Tandem App
A New Feature for Tandem Mobile App
Tandem is a convenient and popular language exchange platform that connects learners around the world. I created a new feature called ‘Tandemeet’ as part of my UI/UX design course. This feature matches users with others who share the same learning goals. Rather than having to plan a meeting on their own, Tandemeet syncs schedules automatically to facilitate a session.
The challenge
Tandem connects compatible language learners to improve their skills through verbal or written communication. Despite the convenience of the app, users report that many of their mutual matches were more interested in a personal relationship rather than developing their skills in a foreign language. This problem simultaneously deters female users and turns language learners away. My goal is to revive language learning on Tandem through a new feature which helps users find ideal practicing partners.
My role
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UI/UX Design
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User Research
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Prototyping
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User Testing
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Strategy
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Project Management
Tools
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Figma
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Adobe Photoshop
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Maze
Project timeline
Three weeks (May 2021)
Discovered & defined the problems
Background
This project is inspired by my own frustration with learning Spanish online. I appreciate the ease of learning vocabulary through an app, but these skills are less applicable when it comes to speaking the language fluently.
After plenty of market and user research, I came across a few existing language exchange programs. These apps provide a platform for two people to learn and teach a language simultaneously. This interaction provides both with valuable feedback to improve their listening and speaking skills.
Competitive research
There are several existing platforms that facilitate a language exchange program. After trying different platforms, Tandem caught my attention. The ease of starting a one-on-one text or audio chat with other users made them stand out among their competitors.
The Tandem App
On the app, once a conversation has been initiated, all users can send, correct, and translate their messages. Users can also send audio messages and converse through live voice or video calls. If a user purchases a premuim subscription, they unlock the ability to search for users in any specific location.
After exploring the functions, I decided to focus on the Tandem App for this project.
User research
The complaints on App Store
To understand the user’s perspective on Tandem’s problems, I read through the reviews on the Apple App Store. Many reported positive experiences with the people they found, and were satisfied by the accessibility of the app. However, the following complaints were a recurring theme in negative reviews:
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Users were unhappy with the effort required to find learners who were genuinely interested in learning and helping others learn.
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Users received inappropriate messages. Some women reported that they do not feel safe meeting new users because many treat Tandem like a dating app.
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Some users were bombarded with incoming messages, while some complained about how few responses they had received.
User interview
Although the App Store was a good source of information, it did not contain the perspective of potential users. I interviewed six language learners who had all experienced some form of language exchange. Each 1-on-1 interview was conducted remotely via video call.
Discoveries about the learners
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Practicing through conversations is an effective method to improve speaking skills.
- There are two main motivations to join a language exchange:
- The learners plan to relocate or have already relocated to a foreign country. They want to learn the language through making local friends and to become familiar with their neighborhood.
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The learners are interested in foreign cultures, and they are drawn to learn the languages spoken in their region or country of interest.
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They prefer an easy way to arrange meetings and keep track of the time.
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Similar to Tandem users, they feel that finding partners with similar interests and goals to practice with is not always easy.
User persona
I used findings from articles, App Store reviews, and my interviews to create a user persona named Sarah. Sarah represents a free Tandem app user who wants to meet friends worldwide. The step helped me define the kind of users my feature would be targeting.
Review the goals
I reviewed and considered the goals from both a user and business perspective to make sure that I was focusing on the right problem.
User
Finding partners who share goals and interests is crucial for learners who participate in language exchange. However, the current product not only makes female users feel unsafe, but the frustration of the effort required to find the right partners also turns users away.
Business
My research reflected that Tandem’s goal is to generate revenue through three different channels:
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Providing embedded advertisement space
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Premium membership features that allow users to make searches based on specific locations
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Providing Tandem language certificates to users who pass their tests.
All three revenue streams rely on a constant flow of new users who remain active. However, users are leaving the platform due to the aforementioned issues with the app. Tandem’s passing resemblance to a dating app directly impacts user flow, since committed users are looking for a dedicated language exchange platform.
To meet the best of both world, the priority is to help users find ideal practicing partners and gain female users' trust to revive learning on Tandem.
Asked 'how might we help users find ideal practicing partners and gain female users' trust?'
Brainstormed
I attempted to generate potential solutions by asking ‘How Might We’ questions to inspire different ideas.
I narrowed down the four ideas that I found to be most impactful and relevant. The implementation of these ideas would help learners connect with each other while fostering a safer environment for female users.
I expanded on these ideas by using the ‘Crazy 8s’ brainstorming technique. I wrote and drew out eight concept blocks, spending only a minute on each to avoid overthinking.
