Tallo
Bridging the 'Safety Gap' for Anxious Learners: A Case Study on Avatar-led Social Learning and AI Scenarios.
TEAM
8 Members
MY ROLE
Conceptualization
Qualitative &
Quantitative research
Usability testing
Design
TOOLS USED
Figma
Notion
NotebookLM
Nano Banana
DURATION
3 Months
BACKGROUND
& PROBLEM
Our users revealed that they are stuck between two worlds while learning a new language. On one side, they have 'The Bird' (Duolingo) safe, but purely theoretical and often lonely. On the other, they have 'The Wild West' (Tandem/HelloTalk) practical social interaction, but riddled with 'sketchy' encounters that feel more like a dating app than a classroom.
Through 20 user interviews and an audit of 15+ competitors, we discovered a massive 'Safety Gap.'
RESEARCH
Our deep dive into the 'Language Exchange' ecosystem via Competitive analysis & User interviews revealed three uncomfortable truths/Pain-points:
10%
of users explicitly cited 'shady' behavior as a reason for abandonment.
The Tinder Effect
20%
felt 'overwhelmed' by face-to-face mass interaction.
The Spotlight Effect
50%
felt that despite years of 'learning,' they couldn't survive a 5-minute real-world conversation.
The Utility Gap
SOLUTION
STRATEGY 1
How might we improve safety and privacy for users?
Introducing Customizable Avatars
Shifts the focus from 'How do I look?' to 'What am I saying?
Highlights the emotional relief of removing "appearance anxiety.
Levels the playing field so that connections are built on shared learning goals
STRATEGY 2
How might we offer real-world practice without the real-world pressure?
Leveraging AI Scenario Rooms
Transitions users from passive drills to active practice
Provides a judgment-free "flight simulator" without the fear of embarrassing themselves
STRATEGY 3
How might we transform overwhelming mass interactions into safe, topic-driven micro-communities?
Introducing Low-stake 'Topic-first' Group Calls
Shifts the focus from the user’s performance to a specific subject they already know about, reducing "blank page" syndrome.
Lets them audit the vibe of the room, they build the confidence needed to transition from passive to active learning.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
This project was a collaborative efforts between 8 people to charter through the language learning eco-system. We build & collaborated on multiple features and prototypes with core purpose of improving user expereince.
Designing for Psychological Safety:
I learned that in sensitive domains like language learning, safety is a prerequisite for usaility. Focusing on prioritizing anonymity and "safe-to-fail" AI environments, we were able to enhance the confidence for users.
Translating Research into Strategy:
Moving from 20+ interviews to a functional prototype taught me how to quantify "vibes". We took abstract feelings like "sketchiness" and "stagnation" and turned them into concrete features like Avatar profiles and Scenario-based AI rooms.
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