Making of Llanai: User & Market Research by a Solopreneur

A continuation from the Introduction to Indie Making

Introduction

To create a commercializable language learning chatbot, I relied on user and market research. As a solopreneur, I am inherently time-limited, but success only happens when a product meets a need. Therefore, I need to solve for user friction for language learning with a focus on speaking. In this article, I summarize my quest for product market fit without overextending myself, because the product takes a while to build. Below, I share insights and strategies that guided the development of Llanai.

Lean User Research Framework

Importance of User Research

User research is the cornerstone of building products that truly resonate with their audience. It involves understanding user friction and identifying pain points within a well-defined product space. Also, it never stops. It is core to starting and iterating on a product.

For Llanai, this meant diving deep into the experiences of language learners and understanding their specific needs and challenges.

Tools and Techniques

In conducting user research, I relied heavily on soft skills and free tools to gather actionable insights. Platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook became valuable resources for understanding user behaviors and preferences. This approach allowed for the collection of both attitudinal and behavioral profiles, which are crucial for creating detailed user personas.

Attitudinal vs. Behavioral Profiles

Attitudinal profiles capture user opinions and feelings through self-reported data, while behavioral profiles focus on recording user actions. Combining these profiles provided a comprehensive view of the users, enabling the creation of more accurate and actionable insights.

Social Media Research

Social media platforms are gold mines for brand and user research. By scanning forums and groups, I gathered testimonials and observed workflows and products that users mentioned. This not only highlighted current solutions in the market but also helped identify gaps and opportunities for Llanai. Also, I can monitor the performance of brands.

Prototyping and Onboarding

Creating Effective Prototypes

Prototyping is a critical step in the development process. This is how you test hypotheses and gather feedback, before fully investing in a product. For Llanai, prototypes were used to validate assumptions and refine the user experience.

Onboarding as Research Funnel

Onboarding is not just about introducing users to a product; it can also serve as a research funnel. Llanai's onboarding relies on a natural dialogue flow, which is possible by large language models (LLMs). Consequently, I was able to interview users at scale and gather valuable insights about their needs and preferences. Simultaneously, this gives the user a taste of core service, which a chatbot.

Tools for Market and User Research

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is an invaluable tool for generating insights and ideating content. It helps in understanding what users are searching for, providing data-driven insights that guide product development and marketing strategies.

Google Trends Analysis

Google Trends provides insights into the seasonality and popularity of search terms. For instance, analyzing trends for terms like 'Duolingo', 'speak Spanish', and 'learn Spanish' revealed significant seasonal patterns, which were crucial for understanding market dynamics and planning marketing campaigns.

Note Taking Tool

Also, I use Obsidian as a personal knowledge base. It has a simple user-interface and enables me to non-linearly operate.

Understanding Market Trends

Seasonality in Language Learning

Language learning is a highly seasonal activity. Google Trends data revealed that searches for language learning peak at certain times of the year, such as the start of the school year in September and for New Year resolutions in January. This information was vital for planning product launches and marketing efforts for Llanai.

Duolingo's search trends highlighted the importance of timing and user interest. By understanding when and why users searched for Duolingo, I was able to identify patterns and align Llanai's development and marketing strategies accordingly.

You may have noted, that there is a subtle difference between searching for 'learn spanish' and 'speak spanish'. Let's dive deeper.

Differences in Learning Preferences

Learning vs. Speaking a Language

A key insight from the research was the difference in learning preferences across regions. While people in Eurasian countries focus on 'learning' or 'studying' a language, those in the Americas and parts of Africa are more interested in 'speaking' the language. This distinction guided the development of Llanai's niche, emphasizing conversational skills over traditional learning methods.

This does not preclude the user from learning or improving their grammatical knowledge or vocabulary. Rather, the focus is always on speaking and thus acquiring feedback through that medium.

Cultural Influences on Language Learning

Cultural influences play a significant role in language learning. For example, people in Japan are often too polite to correct others, whereas Germans are more forthcoming with corrections. Understanding these cultural nuances helped tailor Llanai's features to better meet user expectations and improve the learning experience.

But, who are the players in language learning / speaking space? Am I building a product that already exists and in better form ?

