In an increasingly interconnected global landscape, the demand for second language proficiency is rapidly growing. Online language learning is experiencing unprecedented expansion, with market projections rising from $12 billion in 2019 to $47 billion in 2025, representing a 26% compound annual growth rate. Despite this immense growth, learners often struggle with motivation and sustained practice.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the language-learning site, we employed various initial research methods. Our approach included conducting surveys, moderated interviews, affinity mapping, competitive analyses, “How Might We” exercise, and divergent thinking practice, to identify existing challenges and solutions within the industry. We surveyed 18 people and interviewed 6 language learners out of the survey to understand their joys, common learning habits, pain points, and struggles with motivation and practice.

Our users desire feedbacks, native speakers, and friends to learn together.

I interviewed 6 out of the 18 survey participants, and conducted interviews to learn the following objectives and synthesized the key insights through Affinity Map.

• How do the new language learners learn a new language?

• What do the learners enjoy and frustrate during the learning process?

• Habits and goals for learning a new language

Most of our competitors don’t have all the functions the learners need.

Based on patterns from my research I developed two personas - a single friendly computer scientist who loves to travel and a married caring therapist Jenny wants to get in-depth in Chinese learning to serve her clients. This allowed us to keep our target audiences in mind throughout the design process. By creating personas "Jennifer" and “John”, we can empathize with users' needs and aspirations, ensuring that our design solutions align with their goals and desires. The storyboard indicates how the product will improve users’ language learning outcomes.

I designed all the filters to help users to find their favorite mentors.

Moderated usability tests were conducted with five participants through Google Meet to assess LanguageLand's overall usability and effectiveness. The primary objectives of these tests were to identify barriers to completing essential tasks, uncover pain points, and gather participants' impressions of using the product.

To achieve these goals, a diverse group of participants was selected to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of LanguageLand's features and user experience. The usability testing focused on two key aspects:

1. Assessing the effectiveness of LanguageLand's main features and users' ability to complete designated tasks.

2. Identifying potential issues related to the website's flow and overall user experience.

Usability testing results

100% of users identify with the brand color, design, the brand value.

100% of users found the “finding your tutors” user flow easy to navigate, intuitive, and user-friendly.

100% finish this user flow within 30 seconds.

100% users think they will enjoy such a new site more than the competitors listed above.

Based on the insights from my usability test and action priority matrix, I chose the top two critical interactions.

To understand the demographic information and define our target audiences, I gathered 18 participants from Discord and Reddit. The information would also be used when we create our personas.

Language learners struggle with finding native speakers, engaging with realistic materials, getting feedback, and learning alone. However, most of the currents services and products on the market now only provide limited features.

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