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Whether or not you are actively trying to learn a new language, you have likely heard of or even used the Duolingo app. The Google Play Store designated Duolingo “the world’s most-downloaded education app,” and the brand has inspired an entire genre of education-based content. While it is certainly true that many others have learned from the popular methods Duolingo pioneered, there will truly never be a direct comparison to the impressive company.
Founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, Duolingo makes language learning more accessible and entertaining. The team is dedicated to creating free resources for people to access another language and thus, the potential for more opportunities. Since its start, Duolingo has grown into a worldwide sensation with a user base from “the richest man in the world” to “students in developing countries.”
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Because Duolingo has set the bar for learning apps, there are some brands that look to profit off its popularity. Education-based apps that choose to market themselves as the “Duolingo” of their niche are likely not taking into account the quality and depth that Duo brings to its users. Because of the brand’s use of gamification, marketing strategies, and depth of content, Duolingo has carved out an irreplaceable space for itself that is unlikely to be replicated anytime soon.
Duo’s Exploration of Gamification
Gamification is the process of adding video game elements to other contexts to improve user engagement and enjoyment. This method works well for voluntary language learning because it is an important skill that can be overwhelming to tackle alone.
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In Duolingo, gamification looks like having levels, lives, bite-sized lessons, and, most famously, a daily lesson “streak” that counts how many consecutive days a user has been active on the app. The app finds creative ways to make the learning app fun, like sneaking in silly phrases to learn. Along with traditional phrases that are helpful to know in any language, users will also encounter funny sentences that they will likely never need, but can be helpful because they more easily stick in a person’s brain.
Duolingo did not invent the model of gamification, but it did popularize the model for app-based education. Today, there are many apps within different niches that follow similar patterns to Duo in order to engage users in educational topics. For some of these projects, like Herodotus, Duolingo is the main source of inspiration for their conception, leading to an expanded genre of gamification in education.
Duo’s Next-Level Marketing
One of the main lessons that aspiring business people can learn from the Duolingo Handbook is that the team brings “a sense of humor, joy, and imagination to everything [they] do.” One of the most obvious places this shows up is through their expansive and inventive marketing strategies.
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Instead of opting for a corporate account that posts app updates and upcoming projects, Duo’s social media presence leans into the image of the company mascot being a little green owl who’s a bit too obsessed with your Spanish skills.
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Many people agree that Duolingo has a strong presence that often leans into humor, current trends, and pop culture. The brand is not afraid to share an opinion or be seen as “mean,” as that is Duo’s main characteristic. Some of these ventures have included Duo’s fake death caused by waiting for people to do their lessons and introducing a Duolingo cruise on April Fool’s Day. Last year, Duolingo teamed up with Netflix to promote learning Korean before the release of Squid Game’s second season.
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Social media is just one way Duolingo connects with its user base. They also expand learning and connecting with their audience through initiatives like “Dear Duolingo,” where people can write in questions about how to keep improving their language studies and receive answers from linguists and other qualified professionals.
Duo’s Extensive Lore
At first, it might be easy to compare Duolingo to Candy Crush as an enjoyable and well-developed platform that does not have a complex backstory. However, long-term users will tell you that Duolingo succeeds at in-depth stories within their lessons. While language learning is the priority, the creators also work to write fun plotlines and developed characters for the enjoyment of their users. Each character has a unique origin story, and the Duo crew lore even has a Wiki Fandom page for people who want to learn more about the characters.
Other than flexing their creative muscles, the Duolingo app developers have leaned into dynamic storytelling to improve language comprehension and retention. The language learning models in this app focus more on creating a communication tool than encouraging brute memorization, which people might receive in a more traditional classroom environment. This leads to users engaging in more “implicit learning” strategies where they pick up words and grammatical structures from context rather than explicit lessons. To have context, the app provides multiple examples of conversation through these characters. With more in-depth characters, users can build on previous knowledge and make more informed choices when learning new concepts and words.
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And There’s Still More Duo
Even with all the front-facing elements of Duolingo that make it a stand-out app, there are still many more ways the brand continues to prove that there really is no one like Duolingo. Their dedication to continuing to improve and learn from their users has led to an extensive number of projects and initiatives. This has included expanding their education base by offering courses in music and math. There are also podcasts, free classroom resources, and more accessible English certification applications.
The company is big on research and can boast of having “the world’s largest collection of language-learning data at its fingertips.” They use this research to identify more about how language works and how they can make learning more accessible. One of these studies even follows the work at Duolingo as being a case study for scaling language learning assessments. The research they do here is open to the public and they also share new findings at the annual “Duocon.”
Whether people have been using the app for years or only know the company for its inventive social media strategy, you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know about the “infamous” Duolingo owl or the brand. It is truly impressive to see what Duolingo has accomplished and it will be interesting to see how it continues to grow. While there may be many apps that have followed in its footsteps, none are like Duolingo.
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