The Challenge

Through initial research, we discovered that LingoAce's website wasn't just failing to build trust - it was actively creating confusion. The problems manifested in several critical ways:

• Low Organic Growth: Heavy reliance on paid advertising with customer acquisition costs reaching $5,000 per user

• Cultural Disconnect: Website content and imagery didn't resonate with US market

• Trust Barriers: Essential information about teachers and methodology was buried

• Complex User Journeys: Different markets required different levels of human interaction

• Language Issues: Content translations often missed cultural context

"80% of US parents are really not comfortable answering phone calls from strangers... but our website doesn't give them another option." — Course Consultant

"They don't usually describe the experience very well, because they're always asking me questions about what they're seeing on the website versus what I'm telling them, which are often contrary. And so the feedback is that's not what it says on your website." — Course Consultant

My Role

As Senior Product Designer, I worked alongside another product designer for 6.5 months to transform LingoAce's digital presence. Our complementary skills and collaborative approach allowed us to tackle the complexity of designing for multiple markets while maintaining consistency across the platform.

The Process

Discovery & Research

To bridge the gap between LingoAce's success in Asia and their global ambitions, we needed to understand both the business reality and user perspectives. Through 23 stakeholder interviews and 24 in-depth customer interviews, a fascinating insight emerged: we weren't just designing for different markets, but for fundamentally different approaches to language learning:

Chinese Heritage Families:

• Discovered LingoAce through WeChat and referrals

• Comfortable with high-touch sales process

• Research timeline: Few days to 4 months

"Because we have a Chinese background, both me and my husband were born and raised in China so we hope [our daughter] understands deeply about Chinese culture, history, and everything." — Chinese Heritage Parent

Non-Chinese Heritage Families:

• Found platform through Google search and ads

• Expected self-service options

• Research timeline: 3-4 weeks average

"I think Mandarin is a great language to learn for his future, especially because Germany and China have strong partnerships and trade... So it would open up a lot of doors for him in his career." — Non-Heritage Parent

Design Sprint & Early Validation

Sensing misalignment between stakeholder expectations and user needs, we conducted a modified design sprint focusing on key opportunity areas:

Day 1: Research Synthesis

• Mapped user journeys for different segments

• Identified critical pain points

• Generated "How Might We" questions

• Created opportunity framework

Day 2: Solution Development

• Explored multiple design directions

• Created rapid prototypes

• Tested key assumptions

• Built consensus on direction

Information Architecture Deep Dive

With clear user segments identified, we needed to create a site structure that would serve both audiences effectively. We conducted two rounds of tree testing with 100 users to validate our approach. The results revealed crucial insights about user expectations:

• Moving "Teaching Method" content proved crucial - 69% of users naturally looked for it under "Discover LingoAce"

• Users consistently sought pricing across multiple sections

• Navigation needed to support both high-touch and self-service journeys

"Parents think that we have programs for three year olds that have never learned Mandarin before. That's not the case and the website isn't real clear... I end up having to explain things differently from what they see." — Course Consultant

Iterative Design & Testing

With our information architecture validated, we moved into detailed design. Multiple rounds of usability testing with both heritage and non-heritage families helped us refine the experience around several key areas:

Teacher Profiles:

• Users valued seeing teacher credentials and experience

• Video introductions helped build confidence

• Teaching style descriptions influenced decisions

"I think it's very important that they're letting you look at the teacher ahead of time... that transparency is there." — Usability Test Participant

Class Experience:

• Parents wanted to understand curriculum structure

• Interactive demos helped set expectations

• Clear trial class process was crucial

"I would love to know what strategies they use and the scientific research to back up the strategies." — Parent Interview

Payment and Scheduling:

• Clear pricing information needed upfront

• Flexible scheduling options essential

• Multiple payment methods required by region

• Clear cancellation policies requested

Design System Development

Our design system needed to support both global consistency and local relevance:

• Modular components supporting different user journeys

• Region-specific content variations

• Mobile-first approach based on usage patterns

• Cultural adaptation guidelines

The Solution

Armed with insights from our research and testing, we created a platform that could adapt to different user needs while maintaining a consistent brand experience. The final design transformed how parents discover and engage with LingoAce through several key features:

Content Discovery

• Unified search across programs

• Age-appropriate filtering

• Region-specific recommendations

• Clear program comparisons

Trust Building

• Detailed teacher profiles and credentials

• Transparent pricing structure

• Interactive class previews

• Social proof elements

User Experience

• Flexible signup flows supporting both automated and high-touch paths

• Clear trial class process

• Progress tracking

• Mobile-optimized interfaces

Impact

The redesigned platform launched with impressive results:

• 48% increase in conversions within 10 days

• 85% increase in signup page traffic

• 32% improvement in conversion rates

• 62% increase in session time

More importantly, user testing validated our approach:

"It's certainly inviting as a parent... There's an intuitive flow to it and I couldn't see myself getting lost... I think it's a very clean website that would be very easy to navigate." — Usability Test Participant

Looking Forward

This project reinforced the importance of balancing global consistency with local relevance. By deeply understanding different user segments and their needs, we created a platform that could adapt to local markets while maintaining the core strengths that made LingoAce successful.