1-on-1 AI language tailored tutor
Case study of creating an 1-on-1 personalized AI language tutor from scratch
Project Overview
Talkface is a cutting-edge AI tool designed to enhance language learning, specifically for IELTS exam preparation. Over the last year, we have generated over 6,000 MAUs worldwide. Users can improve their language skills with a personalized AI language tutor.
As one of the founding designer, I led UX/UI design, contributed to product development ideation, and played a key role in shaping the growth strategy for the project.
My Responsibilities
User research, UX/UI design, Growth strategy
Timeline
Feb 2023 - Aug 2023
MARKET RESEARCH
Finding a market opportunity
USER RESEARCH
Empathize with user needs
Conducted in-depth interviews to gain a deep understanding of user needs through the Englishstudy process in terms of language proficiency exams
Target Audience
Who？
Targeting those aged mid-20s to 50, and it’s open to others who want to pass the recognized language proficiency exams like TOEFL、IELTS、PET、TOEIC、BEC.
The goal to take the language exams
Pursuing higher education abroad improve career prospects
User Persona
Jay Sun
Age: 2000s, 18-24 years old
Occupation: Student
“Gearing up to study abroad, acing the IELTS is my top priority—it's my ticket to academic success.”
Learning pattern
Short-term intensive learning
Goals
Apply school abroad
Pass professional oral examinations
Jennie Park
Age: 1995s, 25-30 years old
Occupation: Office worker
“It's crucial for advancing my career and seizing new opportunities in English-speaking environments.”
Learning pattern
Learning in snippets
Goals
Career Development
Enhancing Oral Communication Skills
Interview Key Insights
What’s the most struggle parts of taking English proficiency exam for the target audience?
100%
📈 Lack Personalization: Lack of tailored advice to improve speaking and writing skills
90%
💰 High Expenses: High course fees for English teacher and Mock
80%
🤯 Assess Improvement: Difficult to assess progress
50%
🗣️ Limited Speaking: Limited opportunities to practice with partners or native speakers
Hypothesis
How might we approach these issues?
AI language tutor
01
We though of creating an AI language tutor to solve problems efficiently and effectively
02
Incorporate the advantages of a personal English tutor into exam journey across speaking and writing by AI ability
01
Lack Personalization
“Study resource hard to specially targeted my weakness in the test (like the writing and speaking part)
02
High Expenses
“Study resource hard to specially targeted my weakness in the test (like the writing and speaking part)
03
Assess Improvement
“The mock teacher will give
a single time evaluation, but
it’s quite difficult to perceive progress
04
Limited Speaking
“Pronouncing and thinking grammar before speaking
can be challenging, it need improved with practice
Tailored Teaching
Users get speaking and
writing skills instantly
Lower Course Fee
Users can spend less on course expense
Score and Tracking
Get standard exam score
and tracking
More Practice
Practice conversational
with native speakers
Design Implementation
Information Architecture
Design Implementation
Final Design
1-on-1 AI Speaking Practice Tutor
Practice conversational speaking with AI that adapts to your needs, including conversational speaking and all IELTS speaking topics and questions
Instant Feedback
Get your grammar corrected and polished instantly, providing personalized speaking skills
Exams Mock and Scoring Report
Take mock versions of exams like IELTS and get AI scoring to show where need improvement and track for learning curve
Writing Helper
Writing correction focused on IELTS essay criteria, get instant corrections to improve language writing proficiency
Impact
Product Metrics
Customers Worldwide
Countries with the highest proportion of users
🇻🇳
Vietnam
35%
🇨🇳
China
35%
🇺🇸
America
15%
Appstore Ranking 89
of the education category in Vietnam
24%
of user subscription rate
6k+
monthly active users
What Customers Are Saying
Yihan Liu
App Store Review
"A very useful AI mock exam software that helps you adapt to the exam environment in advance!"
Silvia
App Store Review
"Talkface has really helped me gain confidence for the IELTS speaking test. The AI speaking practice is very close to the real exam."
Samien
App Store Review
"I've tried other writing correction tools and Talkface's is by far the best for catching small grammatical errors."
Travis
App Store Review
"a professional learning software. This is the best English practice app in the IELTS area I have ever met, a very professional and thoughtful software! The most important thing is extremely useful for me!"
Reflection
Takeaway
1. Keep users in mind
Understand the real user needs to calibrate whether the problems addressed by the product are genuine demands
2. Consider PMF in the early stage
Retain core features crucial to users to validate product feasibility and iterate rapidly
3. Designer act as owner
Just like architectural design, designers essentially play the role of owner, requiring an understanding of the product's business model and marketing to aid in its growth