Case Study — Language Learning App

Christina Sa
UX Planet
Published in
8 min readMar 16, 2023

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Enjoy Korean Cover Photo

Securing your first job in UX design can be challenging, but there was one case study in particular that helped me differentiate myself from other candidates. With the coaching of my mentor from Designlab, I designed a non-traditional learning app that teaches the Korean language using Korean media such as K-pop, K-drama, and K-webtoon with an emphasis on building a habit.

Have you tried learning a language through a mobile app? How successful were you? Have you heard that language learning apps are only a supplement to classes? Or… that language apps aren’t helpful for speaking skills? In 2020, Michigan State University conducted a study using Babbel, a popular subscription-based language learning app and e-learning platform, to answer the question, “How effective are language learning apps?” (1).

A test was taken by 54 students at MSU before and after 12 weeks of studying Spanish through Babbel. Surprisingly, the level of oral proficiency, grammar, and vocabulary correlated with how long students used the app. The more time spent on the app, the higher the scores. One downside to this study was that 36% of participants quit halfway. It became clear that what’s important is that users need to be persistent and must put in the time to make progress.

Design Process

This is the design process I followed for this project.

Design Process & Deliverables

Empathize

First things first, I conducted a competitive and feature analysis of the Korean learning platforms in the market. Then, I surveyed and interviewed language learners to gain insight into their motivation and pain points. Here is my research plan.

Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis of direct and indirect competition

I looked at both direct and indirect competitors of Korean teaching platforms. Many apps are geared towards beginners and are being used to supplement the user’s study. HelloTalk is great for practicing, Memrise for vocabulary, and Teuida…

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Designer at Microsoft | Love to share and help other UX Designers find success in their career transition