Apptisan #43 - Monspeak: Turn English Learning into a Card Game
In this edition, we sit down with Suki, a designer and product manager who turned her passion for solving problems into creating Monspeak, an innovative AI-powered language-learning app.
Name: Monspeak
Developer / Team: NoMoreBoring
Platforms: iOS, iPadOS
Read this newsletter issue in Chinese (中文) .
Please describe your product.
Monspeak is an AI-powered language-learning app built around a collectible card game mechanic. The core gameplay loop involves drawing various cards, each representing a meticulously designed real-world conversation challenge. To collect a card, you must successfully complete the challenge using your English speaking skills.
Take, for example, a scenario where you’re in a meeting with Steve Jobs. In this setup, Jobs is your boss, and you have to give him a regular progress report. Unlike most AI, which are typically polite and friendly, this version of Steve Jobs will genuinely get angry and criticize you if your proposal isn’t up to par—much like a real project review. However, because you’re interacting with an AI, you can make mistakes without any real-world consequences. This creates a safe environment to hone your pitching skills. I have to admit, sometimes his “scoldings” leave me not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Of course, throughout each challenge, Monspeak provides support with features like translation, grammar correction, and suggested responses, helping you acquire new knowledge within this immersive conversational experience.
Was there a ‘aha!’ moment that inspired your product’s creation?
Last year, while traveling in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I had an unexpected breakthrough. After about two weeks of immersive conversation—fumbling my way through daily interactions with all sorts of people—my language skills improved dramatically. It made me realize that the most crucial elements of language learning are immersion and practice, not just memorizing vocabulary and grammar. Especially when you’re not studying for a test, grammar isn’t as critical as you might think.
A thought suddenly struck me: what if you could collect all the real-life characters you meet while traveling—flight attendants, hotel staff, restaurant servers—like Pokémon cards and challenge them? How cool would that be!
You mentioned that for language learning, immersion and practice is most important, while grammar is relatively secondary. How is this philosophy reflected in Monspeak’s product design concept?
Monspeak’s learning philosophy is “speaking first.” The idea is to learn new words and grammar naturally through conversation. It’s okay if you don’t master everything immediately or if you make mistakes. The key is to keep talking and maintain a steady volume of input and output to cultivate your intuitive feel for the language.
When I was first designing the conversation interface, I initially adopted a Duolingo-style approach, where users would get an interruptive feedback after every sentence, like “Great job!” or “Here’s what you could improve.” However, I felt this could break the user’s conversational flow and make them overly focused on grammatical accuracy.
So, by the time the product officially launched, I had changed this feature into a small, unobtrusive button below the speech bubble. Users have to actively click it to see suggestions for grammatical improvements. Interestingly, some users have since given feedback that this makes the app feel less “educational.” We’re currently working on finding the right balance.
Beyond specific ‘aha!’ moment, how do you generally find and nurture creative inspiration in your daily life?
I love browsing design mockups, especially speculative and wildly imaginative concepts. When I see a brilliant design, I start thinking, “Wow, what kind of pain point could this idea cleverly solve?” It’s less of a rational, deductive process and more like having a hammer and looking for a nail. It’s a fun way to generate unconventional solutions.
I also have a more analytical approach. For instance, when brainstorming opportunities in AI education, I’ll create a mind map to break down unsolved pain points, technological trends, and specific user demographics. As I organize my thoughts, potential connections and ideas naturally emerge. This method is more like working from a set prompt and helps me structure the scattered ideas floating around in my head.
Could you walk us through your typical workflow, from initial concept to a shipped product? What key tools or methodologies do you rely on?
Sketching & User Flow: I start by sketching out the basic user flow to get a high-level view of the entire product journey.
Feedback & Validation: I then share this user flow with friends to gather their feedback, which helps me identify potential challenges and decide whether to commit to development. (Nowadays, I also bounce ideas off ChatGPT).
Visual Mood Board: Once the concept is validated, I create a visual mood board. During this stage, I intentionally avoid looking at any competing products to prevent my thinking from becoming derivative.
Detailed Design & Iteration: I then move on to detailed design, developing and testing each module. I’ll test the builds on an actual device to experience them firsthand and fine-tune the details.
Figma is my go-to for most of this process, but recently I’ve started using Lovable to create quick demos during the idea validation phase.
What makes your product unique compared to others in the market?
Heh, I have a lot to say about this.
First of all, I am a victim of that little green bird! I dutifully checked in on Duolingo for over 400 days and learned almost nothing! Duolingo’s gamification often comes at the expense of effective learning. At Monspeak, we aim to preserve the fun of a game while ensuring users actually learn something. We use engaging topics and create immersive, character-rich scenarios that make you want to talk. You progress by completing card missions, not just by breezing through a few multiple-choice questions.
