Language learning product that offers English language mini-lessons to Spanish users who have little to no understanding of English, with a focus on pronunciation evaluation and guidance
Created #1 language learning skill on Alexa with 250k+ monthly users and 10.5 min of user engagement
Learning a language involves multiple facets such as reading, writing, speaking, listening. However, in order to communicate in a language, you needn't know how to read and write. Conversational learning is so different from learning how to read and write and it can be intimidating. You need to get the grammar and the pronunciation right, know sufficient vocabulary of words, frequently used phrases and expressions in real life scenarios.
Although there are plenty of companies trying to solve this very problem, our research showed that language learners found existing tools to be ineffective and limiting. Our findings showed that offline tools such as language classes are expensive and inflexible. On the other hand, online tools lack situational lessons and fail to help learners to improve their pronunication and navigate real-world scenarios confidentally
Learners wanted a product that gave them real-time feedback on their pronunication and navigate real-world scenarios confidentally.
To help native Spanish speakers improve their English pronunciation skills and help them navigate real-world scenarios.
Led design and research efforts for the language learning experience across the entire Amazon Echo family of devices (Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, Echo Spot)
As the unicorn designer on the project, I followed an iterative step-by-step approach throughout the project, right from strategy and research to design, development & testing as outlined below.
Conducted 12+ user interviews, designed 8 surveys, and partnered with the Customer Insights team for 3 beta studies including a 5-week long beta study to understand user needs, pain points and evaluate designs
Defined design strategy and developed a 3-year product roadmap by partnering with product managers to ensure a balance of user needs and business requirements. Led 3 ideation sessions, provided design consultation for 2 hackathons for 10+ teams to uncover new ideas and prioritize features
Worked with research scientists to understand ML model constraints & wrote scripts for situational & open-ended conversations for model fine-tuning and implementation
Designed experiences for product launch and north-star vision that helped streamline conversations and drive decision making. Designed user flows, defined interaction patterns, created design specs & built multimodal prototypes (with text & voice) for experimental studies and implementation.
Collaborated with multiple stakeholders across 7 teams and a 3P language learning partner to deliver the best experience for language learners
Influenced leadership decisions by presenting north-star design work to senior executives (VPs and SVPs) for buy-in and redefine language learning
This AI-powered language learning skill offers over 200+ guided English lessons across 50+ themes covering vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and common expressions, allowing users to learn English in real-world scenarios.
Our overall goal was to make learning a new language less intimidating, more affordable and useful in real-world situations.
Advanced AI-powered pronunciation analysis that provides real-time feedback (audio and visual modalities) and uses an affirmative learning methodology to help learners perfect their English speaking skills and build confidence through positive reinforcement.
Interactive practice sessions with scoring systems, achievement badges, and progressive challenges that make learning engaging.
Over 200+ lessons across 50+ themes for different kinds of learners (novice to expert), with recommendations based on skill level, progress and preferences
The product was launched in Spain in Jan 2023 and in the US and Mexico in July 2023 on the entire family of Echo devices with and without screen sizes ranging from 2.5 inches to 15 inches.
Overall, the project resulted in the following outcomes as outlined below.
High satisfaction
Variety of lessons
Affirmative Teaching
Within months of launch, the skill gained positive media attention and became the most popular language learning skills on the Spanish Alexa App Store with a rating of 4.0/5.0.
monthly active users
interactions
lessons completed
per session
