An English-learning platform built like a video game, mini-bosses included

The project is led by two co-founders, Lucas Chenesseau and James Harrison, respectively an innovation entrepreneur and a teacher certified by the University of Cambridge. They reach out to us to help them, in a first phase, shape the flow and screens of the learning loop for this AI-powered platform, that is, the lifecycle of an English concept. Then we turn to the personal space and the gamified learning-tracking side that the platform wants to push forward. The platform imagined by the two founders is meant to let students be autonomous in their learning. The AI adapts to their level by spotting their weak points and helping them progress effectively. The experience is personalised over time for each learner to keep them engaged in their learning process. We step in to help validate user engagement for this kind of learning, targeted at very online generations who grew up with AI in their pocket, and to lay a product foundation for fundraising.

The project consists in building an AI teaching platform dedicated to professional English, structured around the concept of a learning loop. The full set of concepts on the platform allows students to move effectively and over the long term from A2 to C1. Each concept always follows the same pattern, the famous “learning loop”, in order to support step-by-step progression: the student has to learn, then practise, before being assessed. It isn’t just about memorising vocabulary to spit it back out a second later, but a genuine complete journey designed to help the student build up their skills. Moving to the next step is only possible after the current step has been validated; in case of failure, the student goes back. Think of it, in the manner of a video game, as each concept being a boss to defeat. A visual representation of this “learning loop” model is a video-game quest in which the student is going to face a succession of mini-bosses to prove they have the level required to move forward. Finally, they take on the final boss they need to beat to prove they can put into practice all the skills acquired during their quest. This way of working ensures a genuine assimilation of the knowledge. Each loop is made up of several modules and comes with helper tools, such as a concise revision sheet or an ultra-realistic AI chatbot that lets you go deeper on the lesson or practise some more. The AI built into the platform makes it possible to offer targeted exercises to each student to support them effectively and at the right moment. The approach therefore guarantees learning that is at once progressive, personalised and engaging.

A journey workshop is run to map the organisation of the modules all the way through the learning loop. The goal was not only to bring out the succession of the different steps, but also the points where the student can be sent back. Those pivotal moments (where the user can sometimes restart immediately, sometimes wait before trying again, or step back to the previous stage) are sensitive situations because they can trigger a strong feeling of frustration or disappointment. Learning English isn’t a sequence of lessons or a checklist of boxes to tick. Each skill has to be worked on in depth to be acquired. So it’s important to support students to keep them motivated as they climb the rungs toward genuine mastery of the language. We identify the student’s emotions at each phase of the journey, so we can anticipate the way the platform should speak to them. This emotional analysis is essential to define the most appropriate tone of voice during interactions: a reassuring, encouraging tone in case of failure, a more optimistic one during progression phases, or a celebratory one when the student succeeds. The approach therefore aims to reinforce engagement and maintain motivation, even in moments perceived as difficult. The learning loop is an endurance journey where progression is earned, but you mustn’t leave on the side of the road those who struggle more.

The real design challenge is to offer an engaging learning experience that picks up video-game conventions without distracting students. The interfaces are designed to support the student’s concentration and to remove potential distractions during the modules. The structure stays consistent at each step of the learning loop on this AI platform to guarantee maximum focus from the student. Their attention isn’t grabbed by a new structure for every exercise. Each module within a concept is built like this: - a view of the overall progress and key steps at the top - access to the helper tools (AI chatbot, lesson sheet) via a side bar on the left. - a fixed bottom strip to navigate to the next steps. Adding the AI-helper or community features was thought through to step in at specific moments of the experience, always with the aim of not breaking the student’s focus. That said, we also had to make sure the experience wasn’t monotonous, to guarantee long-term engagement with the AI platform. Maintaining this community spirit, in the manner of an online game, was very important: to let the student compare their progression with that of others, learn with them and learn from them too.

The home page in logged-in mode is designed as a summary view of the student’s personal space. It gives the student a quick view of their recent activity (validated concepts, unlocked modules…). It also surfaces their progression by level to encourage module completion. On top of that, this logged-in home page offers direct access to the practice tools (vocabulary, grammar, spoken expression) as well as the community spaces (online games, community, shop). Each student is identifiable by their handle, avatar, level and badges, permanently visible via the side menu, reinforcing the motivating and personalised feel of the experience. Throughout the platform, we used, repurposed and adapted video-game conventions for teaching purposes.

Co-designing with the project team, we were able to design journeys that are more intuitive and that support learners’ progression and motivation. We pushed the platform’s community spirit to connect people through language learning and innovation, while staying accessible to all. We kept in mind the need to create an experience at once demanding and playful for the Next Gen, in order to bring our client’s vision to life: learning English, for real.