In this second episode of The Science of Change, our host Kristen Berman dives into one of the most successful apps for language learning: Duolingo. Kristen sits with Duolingo’s Head of Product Management Cem Kansu to talk about the ways this amazing app keeps people engaged and learning. From their daily streaks and batches, all the way to the length and difficulty of each exercise, Kristen and Cem unpack the behavioral science behind Duolingo App. Listen now and learn from the challenges, Cem and his team have managed to successfully solve in their commitment to education. Have you reached your daily goal?

Jump straight into:

(01:09) - How Duolingo keeps its users motivated: Reducing barriers and keeping streaks without losing the focus on learning.

(05:11) - The sweet spot for creating a daily habit: How Duolingo uses freezes and repairs to keep users engaged in a gamified language-learning method. 

(14:59) - Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic motivation: Why Duolingo asks you how much you want to practice every day. 

(19:54) - AB Testing: The best tactics to get users to upgrade their subscription and try their Duolingo Plus free week. 

(24:57) - Running out of lives?: How Duolingo makes you practice active learning by tracking your errors and making each answer count.

(30:31) - The theory of learning: Levels, skills, and how to get people to dive into a new level of difficulty.

(41:56) - Measuring for today and tomorrow: How Duolingo measures learning and what will be the future of learning a language on mobile. 

 Episode resources

Additional reading, resources and literature review on language learninng

Connect with Cem through LinkedIn

Duolingo

Thank you for listening to The Science of Change. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science. 

This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn) and produced by Kristen Berman and Studio Pod Media. The executive producer is Rachael Roberts. All episodes are written by Jack Bueher. Music and editing provided by nodalab.