Toucan was a browser extension that assisted users in learning a new language while browsing the internet. This extension was based on the theory of language acquisition and functioned by providing inline translations of words, allowing users to derive meaning within the context of their browsing experience. This unique feature enabled users to absorb the language naturally as they went about their day, rather than through traditional methods of studying.
As the founding designer for the extension, I was responsible for establishing the design system and scaling the experience. Initially, the product supported only 5 language vectors and 1k users. During my time at Toucan, we successfully expanded it to support over 12 vectors and cater to the needs of more than 750k learners.
Full case study coming soon. In the meantime, contact me directly to learn more or visit jointoucan.com.
Established the design system and component libraries
Illustrated marketing materials for the website and social media
Animated assets for in-product experience and website, including a product demo for Youtube
Designed and iterated on UX/UI of core passive learning features like inline translations and progression
Designed and iterated on active learning features like grammar and vocabulary practice
Ran qualitative research studies and usability tests during pre-development as well as post-feature release
Helped to scale the product experience to support 12+ language vectors and 800k+ learners
Responsible for ensuring on-time outputs at a high-quality bar for everything design-related at Toucan
Grew the team to include practitioners across disciplines: product design, brand design and UX research
Developed, wrote, and implemented design guidelines and principles
Crafted a design ladder to help contextualize expectations around career growth at Toucan
Worked across teams to facilitate process discussions and improvements to ensure we moved with a sense of urgency with minimal compromise on quality of output