & courses. - Lack of motivation to keep learning during busy travel schedules. - Finding quick & easy ways to pick up essential phrases. - Difficulty remembering essential vocabulary and phrases while traveling. - Lack of offline learning capabilities for limited internet access situations.

Validating User Goals

ICP	Personal Goals	Functional Goals	Social Goals	Financial Goals	Why are the users signing up?	What is their End Goal?	For what reason do they want to use Duolingo?
Casual Learner	✅ Validated	✅ Validated	Uncertain	✅ Validated	Discover new cultures, broaden horizons, learn for fun & challenge minds, maybe travel & communicate with locals.	Speak handy travel phrases, boost mental agility, connect & practice skills.	Spark interest in language learning, provide fun & engaging practice, open doors to cultural experiences.
Career-Focused Learner	✅ Validated	✅ Validated	Uncertain	Varies	Land dream job/promotion with language skills, work confidently on international projects, communicate seamlessly with colleagues & clients.	Improve language skills for career advancement, enhance credentials & stand out, develop fluency for global communication.	Become valuable language learning tool for career development, equip users with job-specific communication skills, support career networking & international engagement.
Tech-Savvy Socializer	Not primary focus	✅ Validated	✅ Validated	Varies	Learn trending languages to connect with others, dive into cultures using tech & apps, find online friends & join communities.	Express uniquely & impress others, feel popular & connected online, stay in touch & explore new communities.	Be platform for social connection through language, offer innovative & engaging learning experiences, foster a sense of community & belonging in the digital world.
Budget-Conscious Traveler	✅ Validated	✅ Validated	Uncertain	✅ Validated	Order food, ask for directions, chat with locals, understand culture & feel like a true explorer, expand horizons on a budget-friendly travel adventure.	Learn essential travel phrases & vocabulary, gain basic communication skills for navigating trips, enhance cultural understanding & enrich travel experiences.	Become budget-friendly language learning companion for travelers, provide practical & essential communication skills for travel scenarios, open doors to authentic cultural connections on the go.

Onboarding Teardown

Activation Metrics

Hypothesis	Activation Metric	Reasoning	Key Metrics to Track
Building momentum	Completing 3 lessons within 24 hours	First impression matters, early activity indicates continued engagement.	% completing 3 lessons, Time to 3 lessons, Signup-to-3 lesson conversion, Acquisition source breakdown
Progress & Confidence	10-point fluency gain in first week with 7+ daily logins	Early success boost motivation, consistent use shows dedication.	Avg. weekly fluency gain w/ 7+ logins, Fluency gain distribution, % with 10+ point gain in week 1, Login frequency vs. fluency gain
Exploration & Engagement	Use of 2+ learning modalities within first month	Variety keeps it fresh, trying different methods shows deeper investment.	% using 2+ modalities, Modality engagement frequency, Activity completion rates, Preferred modality feedback
Social Connection (Optional)	Completing 1 community-based activity (e.g., leaderboard challenge, collaborative lesson) within the first month	Feeling part of a group increases motivation and accountability.	Participation rate in community activities, Engagement level within community features, User sentiment towards social aspects
Personalized Targeting	Completion of a targeted skill-based mini-course aligned with specific goals (e.g., travel phrases, job prep) within the first month	Focused learning aligns with initial motivation, fosters a sense of progress.	Completion rate of targeted mini-courses, User feedback on course relevance, Conversion to paid plans for specialized courses

Can also track the following:

DAU/MAU ratio: Overall user engagement and retention.
Subscription rate: Free to paid user conversion.
Avg. lesson completion time: User effort and engagement level.
User journey analysis: Behaviour patterns and drop-off points.
Product review sentiment: User satisfaction and pain points.

Offline Onboarding Journey

Duolingo is a pure tech platform however it'll be interesting if they had an offline onboarding process. Here's how it would look like:

Onboarding Journey:

Pre-purchase (Mobile App):
- Introduce the offline functionality and its benefits, like travel use or saving data.
- Offer downloadable content based on user goals and interests (e.g., travel dialogues, job-specific vocabulary).
- Provide personalized recommendations for offline learning based on app usage history.
- Metrics to track:
- - Mobile app engagement with offline mode tutorials and content previews.
  - Conversion rates from online interest to in-store purchase, with focus on physical learning material impact.

In-store Purchase:
- Offer physical learning materials (e.g., flashcards, phrasebooks) complementary to the offline app content.
- Leverage interactive kiosks for placement testing and personalized learning path recommendations.
- Encourage social interaction with dedicated language exchange groups or conversation practice sessions.
- Metrics to track:
- - Usage and effectiveness of personalized learning path recommendations.
  - Download rates for physical and digital offline content packages.

Offline Learning:
- Gamified progress tracking systems to maintain motivation and celebrate milestones.
- AI-powered speech recognition for pronunciation practice and feedback, even offline.
- Interactive quizzes and challenges with downloadable content for continued engagement.
- Culturally relevant mini-documentaries or podcasts for immersive learning experiences.
- Metrics to track:
- - Daily logins, lesson completion rates, and engagement with gamified elements.
  - Usage of offline speech recognition feature and user sentiment surrounding its accuracy and helpfulness.
  - Content consumption trends within offline downloads, identifying popular formats for future offerings.

Post-purchase Engagement:
- Send periodic emails with offline learning tips, cultural insights, and community updates.
- Offer online challenges or social features accessible through the app when connected to Wi-Fi.
- Host online workshops or webinars featuring language experts and native speakers.
- Metrics to track:
- - Email open rates and click-through rates for post-purchase communication.
  - Participation in online activities triggered by offline learning and effectiveness of bridging the online-offline divide.

Challenges:

Time to Value: The core benefit of language learning requires long-term practice and effort.
Engagement: Offline environment offers limited interactivity and immediate feedback.
Personalization: Tailoring the experience to diverse user needs becomes complex without data collection.

"Aha Moments":

Successfully completing a travel-specific lesson and feeling confident to order food in a foreign language.
Mastering a key job-related vocabulary set and feeling prepared for an international presentation.
Participating in a fun, interactive language exchange session and connecting with new people.
Discovering a hidden cultural gem through an offline audio documentary and expanding understanding.

Teardown and Recommendations:

Personalization: Leverage pre-purchase data and in-store interactions to personalize offline content and learning paths.
Engagement: Introduce social elements like offline challenges, collaboration activities, and community forums.
Content Variety: Offer diverse learning materials like flashcards, games, and cultural podcasts to cater to different learning styles.
Reward System: Integrate gamified elements like points, badges, and leaderboards within the offline experience.
Community Building: Facilitate offline language exchange groups, conversation practice sessions, and cultural events.

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