Overview

• Designed a mobile-first language learning app that encourages consistent daily learning
• Led the end-to-end product experience, from onboarding to gamification and AI conversations
• Applied behavioral design principles to improve engagement, retention, and habit formation
• Built a scalable design system for a consistent and reusable user experience

Business Context

• Retaining learners is one of the biggest challenges in language learning
• Building a daily habit is often more difficult than teaching the language itself
• Mieo combines personalized learning, behavioral design, and gamification to encourage long-term engagement

The Opportunity

While many language-learning apps successfully teach vocabulary, few keep learners engaged long enough to build a habit. The opportunity wasn't to teach better—it was to design an experience users genuinely wanted to return to every day.

How might we design a language-learning experience that users genuinely want to return to every day?

Competitive Landscape

• Analyzed leading language-learning platforms including Duolingo, Babbel, Busuu, Memrise, and Mondly to understand their onboarding, engagement, and retention strategies.
• Found that most products focused on delivering lessons, while long-term motivation and habit formation received less attention.
• Identified an opportunity to differentiate through personalized learning, visible progress, behavioral design, and gamification