How 2000 ish days of frustration with generic language apps led me to build the Japanese learning tool my brain actually needed

After roughly 900 days out of my current 2000 days streak on Duolingo, I finally admitted something I'd been avoiding: I was learning absolutely nothing useful.

Two thousand days of "The cat drinks milk" and "I am a duck who speaks Japanese". Two thousand days of random vocabulary that had zero connection to my actual interests. Two thousand days of fighting an interface that seemed designed for brains that work differently than mine.

As someone with ADHD and dyslexia, I needed something completely different. So I built it.

The Duolingo Problem: When Streaks Replace Learning

Most people that I have met who have or still are actively using Duolingo carry two traits.

1 - Keeping their streak is important to them in some sort of way.
2 - They can't produce real sentences of the language they are learning.

That was exactly me. I was so focused on maintaining my streak that I'd lost sight of why I started learning Japanese. Streaks are one of Duolingo's most well-known features. You will add to your current streak every day that you achieve your goal. This feature keeps people coming back day after day, but I don't think it's super beneficial to language learning. It sends the wrong message that the biggest goal when you want to learn a language is to do the bare minimum each day.

But the real problem wasn't the streaks, it's good for motivation for some people but it was the content. Duolingo gets you to memorise sentences that (often) have no application in the real world. The sentences and words are also given at random, instead of making up a whole coherent text or story.

I was spending time on phrases I'd never use whilst the vocabulary I actually needed for my interests remained completely untaught.

For my ADHD brain, this was torture. Random, irrelevant content is kryptonite for ADHD learners. We need context, relevance, and immediate applicability to maintain focus.

The Anki Nightmare: When Power Becomes Paralysis

Frustrated with Duolingo, I tried what every serious Japanese learner recommends: Anki.

Big mistake.

Am I the only one who finds Anki's UI/UX to be absolutely atrocious? The sentiment was widespread, and I quickly understood why.

I'd love to get back to a simpler interface. I preferred having one toolbar over three now. It allowed me to better focus on the practice session. The more cluttered interface, the more focus is on the app itself and the less on the knowledge that it should support to remember.

This perfectly captured my experience. As a product designer with 15 years of experience, I could see exactly what was wrong: Anki prioritises functionality over user experience. The interface assumes users want maximum control, but for ADHD brains, too many choices create paralysis. The overwhelming options and complex setup created cognitive overload before I'd even started studying.

After a month of fighting with interval modifiers, ease factors, and deck configurations, I gave up. The tool was more work than the learning.

How ADHD and Dyslexia Change Everything

Here's what most language learning apps don't understand about neurodivergent brains:

We Need Relevance, Not Randomness

Dyslexic learners may find it particularly challenging to recognise sight words, the foundational vocabulary necessary for fluent reading. Additionally, dyslexia is sometimes paired with other conditions such as ADHD and autism, further complicating the learning process.

When content isn't immediately relevant or interesting, our brains check out. We can't just muscle through boring material.

We Need Simple Interfaces

Some learners with dyslexia who also struggle with ADHD can benefit from relatively simple interfaces where they are less likely to be distracted by flashy graphics.

Complex interfaces with tons of options create decision paralysis. We need clear, focused pathways that don't overwhelm our working memory.

We Need Multiple Ways to Learn

Mind mapping apps are great for connecting ideas and seeing information. Electronic flashcards are a great tool for helping students with dyslexia practice reading independently.

Single-mode learning doesn't work. We need variety in how information is presented and tested.

Japanese Actually Works Well for Dyslexic Brains

Learning Japanese may seem daunting for those diagnosed with dyslexia, but it turns out that fundamentals of the language actually make it easier to learn than its Western counterparts.

Japanese is an easy language for dyslexic people to learn due to it's phonetic alphabet, and the use of characters which are more like images.

But we need tools designed around our strengths, not despite them.

