Best of Galaxy Store Awards 2019 Winner: Rosetta Stone Shares How to Build Apps That Stand Out From the Crowd

[Samsung Newsroom]

We continue the Best of Galaxy Store Awards 2019 series with Rosetta Stone, winner of the Best Made for Samsung App with Rosetta Stone for Samsung 1:1 Video Tutoring.

In our second annual Best of Galaxy Store Awards, we announced winners in 25 categories at #SDC19. We awarded publishers with stand out apps in the Galaxy Store’s boutique of expertly-curated apps. Rosetta Stone shares tips on how to build apps that stand out from the crowd.

Please tell us about Rosetta Stone.

Rosetta Stone Inc. is dedicated to changing people's lives through the power of language and literacy education. Our innovative digital solutions drive positive learning outcomes for the inspired learner at home or in schools and workplaces around the world.

Rosetta Stone won Best Made for Samsung App. How is the app "Made for Samsung"?

Rosetta Stone’s “Made for Samsung” app is our award-winning, immersive language learning app with the added convenience for Samsung users to subscribe using Samsung Pay. Our app provides language learners with a step-by-step learning experience that gets you speaking one of 24 languages quickly and confidently.

What was the development process for the Rosetta Stone Made for Samsung app?

As with all of our product development, we start with the customer experience, then build our plan based on what we validate with customers. Making our application easily available for millions of potential customers was extremely compelling to us. Once we validated the experience, it was straight-forward to implement the optimizations to the learner experience for Made for Samsung.

How is the Rosetta Stone Made for Samsung app different than other Rosetta Stone apps?

Our Rosetta Stone Made for Samsung app is optimized for our Samsung learners. It’s conveniently available within the Galaxy Store, with a payment experience tailor-made for Samsung. Samsung learners even have access to special pricing.

What is the most important thing to consider when building apps for Samsung?

All Samsung users should get ultimate convenience when they use Rosetta Stone’s Made for Samsung app. We try to make sure our app supports all Samsung handset and tablet models with a seamless experience of using the app features and functionalities as well as Samsung’s check-out/payment solutions. The next step is for us to add even more convenience and fun by leveraging unique Samsung features.

How do you create apps that stand out from the crowd?

It all comes back to the customer. The more that you can ensure that you are building products and features that solve real customer problems in ways that exceed what they can get from other options, you’re on the right track. At Rosetta Stone, we are obsessed with solving customer pain-points as it relates to learning a new language. We constantly strive to focus on improvements that drive higher learner engagement that is focused on higher usage as well as efficacy (e.g. helping learners actually learn most effectively).

When designing an app, what is the most important UX consideration?

Empathy for the customer. In the case of Rosetta Stone, we’ve found through extensive research of learners that they’re most interested in being able to speak the language they’re learning. That’s why we introduce users to our patented TruAccent speech-recognition engine upon entering our app. This builds the learner’s confidence in speaking. We’re constantly focusing on the learner experience and validating new concepts and directions with customers through prototyping, customer interviews, surveys and reviewing our customer usage activity within our applications.

What feature do you feel all great apps have in common?

An intense focus on user engagement, and for Rosetta Stone, our learners’ goals. As part of our development process, we engage our learners by listening to their direct experience using the app and whether it is helping them reach their language goals. We want to know why they study and how they want to use that new language, in addition to the features that would delight them.

What guidance do you have for new developers looking to create a successful app?

Spend time on the Samsung Developers website learning about Samsung's APIs. There is lots of useful information there to help you quickly get started on your app.

How has working with Samsung helped your business?

Rosetta Stone has a premium brand in North America and we recognize that there are incredible opportunities in language learning throughout the world. Partnering with Samsung not only reinforces our value proposition with another great brand, but opens up the ability to reach language learners internationally.

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Thanks to Rosetta Stone for sharing their tips on building Made for Samsung apps. Be sure to follow @samsung_dev on Twitter for more great advice from our Best of Galaxy Store winners.

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