Can Duolingo really teach you a new language? Meet the woman behind the new AI features that make it better

Like many embarking on the journey of mastering a new language, Megan Bednarczyk understands the challenges that come with it.

The senior design manager at language-learning app Duolingo has been studying French using the popular platform for the last two years.

The 30-year-old recalled how she was in Paris a year ago, determined to put what she learnt to use. “I was at a restaurant and I knew the vocabulary to use, but the second someone spoke to me in French, I froze. I had no confidence to speak the language and it was so frustrating,” she said.

She fared better while on a recent trip to Paris. “This time, I had more confidence to speak French. I was given the French menu, and I ordered my meal in French,” said Bednarczyk with a hint of pride.

Bednarczyk credits her confidence to daily practice. And yes, Duo, the beloved green owl mascot of Duolingo that constantly reminds her (and other users) to keep up with her lessons.

She also has Lily to thank. Duolingo users would be familiar with Lily, the purple-haired, emo teenage character known for her sarcasm and moody demeanour.

UNDERSTANDING MISTAKES AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONVERSATION

Lily is also the face of Duolingo Max, the platform’s newest AI-powered subscription tier which offers two exclusive features: Explain My Answer and Roleplay. It was launched in March.

The two features came about after Bednarczyk and her team, which includes designers, illustrators, engineers, linguists and education experts, researched the pain points learners were facing: To understand their mistakes better and to have more opportunities for conversational practice.

The New York-based designer and avid marathon runner led the design of Duolingo Max from concept to launch. She was in Singapore to speak at the Design Future Forum 2024 in October during Singapore Design Week.

Explain My Answer helps users learn more about their response in a lesson, regardless of whether the answer was correct or incorrect. “Sometimes, you make a mistake but you don’t know why. Using AI, we explain the associated grammar rule with that mistake, so that you don’t make the same mistake again,” Bednarczyk said.

Roleplay allows learners to practise real-world conversation skills with the characters in the app. For example, they might discuss future vacation plans with Oscar, go furniture shopping with Eddy, ask Bea to go for a hike, or ask Lin to help with dog-walking.

“We wanted to make people speak with the characters more, rather than type out their replies. Speaking helps build up confidence more, especially in real world scenarios,” said Bednarczyk, who can attest to this.

Although users aren’t talking to a live human, the AI behind this feature is responsive and interactive, meaning no two conversations will be exactly alike. After the interaction, learners get AI-powered feedback from Duo on the accuracy and complexity of their responses, as well as tips for future conversations.

There is also the Video Call feature, where learners can video call Lily and have a conversation. Even though Lily isn’t real, she can remember little details about the learner and will use them in future conversations. The more proficient the learner is, the more nuanced the conversation.

Bednarczyk told CNA Women that Lily is the face of Duolingo Max as she represents introverted learners and is popular for her relatable personality. “She is not easily excitable, so you really have to work hard to impress her. We picked her as she gave a more realistic experience to language learning.”

AI AS A PARTNER

Bednarczyk fully embraces AI and sees it as a partner. “AI helps take away the mundane tasks,” she said, citing an example of using AI to help her draw grids for brainstorming sessions.

“I still do the strategic thinking,” she said. “I use AI as a sparring partner, to help me write the copy. It never gives me the perfect copy, but I use what it gives to shape my own thinking. I see it like a partner that enhances the work we do.”

“Humans are still the final decision maker, and we are the ones asking and framing the questions to get the solutions that we need,” Bednarczyk added.

Humans write the scenarios that learners see in Roleplay, making sure the initial prompt is aligned with where they are in their course. Humans also review the AI-generated explanations to ensure that answers are factually correct and have the right tone.

Bednarczyk said that if not for AI, specifically GPT-4, Duolingo Max might have taken longer to create. “We knew that Duolingo had gaps and pain points, which we wanted to solve for years, but it was either too hard or took too much effort.” GPT-4 allowed the team to fill those gaps.  

KEEPING DUOLINGO LEARNERS ENGAGED

Bednarczyk said Duolingo is not competing with other language learning apps, but rather with other social media apps. “We need to make learning engaging to keep learners coming back,” she said.

This is where her design expertise comes in. Although trained in product design, designing in the digital world follows the same principles – solving a problem through design that is simple and beautiful.

Duolingo’s aim is to make learning a language enjoyable and accessible, and this is done through thoughtful, innovative design.

Lessons are bite-sized to fit busy learners’ schedules and take a game-like approach to foster a sense of accomplishment. The interface is intuitive, allowing users to navigate effortlessly through lessons and exercises.

“We want learners to open the app, and know what to do next – creating something so simple can be hard,” said Bednarczyk. “Some of the best experiences with an app could be unmemorable, because you don’t have problems with it.”

Working on a digital platform means things are constantly changing. To stay on top of the game, the team keeps up to date with the latest AI news, stays abreast of what other tech companies are doing, listens to users on their wants, and is always thinking about how others can disrupt them.

Bednarczyk is constantly reminding herself and her team that “the things that you are building today will hopefully not be in the app in two years – that is how fast we innovate. If the feature is still there, it means the product is stale”.