
How a Duolingo Message Made Me Rethink Praise in UX
I was reading Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck recently, and one idea stuck with me: the way we praise people shapes how they approach challenges.
While trying out math on Duolingo for fun, I got a message: “Are you a supercomputer?” I know it’s playful. It’s meant to motivate. But I paused. This praise leans toward ability. It suggests I’m naturally gifted. And according to Dweck’s research, that’s risky. When users believe success comes from being inherently talented, they’re more likely to avoid harder challenges and abandon the app when difficulty increases. Duolingo is genuinely well-designed. But this made me wonder: In UX, how often do we accidentally reinforce a fixed mindset?
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