Share:


Strategic analysis of Duolingo language learning platform

Abstract

The rising number of Internet and mobile device users influence the growing demand for educational technology solutions. Duolingo is a commercial language learning platform that offers courses on the web and a mobile app, launched in 2012 as a free website with the goal of addressing social inequalities in education. This article aims to analyze the company’s strategic capabilities which led to Duolingo being the top grossing education app since 2019. The evaluation was carried out by using methods of SWOT, VRIO, and Porter’s Five Forces analyses. The results suggest that Duolingo targeted a wide market segment and developed an attractive product by gamifying the learning process, thus securing a large share of the market in a competitive sector by taking advantage of technological advancement and social media. 


Article in English.


„Duolingo“ kalbų mokymosi platformos strateginė analizė


Santrauka


Augantis interneto ir mobiliųjų įrenginių vartotojų skaičius formuoja švietimo technologijų sprendimų paklausos augimą. Įkurta 2012 m., siekiant spręsti socialinę nelygybę švietimo srityje, „Duolingo“ yra komercinė kalbų mokymosi platforma, siūlanti nemokamus kursus interneto tinklalapyje ir mobiliojoje programėlėje. Šiame straipsnyje siekiama išanalizuoti įmonės strateginius pajėgumus, dėl kurių 2019 m. „Duolingo“ tapo pelningiausia švietimo programėle. Vertinimas atliktas taikant SWOT, VRIO ir Porterio penkių jėgų analizės metodus. Rezultatai rodo, kad „Duolingo“ kompanija, pasinaudodama technologijų pažanga ir socialine žiniasklaida, orientavosi į platų rinkos segmentą ir sukūrė patrauklų produktą bei žaidimu paremtą mokymosi procesą, taip užsitikrindama didelę rinkos dalį konkurencingame sektoriuje.


Reikšminiai žodžiai: „Duolingo“, edukacinės technologijos, kalbų mokymasis, strategija, žaidimizavimas.

Keyword : Duolingo, edtech, language learning, strategy, gamification

How to Cite
Sakalauskė, A., & Leonavičiūtė, V. (2022). Strategic analysis of Duolingo language learning platform. Mokslas – Lietuvos Ateitis / Science – Future of Lithuania, 14. https://doi.org/10.3846/mla.2022.17731
Published in Issue
Dec 16, 2022
Abstract Views
5210
PDF Downloads
5844
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Adams, S. (2019, July 16). Game of tongues: How Duolingo built a $700 million business with its addictive language-learning app. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2019/07/16/game-of-tongues-how-duolingo-built-a-700-million-business-with-its-addictive-language-learning-app/?sh=393a40603463

Alchemer. (2021). Why you should consider secondary data analysis for your next study. https://www.alchemer.com/resources/blog/secondary-data-analysis/

Anastasiu, L., Gavriş, O., & Maier, D. (2020). Is human capital ready for change? A strategic approach adapting Porter’s five forces to human resources. Sustainability, 12(6), 2300. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062300

Aygün, S., & Sezgin, O. (2021). The methods and tools used by managers in their strategic decision making processes. Stratejik ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 5(2), 281–293. https://doi.org/10.30692/sisad.914978

Bergen, M., & Peteraf, M. A. (2002). Competitor identification and competitor analysis: A broad-based managerial approach. Managerial and Decision Economics, 23(4–5), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.1059

Curry, D. (2022a, November 14). Duolingo revenue and usage statistics (2022). https://www.businessofapps.com/data/duolingo-statistics/

Curry, D. (2022b, January 11). Language learning app revenue and usage statistics (2022). https://www.businessofapps.com/data/language-learning-app-market/

Duolingo. (n.d.-a). About us. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.duolingo.com/team

Duolingo. (n.d.-b). About us. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.duolingo.com/info

Duolingo. (n.d.-c). Duolingo English test. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://englishtest.duolingo.com/

