My role was to lead the project through the product lifecycle, from initial concept and discovery to delivering a proof of concept that would guide the development of a minimum viable product. I managed both the budget and the project itself while also driving research, workshops, and design efforts.

Throughout the project, I collaborated with commercial product managers from the adult English language learning (ELT) portfolio and sales development teams in Japan. I developed the service concept, facilitated ideation workshops, oversaw development work, and contributed to coding, content creation, and learning design.

The market challenge was first identified in Japan, where students have limited opportunities to practice speaking, and teachers often struggle to provide actionable feedback—partly due to their own language proficiency. This gap has long hindered English language learning, but recent educational reforms are set to reshape the landscape.

As part of a nationwide overhaul, Japan has introduced high-stakes university entrance exams that assess all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Previously, speaking was not formally tested, leaving students unprepared for real-world communication. With this change, students must now take an internationally recognized English exam approved by the Ministry of Education. Additionally, Tokyo has already incorporated English-speaking tests into high school entrance exams, signaling a broader push for improved language proficiency.

This shift creates both a challenge and a market opportunity. Schools and students now face an urgent need for scalable solutions that provide effective speaking practice and reliable feedback. The demand for technology-driven language learning tools is growing, offering new possibilities to bridge the gap between classroom instruction and real-world communication skills.

The research found that students in other parts of the world (Turkey, Lat Am, Europe, US) experience similar problems related to speaking practice and formative assessment of their speaking skills. Teachers expect the solution to work outside of the classroom yet expect some links to the lessons they teach. 

MarvepApp prototype

This initiative focused on providing a solution that would create a safe environment conducive to practicing speaking English via mobile devices. It would allow the students to interact and receive actionable feedback related to their performance and engage in activities designed to help them improve, available directly in the solution. This needs to be achieved without involving teachers and create multiple opportunities for learners to speak on a continuous basis.