Market of Language Learning Apps

Currently, the market is saturated with solutions for 'language learning'. However, few apps focus on speaking the language, especially Spanish, which presented a niche opportunity for Llanai. There is though a clear leader in the language learning space, as shown by the monthly downloads of language learning apps. However, most of these apps have a traditional rote learning style. With the exception of Buddy.ai, which does leverage AI to create conversational dialogues and to improve pronunciation. It also targets children, which is brilliant, because they are the principal target audience in the EdTech space.

Personal Experience with Language Apps

Journey with Duolingo

My journey with language learning apps started with Duolingo in the early 2010s with Spanish and Japanese. In 2020, I returned to Duolingo, because it is accessible, user-friendly, and fun! However, it never contributed to my oral fluency, which is its biggest limitation.

Switching to Chat Apps

In 2023, I pivoted to chat apps to add a predominantly oral component to my learning routine via Tandem and HelloTalk. I adopted HelloTalk, which I endorse for those with a budget of 0! Here is my breakdown of HelloTalk.

Benefits of HelloTalk

• You can find people to chat with in all major languages.
• Transliteration for phonetic readings of Kanji.
• Translation from any language to my native English.
• Accurate audio message transcription.
• Free video and audio rooms to practice your speaking language.
• Also one can (video) chat on a 1-1 basis.
• People love interacting via posts to get feedback by peers.

User Friction in HelloTalk

• Language barriers are frequent when chatting with native Japanese.
• Partners are inconsistent in correcting grammar.
• Video and audio rooms resemble a Twitch stream, which is not helpful.
• Few people post in a structured bilingual manner, which are the most helpful.
• Tried a Japanese speaking course, but there was a barrier and a lack of personalization.

Ultimately though, I recommend the app. Throught it I have made a few pen pals around the world. They have helped me practice my speaking with an actual human, while also given recommendations for Peru, Spain, Japan, and México. I believe in the power of human connection!

Creating Llanai: User Persona Generation

Identifying User Needs

After being laid off, I leveraged advancements in large language models (LLMs) to build a chatting buddy for language learning. By scouring HelloTalk forums, I identified common needs and pain points among language learners, which guided the development of Llanai. These testimonials were used to create user personas, ensuring that Llanai addressed the most pressing challenges faced by language learners.

Screenshots of User Posts in HelloTalk

Identifying Common Needs

Common needs included finding suitable speaking partners, overcoming language barriers, and receiving feedback on pronunciation. These insights informed Llanai's features, ensuring it addressed the most pressing challenges faced by language learners.

Measuring Demand with Keyword Searches

Understanding User Intent

Google Trends provides a quick semi-quantitative way to understand Google Searches. However, to measure in absolute terms the Google Search, Bing, YouTube etc. queries one must use a keyword search tool. Furthermore, a keyword is a reflection of an intent, as Jordan O' Connor said in his excellent course RankToSell, which fine tuned my understanding of SEO. I list the intents and examples of them.

• Commercial e.g. best language learning apps
• Informational e.g. say hi in spanish
• Results e.g. how to speak spanish
• Transactional e.g. llanai upgrade subscription
• Navigational e.g. llanai pricing

For keyword exploration I use Ahrefs. My main question was to figure out how many people actually want to speak a language. Thousands of people every month make the results oriented intent search on Google of "how to speak [language]". Furthermore, this captures people looking to find or switch to a new app for speaking the language or just tips about learning a language.

Keyword explorers are invaluable. They are constantly needed. I use them to create content, especially the title of my articles to increase Llanai's reach and to help increase conversion rates.

Summary and Insights

Key Takeaways

Language learning is a constant yet cyclical activity, influenced by seasonal trends. Understanding user needs and preferences is crucial for developing effective language learning tools. Combining qualitative insights from social media with quantitative data from tools like Ahrefs and Google Trends provides a comprehensive understanding of the market. Identifying gaps in the market and addressing common pain points can create a unique value proposition for new products.

Future Directions for Llanai

As Llanai continues to evolve, future developments will focus on enhancing conversational features and incorporating more personalized learning experiences. I am interested in adding Greek and Japanese, because there is a market for both, although much bigger for Japanese.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, staying attuned to user needs and market trends is key. In the next edition I will cover the Product Iteration cycle.