Duolingo. (2021). Q3 2021 earnings presentation. https://investors.duolingo.com/static-files/7379b76c-1216-4b9a-b0c0-c4dbf3d6901a

Duolingo. (2022). Duolingo announces record results for fourth quarter and full year 2021. https://investors.duolingo.com/static-files/150c8cb2-584a-4d5d-9826-f3f3bef4619f

Fazrullah, M., Jahroh, S., & Kirbrandoko. (2019). A resources-based view of a medical devices company in Indonesia. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 93(9), 142–151. https://doi.org/10.18551/rjoas.2019-09.14

Ghazinoory, S., Abdi, M., & Azadegan-Mehr, M. (2011). SWOT methodology: A state-of-the-art review for the past, a framework for the future. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 12(1), 24–48. https://doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2011.555358

Harvey Arce, N. P., & Cuadros Valdivia, A. M. (2020). Adapting competitiveness and gamification to a digital platform for foreign language learning. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(20), 194–209. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i20.16135

Huang, W., Hew, K. F., & Fryer, L. K. (2022). Chatbots for language learning—Are they really useful? A systematic review of chatbot‐supported language learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(1), 237–257. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12610

International Association of Languages Centers. (2016). Trends in the demand for foreign languages. https://www.ialc.org/fileadmin/uploads/ialc/Documents/Study_Travel_Research_Reports/ialc-2016-research-trends-in-demand-for-foreign-languages.pdf

International Telecommunication Union. (2021). Facts and figures 2021: 2.9 billion people still offline. https://www.itu.int/hub/2021/11/facts-and-figures-2021-2-9-billion-people-still-offline/

Kaukab, M. E., Adawiyah, W. R., Setyanto, R. P., & Suroso, A. (2020). Accelerating small firms’ production process improvement through international market knowledge and valuable, rare, inimitable, and organized resources and capabilities. Verslas: teorija ir praktika, 21(1), 322–328. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2020.11652

Kennedy, R., Jamison, E., Simpson, J., Kumar, P., Kemp, A., Awate, K., & Manning, K. (2020). Strategic management. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/99282/Strategic-Management.pdf?sequence=22&isAllowed=y

Krouse, S. (2021, June 16). Google’s next AI move: Teaching foreign languages. https://www.theinformation.com/articles/googles-next-ai-move-teaching-foreign-languages

Meltzer, J. A., Kates Rose, M., Le, A. Y., Spencer, K. A., Goldstein, L., Gubanova, A., Lai, A. C., Yossofzai, M., Armstrong, S. E. M., & Bialystok, E. (2021). Improvement in executive function for older adults through smartphone apps: A randomized clinical trial comparing language learning and brain training. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2021.1991262

Noprival, N., Rafli, Z., & Nuruddin, N. (2021). The motivations of learning foreign languages: A descriptive case study of polyglots. Qualitative Report, 26(12), 3823–3833. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4619

Product Habits. (n.d.). How Duolingo built a $700 million company without charging users. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://producthabits.com/duolingo-built-700-million-company-without-charging-users/

Stock Analysis. (n.d.). Income statement (annual). Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/duol/financials/

Vesselinov, R., & Grego, J. (2012). Duolingo effectiveness study (Finanl Report). http://static.duolingo.com/s3/DuolingoReport_Final.pdf

von Ahn, L. (2020, April 15). Duolingo’s values: A letter from our CEO. https://blog.duolingo.com/duolingos-values-a-letter-from-the-ceo/

Voxco. (n.d.). Strategic analysis: Definition, types and benefits. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://www.voxco.com/blog/strategic-analysis-definition-types-and-benefits/#:~:text=Strategic%20analysis%20refers%20to%20an,the%20organization%20can%20be%20met

Wu, Y. (2020). The marketing strategies of IKEA in China using tools of PESTEL, five forces model and SWOT analysis. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 403, 348–355. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200207.054

Ye, F. (2014). Validity, reliability, and concordance of the Duolingo English test (Technical Report). University of Pittsburg.