Zan Gilani, Principal Product Manager at Duolingo, shares intriguing insights into the AI avatar, Lily, enhancing language learning through conversation practice. He discusses the challenges of creating engaging conversational AI and emphasizes emotional well-being in the learning process. Zan also reveals Duolingo's innovative approach to gamification and user engagement, and how strategic A/B testing has shaped their product evolution. The conversation wraps up with valuable lessons on measuring success in learning products and scaling effectively.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Zan's Duolingo Journey
Zan Gilani, at Duolingo for 10 years, started as a marketing intern.
Now, he co-leads the Video Call project, featuring AI avatar Lily.
insights INSIGHT
The Stickiness Challenge
Conversational AIs often excel in demos but lack long-term engagement.
Duolingo prioritizes stickiness, recognizing that motivation is key to learning.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Authenticity in AI
Make AI conversations authentic by using real language.
Give the AI memory to foster a sense of relationship, like with Duolingo's Lily.
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In our latest conversation on The Product Experience podcast, Zan Gilani, Principal Product Manager at Duolingo, discusses the innovative use of AI in language learning, particularly through the video call feature with their character, Lily.
He shares lessons on creating the new video feature and highlights the principles that guide Duolingo's product management approach.
Our Hosts Lily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She’s currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She’s worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath.
Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury’s. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group’s Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He’s the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager’s Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon’s music stores in the US & UK.
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