Habit Forming - Duolingo

After our session on Habit Forming Products, we were asked to look at Duolingo and discuss how it uses habit forming.

The website is simple and there is a trigger on the center of the page as soon as you enter the website, and it instantly catches the attention of the audience. The words state 'Learn a language for free. Forever' is a strong call to action for the user, drawing them in with its persuasive language and use of full stops, telling the user rather than asking or inviting them.


Within the app itself there are many app triggers, including create account and sign, which are common in most apps that require an account. The trigger of choosing a language to learn, however, is unique to the app because of it's purpose and offers a reward of knowledge and language. The concept of giving rewards from a trigger is something we can apply to our own app in some way, as it gives the user satisfaction and makes them more likely to use the app more. Triggers can be used in many ways, to get the user to come back to the app again and again, whether that be by physical rewards, the exchange of information or the ability to communicate or interact with the app and it's other users in some way, such as a 'like' button.

Our app will help students with budgeting and offer rewards  in the form of deals, satisfaction of saving money and knowledge of how to save money and budget in the future. Our app will solve the problems that many students face, especially when living away from home, including saving money, spending too much or not having enough money to live on. Our app will do this by teaching them how to budget effectively.