My Journey building Langadoo

Welcome to my journey in creating something unique. I've been a developer for many years, and at the start of 2025, I started learning Serbian. I found the process challenging in several ways, so I began building my own tools to help me out. It all started with a simple idea: to create a tool that would make reading Cyrillic script easier. I never imagined it would evolve into a full-fledged learning platform.

Initially, I wasn't familiar with existing apps or alternatives. I wanted to build something for myself, starting with basic functionality. The first feature was a simple word-saving tool and a timed reading exercise to practice Cyrillic. This small start was the foundation of what was to come.

I built a simple word review tool that showed me words again after a set time. I'd guess the word and mark my answers as correct or incorrect. At the time, I didn’t know about spaced repetition or tools like Anki; I was just experimenting. My tool was pretty basic, and it often made me recall words too soon. Eventually, I learned more about the concepts and algorithms behind spaced repetition and refined my approach to use a more effective algorithm. Looking back, this early effort really helped me improve my vocabulary.

I often searched YouTube for Serbian videos, especially children's content, hoping to find accessible material. The lack of subtitles was a hurdle, so I developed a feature that transcribes videos using AI, allowing me to read along while I listen. This was a game-changer for my learning experience.

After looking through the limited graded readers I found, I realized I needed more material. So, inspired by Stephen Krashen's input hypothesis, I decided to create a story generator using my own vocabulary list. This approach helps me keep making progress without getting stuck on complicated texts.

Bit by bit, I integrated all these features into a cohesive learning tool. Words highlighted in videos or readers had quick access to explanations and sentence context. I added audio generation and listening practice to further enhance the learning experience.

After months of refining the app for my own use, I realized its potential value to others. I polished the interface, transforming it from a rough personal project into a user-friendly web application. Looking back at screenshots of the old dashboard and features, it's clear how far we've come.

What began as a personal project to learn Serbian has turned into a helpful resource for anyone learning any language. We're still working on it, adding new features and improvements along the way. If you're just starting to learn the language or looking for new tools, we invite you to check out our platform and see if it works for you.