Zoundslike: AN AI-Powered Language Learning App From the Ground Up
How we rebuilt a half-finished MVP into a scalable, AI-driven English-speaking platform – now used by 24,000+ active learners.
Project Snapshot
CLIENT
Zoundslike
INDUSTRY
EdTech – English language learning
WHAT WE DID
Product UX/UI, AI feature design, web app rebuild, iOS + Android app development, marketing website, design system
PLATFORMS
Web, iOS, Android
REGION
Global
TECH STACK
React Native, Expo, Pusher, Agora Voice, Google Gemini Ai API, Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB
About Zoundslike
Zoundslike is an English learning and speaking platform focused on building spoken confidence, not just vocabulary and grammar knowledge. It combines AI-powered, game-based practice with live peer-to-peer speaking sessions, giving learners real conversational practice with other people, not just a chatbot. The platform is available on web, iOS, and Android, with content that adapts to each learner’s interests and skill level.
Zoundslike
The Challenge
The brief wasn’t “finish the app.” It was: turn an unfinished MVP into a scalable, AI-powered platform that could support real daily usage across web and mobile.
Core learning flows were incomplete, and several existing flows were unstable
No mobile presence existed at all – the product couldn’t reach users where language practice actually happens: on the go
There was no website to explain the product’s value to a prospective user before download
Audio-related functionality (central to a speaking-practice app) had unresolved technical issues, particularly on iOS
Our Approach
01
Start With What's Broken, Not a Blank Slate
We audited it first – deciding what was worth keeping and what needed to be rebuilt from scratch. That meant resolving broken flows and upgrading the JavaScript framework, rather than starting over on parts that already worked.
02
Design the Core Loop Before Adding Features
Before adding anything new, we rebuilt the experience around a practice-first learning model – including resolving critical audio issues affecting the experience on iOS specifically. Every other feature depends on that core speaking loop actually working reliably, so it came first.
03
Make Content Feel Endless, Not Repetitive
The biggest engagement risk for a daily-use app is repetition. We designed the AI content architecture specifically to avoid ever repeating what a user has already seen or played, so long-term daily use doesn’t start to feel stale.
04
Give the Team Control, Not Just the Users
A product like this can’t rely on manual content updates at scale. We designed the system so the team controls content generation directly – not just the end users – with separate rules for the core product and Enterprise deployments.
05
Extend to Where Users Actually Practice
A language app that only lives on desktop misses most real practice moments. We extended the same core experience to native iOS and Android apps, so practice fits into small windows of downtime, not just dedicated study sessions.
06
Make the Product Discoverable, Not Just Usable
A great app nobody can find or understand doesn’t grow. We built a new marketing website and layered in SEO improvements, so prospective users could actually discover and understand Zoundslike before ever hitting download.
FINAL OUTCOME
Mobile App UI Designs
Website
Results & Impact
That growth didn’t come from one big rewrite – it came from fixing the audio issues that were quietly killing trust on iOS, building an AI content engine that keeps practice sessions fresh, and giving the product a home on every device a learner actually reaches for.
125k+
DOWNLOADS
24k+
ACTIVE USERS
100k+
GAMES PLAYED
Core Features Delivered
✓
AI-Generated, Personalized Content
Generates topics, words, and sentences based on each user’s personalization settings and chosen topic – never repeating content already shown or played.
✓
Admin AI Content Generation
Lets admins generate new topics, words, and sentences from their own inputs with one click, supported separately for Zoundslike and Enterprise.
✓
Peer-to-Peer Speaking Games
Pairs learners in real-time speaking sessions with real people, not a chatbot, building spoken confidence through live, interactive practice.
✓
Word Database Management
A dynamic system for adding, updating and managing vocabulary content at scale, including accurate handling of homonyms and edge cases.
✓
Global User Records & Analytics
Tracks performance and engagement across the entire user base, giving the team real data to guide product and content decisions.
✓
Cross-Platform Experience
Delivers a consistent AI-powered learning experience across web, iOS, and Android, so practice continues seamlessly on any device, so practice continues on any device.
The app had unresolved audio issues on iOS, which was a critical problem since Zoundslike is built around live, peer-to-peer speaking practice. Syndell diagnosed and fixed these issues before building any new features, since the entire product depends on reliable audio.
Neither entirely. Syndell audited the half-finished MVP first, kept the parts that worked, upgraded the JavaScript framework, and rebuilt the unstable or incomplete flows rather than starting over.
Syndell used React Native and Expo for the mobile apps, Node.js and Express.js for the backend, MongoDB for data, Pusher and Agora Voice for real-time and voice functionality, and the Google Gemini AI API to power the AI-generated learning content.
Yes. Syndell built native iOS and Android apps so learners could practice outside of the desktop web app, extending the same AI-driven speaking experience to mobile.
Syndell designed the AI content architecture specifically to avoid repeating topics, words, or sentences a user has already seen or played, which was identified as the biggest engagement risk for a daily-use learning app.
Yes. Alongside the app rebuild, Syndell built a new marketing website with SEO improvements so prospective users could discover and understand Zoundslike before downloading it.
Yes. Syndell works with EdTech, SaaS, and startup teams to design and build AI-driven mobile and web products, whether that means finishing an existing MVP or building one from the ground up.
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