Compared to general-purpose AI chatbots like ChatGPT, they lack a specialized focus. While they are versatile, they aren’t tailored for language learning and don’t come with integrated tools like vocabulary lists or grammar correction. Using them effectively depends heavily on the user’s self-discipline. In Monspeak, after completing each card challenge, you enter a knowledge review session. The system automatically generates a list of key learning points from your conversation—including words, phrases, grammar, and sentences—which you can choose to add to your personal vocabulary deck. This deck functions like Anki flashcards, hiding the translation or the original sentence to actively jog your memory.
As for other AI speaking apps, most tend to be more clinical and tool-oriented, targeting test preparation for exams like IELTS and TOEFL. Monspeak, on the other hand, is fundamentally more game-like. The entire visual interface resembles a card game: the home screen is a random card draw, you navigate different scenes on a map, and collected cards are stored in a card binder. The core loop is pure gaming: draw a card, complete the challenge, and collect your reward.
How have you marketed your product, and what key lessons have you learned?
Currently, our main focus is on Rednote, and we plan to expand to overseas markets via TikTok and YouTube in the future.
In terms of strategy and methods, here are a few key takeaways:
Know where your users are. Rednote, X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Product Hunt, and Reddit are all great low-cost acquisition channels, but each platform has a different user culture.
Involve users in your decisions. During our beta, we ran polls asking users which new features they wanted most. Rednote provides an excellent platform for interacting with users and getting their honest opinions.
Immerse yourself in the channel. You need to spend time on the platform to develop a feel for its culture and content style. Experiment with different types of content and maintain a consistent posting schedule.
Learn from your peers. Analyze what similar products are posting and their release cadence, and use that information to continuously refine your own strategy.
Overall, social media promotion is a significant investment of time and energy. Unlike paid advertising, which offers direct results, social media is a long-term game that requires sustained effort. However, the process allows you to maintain a genuine connection with your users, and “build in public” is a rewarding experience in itself.
Looking ahead, our promotion plan is to use a combination of paid ads, influencer collaborations, and viral marketing.
What has been some memorable feedback since your product’s release?
We received a ton of feedback during the closed beta. There was a lot of sincere praise. For instance, one user, an elementary school English teacher, tried the app with her students and found that they all loved it and used it without any trouble. That was incredibly encouraging. It made me feel that my product might actually be providing real value and helping to solve a problem for someone, and it gave me a renewed sense of responsibility.
There was also negative feedback. A friend felt it didn’t live up to their expectations and was about to uninstall it; others found the learning curve too steep. Negative feedback can be disheartening at first, but I believe that any feedback is better than silence. It helps clarify the direction for our next iteration.
In fact, the new version we’re currently preparing is a direct response to some of this common feedback (specifically, the difficult onboarding and insufficient card content). We reflected on this and realized that our current version lacks flexibility and personalization. So, we’ve started working on a complete redesign to thoroughly address these issues. Please stay tuned for our upcoming updates!
How do you typically structure your day to stay productive and creative? Any favorite time management techniques?
The first thing I do when I wake up is schedule my day on my calendar, usually in blocks of 30 minutes to 2 hours. Then, I just follow the calendar and cross off my to-dos one by one. I make sure to mix personal and work-related tasks. A schedule packed with only work would be suffocating, so I always build in time for leisure and short breaks.
For me, assigning a specific time block for a task is highly effective for staying focused.
Are there any products out there that you feel deserve more recognition?
I absolutely love Waterllama. I’m not great at drinking enough water, and this app adds a little bit of ritual and positivity to this simple daily task. It’s a small idea, but the interaction design is incredibly fitting and delightful. The Waterllama widget is still on my home screen to this day.
Would you mind sharing your phone and computer home screens with us and a few of your go-to daily apps?
Browser: Arc
AI: ChatGPT
Design: Figma
Coding: Cursor + Lovable
Pomodoro Timer: FocusPomo
Project Management: Linear
Information Sources: Jike (即刻), Xiaoyuzhou FM (小宇宙), Rednote, X (Twitter), Newsletters
Which creators do you look up to, and what admirable qualities do you see in them or their work?
I’m surrounded by many talented product people and indie developers. We often share experiences and insights. I learn a lot from them—often not grand, abstract theories, but very practical, down-to-earth advice. The key is to keep thinking and continuously pivot.
Lately, I’ve been really into the posts by Prosku.a on X. His design work is just captivating.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you envision for the future.
I’m Suki, a designer and product manager. My original dream was to become a freelance illustrator and create my own IP universe, making a living from my creative content. My dream now is to build unique, interesting apps that solve real problems for people. I’m still in the early stages of exploring this path.
About Apptisan
Apptisan is a portmanteau of “application” and “artisan”, signifying “a weekly exploration into the world of apps and the passionate artisans who create them.” Each issue is a conversation with global creators, aiming to uncover and present intriguing products to a wider audience.
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