Language App
Gamification Strategy
Areas
Research
Strategic design
Gamification
UX
Client
OEI
The "Lenguas" app, developed by the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is an innovative tool for learning and preserving indigenous languages, starting with Quechua. Its mission goes beyond vocabulary teaching: it aims to be a digital bridge to the worldview and cultural richness of native peoples, aligning with the UN's International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Project challenge
To fulfill its cultural objective, "Lenguas" needed to overcome a key challenge of educational applications: maintaining user motivation and constant commitment. The OEI commissioned us to design a gamification strategy to serve as an engagement engine. The challenge was not to redesign the app, but to create the motivational framework to drive it—a system based on behavioral psychology to transform learning into an attractive and sustainable habit.
How to design a motivation system that turns the learning of an ancestral language into a constant habit and a deep cultural connection?
Approach
Our work focused exclusively on the strategic layer of gamification. We started from the premise that game mechanics should serve a higher purpose: to be a bridge to Quechua culture. We analyzed the complete user journey (from discovering the app to becoming a promoter) to identify where and how to intervene with motivation.
Research and definition of the strategic framework
We identified the key cognitive biases (such as loss aversion, social proof, or the progress effect) that could enhance motivation at each learning stage.
From there, we built a multi-layered gamification architecture that would work on the existing app. This strategic framework defines how different mechanics should interact to generate commitment through three pillars: personal progression, social connection, and cultural immersion.
Gamification blueprint and specifications
Our deliverable was a comprehensive gamification strategy document, accompanied by navigable flows in Figma, which specified in detail how each mechanic should be integrated and function within the app, including:
Complete system definition:
Detailed specifications for points, levels, badges, and "perfect weeks," with calculation formulas and thresholds.
Mechanics catalog:
Over 15 defined gamified features, from a "Quechuisms test" for acquisition, to knowledge battles, rankings, collective challenges, and creative retention strategies.
Reference wireframes:
Low-fidelity prototypes to illustrate the placement and flow of new gamified elements, serving as a guide for the design and development team.
Journey integration:
A map of how each mechanic is activated at specific moments in the user journey, applying the most appropriate cognitive bias at each point.
The Impact
As a result of the work, the OEI received a complete action plan to integrate gamification into the "Lenguas" app. The deliverable combines strategic vision with technical specification: a document defining the motivational framework and a set of navigable wireframes detailing the implementation of each mechanic.
This material provided the design and development teams with a clear and executable guide to transform the app, establishing the foundation for gamification to become the structural engine that drives users' constant engagement with the Quechua language and culture.
