Let’s talk about Duolingo (a case study on marketing + design)
A deep dive into the design + product marketing strategy of the now-viral language learning app
I signed up for Duolingo in 2014. After years of hopping on and off various language programs, I fully committed to daily learning in late 2019. Now, just over two years later I am on a 595-day streak 🙌 and there’s no turning back (keep in mind they don’t count days where I used a streak freeze so I’m off a few months 😂 ).
As I dive into the world of product marketing and user experience design, I’ve often looked to Duolingo as an example of fun design and creative marketing.
Duolingo’s product marketing + positioning:
Let’s start with Duolingo’s clear positioning statement. Straight from their brand guidelines: “Our mission is to develop the best language learning education in the world and make it universally available. Everyone can Duolingo.”
Because turning your brand into a verb is an effective marketing strategy. (“Just Google it” or “You can Framebridge just about anything”)
Even while loading lessons in the app, Duolingo reiterates this message with a simple: “Our mission is to make learning free and fun”.
In the last five years, this mission has put Duolingo ahead of competitors. I mean, can we even remember how we used to learn new languages?
(Somewhere in the recesses of my memory is an expensive program…Rosetta something?)
Anyway…
Since Duolingo has established itself as the most fun, free way of learning a new language they have continually pushed the boundaries of creative marketing strategy.
Here are a few more of my favorite Duolingo marketing tactics:
2021 Product Launch Roundup Email
Duolingo’s emails are consistently fun. I always open the weekly roundup to see how my learning behavior changed week-over-week. But this 2021 feature roundup email stands out.
Not only did Duolingo take their round-up style emails to a new level, but they also:
- Drove awareness of new features 🆕: As a Duolingo user, I had minimal awareness of new features that make the user experience better. But, I regularly opened the weekly roundup emails. Summarizing features in this way taught me how to maximize the value of the app.
- Highlighted course upgrades 💯: When the product team initially rolled out the stories feature, it was so frustrating that one language had them and others did not. Calling out these course upgrades tells me to go try languages I may have passed on again.
- Encouraged continual learning 📈: As a long-term user, learning a new language is a bit exhausting. This email consistently focuses on a “continue learning” message that refreshed my drive to learn. Plus, they capitalized on the “new year, new you” focus that commonly comes with new year’s resolutions.
- Expanded gamification 👾: Making learning a game is what made Duolingo successful from the start. Continually expanding gamification creates the “level-up” mentality that drives game participation.
Jumping head-first into new marketing channels
It would be easy for me to talk about Duolingo’s foray into TikTok. Their virality alone is a case study into why marketers should always try new things.
But, twerking on TikTok isn’t for everyone. And just because it works for one brand doesn’t mean it works for all.
The true value in Duolingo’s success on TikTok highlights their willingness to test and learn on new platforms. TikTok’s usage growth from 2020 made it an app worthwhile to join. The platform opened up a new audience of younger technology users.
The key here is not just joining to join, but finding the right channel to find your target audience. This strategy has turned Duolingo into a pop-culture icon for a new generation – and has resulted in brand growth for them as well.
🧪 Test new channels, try new things and learn what works best for your brand. Just like Duolingo.
Duolingo’s user experience + design:
The design of Duolingo’s app has significantly improved over the years I have been a user. While there are a few features I still find frustrating (like bringing back hearts as if I lose a life every time I misspell a common word), there are many design elements that work well.
1/ Visual Design Elements
Duo the Owl
First, we can’t talk about Duolingo without talking about Duo. Even if their social media manager hadn’t taken our owl friend viral with twerking videos, this little animated element is hands down the best part of the app.
Duo is fun, vibrant, cheeky, a little sassy, and just enough to make me not roll my eyes at their lesson reminder notifications. This design element is successful and the continual iteration of Duo drives engagement on the app.
A Full-fledged Cast of Characters
In the last year, Duolingo has expanded its illustrations and characters exponentially. As a multi-year user, this continual expansion of visual design elements has made it interesting for me to continue learning. Each character has developed their own personality. This variation keeps the platform interesting for the user.
2/ Consistent App Structure + Elements
My journey into UX design has taught me the importance of consistency and structure. Duolingo embodies this well by maintaining a consistent course layout for every language. Icons match across the app and elements are in the same place no matter which language.
Every icon also has subtle animations, which is one of my favorite elements of UX design. This movement creates an ASMR-like feeling and spikes my serotonin, leaving me with an overall feeling of joy.
3/ Useful pop-ups and tutorials
I could probably go on talking about Duolingo’s user experience for another thousand words. But this article is already long enough (and if you’ve made it this far, I applaud you 👏🏼).
The final element that creates a good user experience in Duolingo is its informative pop-ups and useful suggestions.
Learning a new language is overwhelming. Despite using Duolingo for 10–15 minutes a day, I’m still not fluent in German (or Italian…or French).
But, I find the app’s pop-ups, tutorials, and hints throughout each lesson extremely helpful.
By leveraging subtle visual elements — dotted lines under a word, pop-ups for course improvements, etc. — Duolingo lets the user know they are not alone in their learning journey.
Combining these features with the overall product marketing strategy helps guide the user through each course. The messaging is consistent throughout the app, creating a great user experience that is easy to learn and use.
The constant iteration of design elements and user experience have led Duolingo to a market leader position.
As they continue to grow and expand into new user groups, it will be fun to watch the app change in the future.
Final thoughts on Duolingo
If you couldn’t tell from this article, my personal thoughts on Duolingo are positive. This is the only app I’ve found useful in learning a new language, and so far is the only one I’ve used for years. The app is fun and easy to use, the marketing strategy is consistent, and their team continually finds new ways to learn and grow.
I can’t wait to see how the app continues to grow in the future!
The analysis and opinions in this article are my personal thoughts only. I am not sponsored or affiliated with Duolingo in any way (other than being an avid user).
