Gauge

Overview

As the sole UX Designer for Gauge, I developed a mobile application focused on Chinese language learning. While created as a bootcamp project, I approached it as a real-world challenge, conducting extensive research to understand why existing language learning tools weren't meeting user needs. The project ran from September 30 to October 14, 2024.

The Challenge

The language learning app market is overflowing with solutions promising quick and easy mastery. With so many options available, creating yet another language app seemed redundant unless it addressed gaps that existing solutions overlooked. Interestingly, data suggested an opportunity. Even the market leader, Duolingo, converts only 8% of its 500 million downloads into monthly active users (Duolingo S-1, 2021). This striking drop-off indicated that despite the crowded marketplace, many users weren’t finding these tools effective or engaging enough to stick with them. I set out to understand why these apps fall short and whether an unexplored approach could justify creating a new solution.

Discovery & Research

I designed a research strategy beginning with in-depth interviews with people in Singapore, China, Japan, the UK and the United States. These conversations revealed something unexpected: while users consistently abandoned language learning apps, their desire to learn remained strong. The problem wasn't motivation – it was that existing tools felt like homework rather than an engaging learning experience.

After giving up on dedicated language apps, interviewees described turning to platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Netflix to create makeshift study methods – pausing dramas to analyse phrases, looking up song lyrics and compiling vocabulary lists from movies. Most of my interviewees were learning Chinese and noted that general language learning platforms failed to account for its distinct features, such as character components, tonal patterns and idiomatic expressions. Given this strong emphasis, I chose to focus specifically on Chinese for this project.

Journey mapping visualised how users' learning became fragmented across multiple tools, with the most frequent abandonment occurring during context-switching between entertainment and study. Competitor analysis confirmed no existing solution successfully bridged entertainment with effective Chinese-specific learning. This gap, along with the disruption in users' flow state, formed the foundation for Gauge's integrated approach.

Design Solution

Based on my research insights, I designed Gauge to integrate Chinese learning seamlessly with entertainment while addressing language-specific needs:

Personalised Learning Setup

The app begins by asking users to set daily learning goals (in minutes) and select their preferred Chinese variant (Mainland China, Taiwan and/or Singapore). This personalisation acknowledges the regional differences in Mandarin Chinese that general language apps often overlook, while the time-based rather than lesson-based goals align with how users naturally engage with entertainment media.

Integrated Media Experience

Users choose between music, movies or TV shows – the entertainment formats my research identified as most commonly used for informal learning. Each media type offers curated content with integrated learning tools:

• Music includes full lyrics with pinyin and English translations

• Videos feature subtitles with contextual explanations

• All media includes cultural and historical context to deepen understanding

• Any Chinese character can be tapped to reveal component breakdowns, pronunciation guides and usage examples
  
  

Seamless Vocabulary Management

Addressing the fragmentation problem revealed in my research, users can tap any character across the app to instantly add it to their personalised flashcard deck. Each character includes audio pronunciation from native speakers, allowing users to practice listening and speaking alongside reading. This eliminates the disruptive context-switching that journey mapping identified as a key abandonment trigger. The flashcard system is accessible both during media consumption and as a standalone revision tool, creating a unified learning ecosystem.

Design Process

I explored ways to seamlessly integrate vocabulary, grammar and cultural context into entertainment content without overwhelming the user. Early iterations presented information in dense text blocks, making it harder to digest. Through usability testing, I refined the design to improve readability, introducing clearer text hierarchy, collapsible sections and visual grouping of related elements.

Users also highlighted the importance of quick interactions, leading to the addition of tappable words with instant definitions and pronunciation audio. These refinements ensured learning felt natural and unobtrusive, reinforcing comprehension while maintaining immersion in the media.

Impact & Results

The final design succeeded by acknowledging what existing tools missed: the unique characteristics of Chinese language learning and users' natural gravitation toward entertainment-based learning. Rather than creating another generic language app, Gauge offers a specialised approach that respects both the complexity of Chinese and users' preferred learning patterns.

Looking Forward

Gauge successfully bridges the gap between entertainment and structured Chinese learning, but there are further opportunities to refine and expand its impact. One key area for improvement would be adaptive content recommendations, where the app could track a user's learning patterns and suggest media that reinforces recently studied vocabulary and grammar structures. Additionally, incorporating speech recognition would allow users to practice pronunciation in real time, receiving instant feedback on tones – an essential aspect of mastering Mandarin. Further refinements could also focus on expanding the media library through partnerships with streaming platforms, music services and independent content creators to provide a wider range of authentic material.