I chose the ‘language exchange meetup’ idea (bottom left) after considering its potential impact and the amount of effort it would take to realize.
Tandem can save users the trouble of screening for learning partners by automatically matching them based on shared interests, desired language levels, and availability.
Why this idea?
An article from PsychCentral suggests that physical appearance is the deciding factor for sexual attraction. Tandem can discourage those who are more interested in flirting and dating by removing the users’ ability to choose their partner based on physical appearance.
User requirements
I came up with some requirements that this feature would need to solve the pertinent problems for our persona.
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Choosing dates and times to schedule meetings
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Updating their practice preferences
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Viewing upcoming meetings
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Viewing their meeting language exchange partners
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Receiving a notification when a meeting is about to start
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Joining the meeting
Mapped the interaction
User flow
I began by mapping out the current functionality to ensure the new feature is compatible with the existing app. I then added a new flowchart of features that met my persona’s requirements.
Designed Tandemeet UI
Wireframes
After mapping the flow, I created a sketch which helped me place the new features. I focused on laying out the structural hierarchy before adding visual design elements.
*The original name of this feature was ‘Meet & Greet,’ but I renamed it ‘Tandemeet’ after completing these sketches.
Created a mockup
I created my first mockup in Figma by combining the real enough screens to get a better sense of the idea. I wanted to spend just enough time building the mockup to validate my thoughts without investing too much time in less feasible ideas.
Validated the idea
User testing
I recruited six participants to reflect both current and potential Tandem users: three Tandem users and three general learners with experience searching for language exchange partners online.
Participants were tasked to make a reservation for Tandemeet on the prototype and provide their feedback.
Feedback & iteration
After the interviews, I connected the feedback to each screen they referenced.
Issue 1: Users didn't directly tap on the Tandemeet icon from the onboarding page.
I intended that users would tap on the new Tandemeet icon at the bottom of the screen. However, some participants tapped on the tooltip first before tapping on the icon. In addition, the visual presentation of the onboarding screen did not represent the intent of Tandemeet.
Issue 2: The selected time slots were easy to miss
Once a participant selected a time slot, the information was presented at the bottom of the screen. This location was blocked by the bottom navigation bar, so participants had to scroll down to see it. The top navigation bar was also an unnecessary distraction to the participants.
Issue 3: Profile page access location was not obvious
Participants couldn't find the way to access the profile page of their match.
Issue 4: Need more evidence that their match is trustworthy
Female users wanted evidence that their match could be trusted for safe interaction. Users mentioned that it would be valuable to see previous ratings of their learning partners.
Issue 5. Premium users were not considered
Users were curious about Tandem's premium membership during the testing. However, I had not incorporated any functionality to be unlocked with a premium account. I needed to consider paid members to create a holistic plan which increases revenue.
I created another persona, Fernando, to represent a premium user who aims to find local learners.
After I added Fernando, I compared how both users can choose different meeting preferences.
Delivered the experience
Get matched based on your availability & interests
Tandemeet matches Sarah with Fernando based on their common interests and learning preferences.
Sarah is comfortable with having a virtual interaction with Fernando because of his learning badge and positive profile ratings.
After their meeting, Sarah and Fernando can provide feedback on their experience to help keep Tandem a safe and friendly platform for language exchange.
How can users like Sarah and Fernando benefit from Tandemeet?
Tandemeet helps users find language exchange partners to practice speaking with. Users like Sarah and Fernando no longer need to screen for learning partners themselves by messaging multiple users.
Skip the partner hunting process
Sarah and her potential match, Fernando, no longer need to message back and forth to arrange a meeting time. The two simply choose time slots and update their preferences to reserve a Tandemeet session.
Final thoughts
Reflection
Recruiting current Tandem users for product testing was difficult
One of the challenges I faced was recruiting participants from Tandem to test my product design. Many users I encountered were unwilling to participate in 1-on-1 Zoom calls due to privacy or safety concerns. I planned to provide incentives to attract more users, but I learned that gift card policies are restricted when users are not physically located in the same country.
Cultural differences
The feedback I collected from Tandem users was limited to a small group of Spanish-speaking individuals located in Mexico, Columbia, and Argentina. Because Tandem is an app that’s used in more than 180 countries, my feature has not been tested by users from other cultural backgrounds. If I had more time and resources, I would have run user testing in more culture groups to identify cultural preferences.
This project allowed me to become proficient at implementing new ideas under the constraint of an existing design. I also enjoyed exploring and using Tandem itself. Having the ability to create a mockup and test my idea was undoubtedly a fun and exciting process.
