Duolingo app: Is the goal knowledge or digital trophies?

With over 130 million monthly active users, Duolingo is the most popular educational app application in the world. Its mascot is a green owl, recognizable even to those who do not use the application.

Marketing tactics these applications stand out from the rest: the brand is also known for having its own in many countries Instagram account, like @‌duolingofrance, where she regularly posts content and promotes herself.

 

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Gamification method

The learning process includes "gamification", a method that should motivate users daily with points, rewards and interactive lessons, which are repeated periodically.

That method includes XP points, badges, levels and daily challenges to encourage users to complete a lesson every day.

In this context, the question arises: do apps like Duolingo really teach – or train users to chase digital trophies?

"Duolingo definitely works better as a game. All those 'tricks', numbers, sounds, XP points and the like are much more like the satisfaction of passing game levels than the satisfaction of completing a lesson," Zoltan, one of the Duolingo users who is learning Spanish, told Vreme.

"Streak": A digital reward instead of a language goal

One of the main motivations for daily use of Duolingo is a "streak" - a series of days during which you learn the language without interruption.

Although intended as a tool to encourage persistence, the streak has become an end in itself for many, and users often return to the app not out of a desire for knowledge, but out of fear of losing the streak they've built over months, and some even years.

Teodora has been using this application for several years.

"I've been learning Italian since the quarantine of 2020, which means I've been using the app for almost 5 years and my streak is 1745 days," she explains to "Vreme".

Sometimes she also uses the "streak freeze" with which she does not lose days, but freezes the number in case a day passes without doing the lesson.

In addition to individual streaks, Duolingo enables joint achievement of goals, whereby users in tandem or in groups build a special streak.

"What motivates me the most is the 'Friend Streak' that I have with my girlfriend. It didn't start with that in mind, but it became my main goal, to spend as many days in a row with her as possible," explains Zoltan.

By missing a daily lesson, the streak ends and the number of days resets to zero.

"When I miss a lesson, I panic and hope that I bought a streak freeze and that it won't all disappear, because I wouldn't forgive myself for that, if so much effort was in vain," says Teodora.

Maintaining the streak thus becomes a game of self-discipline, but also a kind of trap - because the sense of achievement comes from continuity, and not necessarily from actual progress in language learning.

Language learning or response recognition

By repeating the same words from lesson to lesson, Duolingo provides the opportunity to learn new words.

However, in the parts of the lessons that are in the language that the user is learning, a certain number of words are always offered from which the user has to choose the correct meaning, which is why it is questioned whether he would really know how to pronounce a sentence in a foreign language, without the offered options.

"It happened all the time that over time I would just learn the answer by heart, without any deeper understanding," Maria, who has been learning French through this application for about a year, tells Vreme.

Teodora explains that she constantly recognizes words, which is why she successfully completes the lessons.

"Some words only make sense then, and when I should use them, it's hard for her to remember them," she adds.

Zoltan says he often recognizes words because "Duolingo greatly rewards following patterns and recognizing roughly what the correct answer might be."

A disappointed owl as a reminder that it's time for a lesson

Duolingo is known for its very specific and personalized notifications that are carefully designed to motivate or push the user to return to the application. These notifications arrive via e-mail, "push" notifications on the phone and within the application itself.

Photo: Milica Tošić

Owl pops up daily and addresses users in a friendly tone by calling them by name:

"Hey, you forgot your lesson today! Duo is sad" or "Practice your language takes less time than brushing your teeth - let's get started!", which can cause guilt, forcing the user to do the lesson.

It often sends emails in which it nicely asks the user to do a lesson, accompanied by an animation of an owl jumping on the screen.

Photo: Milica Tošić

Marija says that the notifications kept her in a routine.

"For me, motivation generally lasts for a short time, about three weeks, and later only obligations enter my routine. But because of the sad owl, there may be a little guilt," she explains.

Teodora says that the notifications help her stay motivated, which is why she doesn't forget to do the lesson: "The owl reminds me that my past success will disappear if I'm not persistent and consistent."

Duolingo uses notifications not only as a reminder, but as a psychological tool for user retention.

The messages are emotional, often endearingly passive-aggressive, and play the card of responsibility towards the virtual "teacher" - the Duo mascot.

All in order for the user not to skip a day and maintain continuity.

Photo: Milica Tošić

From daily exercises to limited knowledge

Many successfully acquire basic vocabulary and grammar, especially in the early stages of learning, but in-depth knowledge of the language, especially speaking and understanding skills in real situations, is limited.

Although Duolingo provides an accessible and fun way to learn a language every day, the question arises - do users actually learn the language?

"Not really. Maybe if someone talked to me as if I were a small child, but understanding Italian in a movie or music comes down to a few words. I know a few words more than before, but the level of knowledge is still the same as when I went to the course," says Teodora.

Maria explains that she has not learned the language. She doesn't know if it's because she gave up on the application early or because that way of learning the language didn't suit her.

"I only understand a few common phrases: 'Hello!', 'My name is Maria', 'She's a girl', 'He's a boy'..." she explains.

Zoltan says that he understands basic sentences so far, but is still not confident in his ability to answer them.

"Duolingo helped me more than doing nothing, but less than a real Spanish class," he concludes.

The app is useful as an adjunct to learning, but rarely can lead to fluency on its own.

The exercises are often mechanical, and the lack of conversation and spontaneity limits real language progress.

In short, Duolingo is a good first step, but it is not enough by itself to fully master the language.

The border between play and learning

Duolingo is often at the crossroads between education and entertainment, so the question is rightly asked: Is it more of a game or a language learning tool?

Its interface, reward system, daily challenges and user scoring make the learning experience reminiscent of a video game.

This approach encourages motivation and continuity, but at the same time it can shift the focus from actually learning the language to winning points and maintaining a streak.

Although it contains useful lessons, many users use the app as a fun routine rather than a serious educational tool.

For Mariana, Duolingo functioned more like a game.

Teodora says that Duolingo is a game for her, with the aim of reaching a new level every day.

"I think that as a learning tool, it might work for someone who takes it seriously and doesn't wait for the app to tell them they have another hour to save their streak," she concludes.

Duolingo represents a unique combination of play and education, whose cute owl has managed to motivate millions of people to practice languages ​​every day.

However, while the app effectively introduces users to the basics of the language and builds a learning habit, its gamified approach can be deceiving – real language knowledge requires more than translating sentences and earning badges.

As with any technology, the result depends on how we use it.