Enhancing App Engagement and User Verification with Twilio: A Duolingo Case Study

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• Training

Duolingo, a globally recognized language learning app, aimed to integrate social sharing into their platform to boost user engagement. The challenge was to create a secure and efficient way for users to connect with their friends on the app. The existing methods of finding friends via a search engine or Facebook were either slow, lacked meaningful validation functions, or were hindered by tightened privacy policies. Furthermore, as Duolingo sought to add more robust social sharing features, the need for enhanced security to protect users' information became paramount. The challenge was to find a solution that could easily integrate with Duolingo's existing technology stack and provide a geographically agnostic way to validate users and connect them with their friends.

Duolingo is a language learning app designed to make language learning fun, free, and effective for anyone who wants to learn, regardless of their location. The app uses gamification to drive user engagement, making the learning process feel like a game. Features such as a learning streak counter and leaderboards allow users to compare their progress with other learners. Duolingo also offers social features like the Friends’ Quest, where friends can collaborate on a common goal and earn rewards. Other features allow users to interact with their friends on the platform. The company's goal is to socialize the learning experience, empowering their existing user base to connect with their peers and friends to learn a language together.

Duolingo partnered with Twilio to address these challenges. With Twilio Verify, Duolingo built a geographically agnostic way to validate users and connect them with their friends. Twilio Verify ensures that mobile phone users are who they claim to be through up-to-date phone data and substantiates that a user is in possession of their device. Twilio also worked closely with Duolingo to build a seamless customer experience. Users simply input their phone numbers to be verified. After asking for access to a customer’s contacts, Duolingo uses Twilio Verify to send a one-time passcode via SMS. Once a customer confirms the correct one-time password, the learning platform shows the user all of their contacts on Duolingo. This solution not only enhanced the security of user verification but also improved the user experience and engagement on the app.

• The partnership with Twilio significantly improved Duolingo's operational results. The integration of Twilio Verify provided a secure and efficient way for users to connect with their friends on the app, enhancing the social aspect of the learning experience. This led to an increase in user engagement, with more users becoming active on the platform daily. The seamless customer experience created by the partnership also improved the overall user experience on the app. Users could easily verify their identities and connect with their friends, making the learning process more enjoyable and effective. The enhanced security provided by Twilio Verify also ensured the safety of users' information, further boosting user trust and satisfaction.

• 18% of users followed and became social
• 100K+ more active users per day
• 1% increase in learning