Duolingo Score · Sharing
Sharing at Duolingo
I led Score sharing from opportunity to launch, then turned the learnings into a system other teams could use.
01 · Giving Score meaning
Connect the number to the real-life skills
Sharing stopped at the number.
Real life Can Do statements made progress specific and easy to talk about.
Evidence
An earlier Can Do experiment increased learning time, which supported further exploration.
02 · Achievement hierarchy
Give each moment the right amount of energy
Design Studio artists led detailed celebration animation, with my input on concepts and product direction.
03 · Translating motion
Build a visual language that scales with the achievement
Separate the animation into reusable visual ingredients.
Find the combinations that make each tier recognizable.
Scale color, composition, and Duo’s expression with the achievement.
04 · Experiment learning
The biggest gains came from changes to the mechanics, shaping the team’s next focus
Program trend
12K → 40K
Daily Score shares
Experiment
2×
Shares from the final card
Experiment
25% → 40%
Swipe rate with multiple cards
05 · Scaling the system
Turn Score learnings into rules other teams could use
01
Expand sharing into more high-emotion moments
02
Make sharing more self-expressive
03
Turn every share into a hook to engage viewer
04
Build a cohesive share system that reinforces brand recognition
Applied across Direct Messages, Streak, Chess, and in lesson sharing.
How I led it
I drove the system direction through weekly reviews and a three day workshop. Partner teams contributed the constraints it needed to support. The same learning now shapes how I design Score mechanics inside the product: make progress feel meaningful before asking anyone to share it.
More case studies