What I Learned Building an AI-Powered English Learning Product — Insights from LexiTalk AI
When I first built LexiTalk AI, I thought the biggest challenge would be engineering — building real-time speech recognition, natural-sounding AI voices, and seamless cross-platform experiences.
But I soon realized the real challenge wasn’t technical — it was behavioral.
How do you design an app that helps people practice English every day, not just download and forget?
Passive Learning Doesn’t Stick
Most English learners start with great motivation — downloading flashcard apps, watching YouTube lessons, or memorizing long vocabulary lists.
Yet retention fades quickly because the experience is passive.
Learning words without using them creates an illusion of progress.
That’s why our core principle became:
“Use it, don’t memorize it.”
This single mindset shift shaped every product decision afterward.
Turning Words into Action
Instead of showing definitions, we focused on interaction:
- Personalized podcasts generated from your saved words
- Real-time AI speaking partners that simulate exam or life conversations
- Vocabulary battle games that make recall feel like play
It’s not about how many words you know, but how many you can use.
Product References
Learn more about the project:
- Official Website
https://www.lexitalkai.com/web/en - Personalized Podcast Page
https://www.lexitalkai.com/web/en/podcasts - 5-Step Learning Method
https://www.lexitalkai.com/web/en/learn
This is awesome — “use it, don’t memorize it” really hits home. Most language apps forget that practicing speaking is what actually makes it stick.
Love how you turned that into real features like AI conversations and vocab battles — that sounds way more fun than just flashcards.
Also cool how you realized the toughest part wasn’t tech but behavior. Totally agree — getting people to come back every day is the real challenge.
interesting, just finished reading
Interesting. I was a little confused about the language drop down since the focus is on English only. Once I used it, I realised that was the current language of the site but still with target language English. It might be worthwhile putting a label there.
I'm building a language learning product myself so take this with a grain of salt. Your product reminds me of superfluent which I have recently discovered.
Great insights! I love the focus on behavior over tech. How do you keep users coming back daily? For my UX audit app, retention is key, so I'm curious about your strategies to encourage daily practice and balance AI assistance with user motivation.
Sorry did you mean to reply to me or the OP? I'm still in the early stages of growth so in the same boat. I'm not sure I have solid tips to give yet.