Turning an AI language learning into a habit-forming experience

Leya is an AI language tutor app helping users build speaking confidence through conversations with an avatar. When I joined, it had 6K paying users, high churn, and competitors with $20M+ in funding. With limited runway, our goal was clear: find a path to retention and growth fast!

The core challenge: speaking a new language and staying motivated to practice feels daunting even for intermediate learners. We needed to make practice manageable, rewarding, and repeatable. We aligned on the “Hooked” framework, and I led the design to reduce first-time friction, build motivation loops, and make practicing sessions more valuable. The result was an engaging, habit-forming experience that set the foundation for growth.

50% retention increase, rising from below avg. to competitive levels

3x increase in practice sessions started per user

Pivot shipped in under 1 month, enabled by a scalable design system

Onboarding and learning path were redesigned to make the first steps effortless. Users met their avatar early to build connection and landed on a learning path where the next action was always one tap away. Introduction of easier non-verbal tasks lowered friction and gradually eased users into speaking.

Long, intimidating speaking tasks caused drop-offs. The core lesson was reimagined around the idea of shortest, most engaging unit that still delivers real learning value. With real-time feedback, each session provides instant value and keeps users motivated to continue practicing.

The initial app offered little positive reinforcement. We added progress celebrations (streaks, milestones, achievements), progress tracking to reinforce a sense of growth, and subtle animations to add delight. Practicing became fun, satisfying, and worth returning to.

With limited runway, speed was crucial. I built a scalable design system for rapid A/B testing, enabling experiments to ship in hours. Covering UI, microinteractions, Lottie animations, sounds, and haptics, it gave the team a consistent toolkit to ship and move fast.

I’m Mateo, a product designer with nearly 10 years of experience crafting digital products for companies across Europe and the US. I specialize in helping early-stage and growing businesses build strong foundations through thoughtful design—hands-on from strategy to execution.