The Designer's Challenge: Knowing What's Wrong But Not How to Fix It

After 15+ years as a product designer, I could see exactly what was wrong with existing apps:

• Overwhelming interfaces that fight for attention instead of supporting learning

• Random content that serves no real purpose

• One-size-fits-all approaches that ignore how different brains work

• Gamification that prioritises streaks over actual learning

But knowing what's wrong and building something better are completely different challenges.

I'd never written a line of real code. Sure, I could design beautiful, user-friendly interfaces in Figma, but making them actually work? That was another daunting project.

From Designer to Developer: The Scariest Decision

SwiftUI is hands-down the best way for designers to take a first step into code. Thanks to its live Preview, you can iterate quickly and create powerful user interfaces with a few lines of code that works for all of Apple's platforms.

This gave me hope. Maybe I could actually build something.

I started with SwiftUI tutorials, spending evenings and weekends learning basic concepts. Variables, functions, state management. Everything was new and frustrating. My designer brain wanted to jump straight to the interface, but I had to learn the logic first.

The breakthrough came when I realised that app development is actually quite similar to design thinking:

• Define the problem (ADHD/dyslexic brains need different learning tools)

• Research constraints (what's technically possible, what works for similar brains)

• Iterate on solutions (build, test, rebuild)

• Test with users (mostly myself, initially)

Building for My Brain First

I made a crucial decision early on: I'd build Kann for my brain first, then see if others found it useful.

This meant:

Topic-Specific Learning

Instead of random vocabulary, I created focused dictionaries around specific interests. Business Japanese for work. Anime vocabulary for entertainment. Technology terms for my field. Each dictionary contains around 100 carefully selected words.

Multiple Question Types

My brain needs variety to stay engaged. So Kann tests the same content in different ways:

• "What's the word for...?" (English to Japanese)

• "How do you read...?" (Kanji to reading)

• "What does … mean?" (Japanese to English)

• "What's the onyomi/kunyomi of...?" (for kanji specifically)

Clean, Focused Interface

No overwhelming options. No complex setup. Just thoughtfully designed, clean screens that let you focus on the content. My design background helped me create an interface that users consistently praise for its clarity and elegance.

JLPT-Based Progression

Instead of arbitrary difficulty, all kanji are organised by actual JLPT levels (N5-N1). You always know you're learning characters appropriate for your level.

The Reality Check: Building for Different Brains

Once I released Kann, I discovered something important: other people's brains work differently than mine.

Some users wanted more gamification. Others wanted different question types. Some found my interface too simple, others found it too complex.

This was frustrating until I realised it proved my original hypothesis: most apps fail because they try to be everything to everyone. By building for my specific needs first, I'd created something that works really well for brains like mine.

This feedback reinforced that neurodivergent learners need different approaches. Not better or worse. Different.

What I Learned About Building for Neurodivergent Brains

Start with Real Problems

Every feature in Kann solves a specific problem I experienced. The topic-specific dictionaries solve the irrelevant content problem. Multiple question types solve the boredom problem. Clean interface solves the cognitive overload problem.

Embrace Constraints

Having ADHD and dyslexia isn't a limitation to design around. It's a constraint that leads to better solutions. The need for focus led to cleaner interfaces. The need for relevance led to better content organisation.

Test with Similar Brains

Feedback from other neurodivergent learners is invaluable. They understood the problems I was solving because they'd experienced them too.

Accept That It Won't Work for Everyone

And that's okay. Better to work brilliantly for some people than poorly for everyone.

The Unexpected Journey from User to Creator

Building Kann taught me more than just coding. It taught me that:

• Your limitations can be your superpowers. My ADHD need for relevant content led to better learning design.

• Personal frustration can drive innovation. The best products often come from solving your own problems.

• You don't need permission to build solutions. If existing tools don't work for you, build better ones.

• Design thinking applies to everything. My design background was more valuable for app development than I expected.

Why This Matters for Other Neurodivergent Learners

Technology has come a long way in providing the right assistance to students with different brain wiring. But most assistive technology still tries to adapt existing approaches rather than rethinking them completely.

Kann represents a different philosophy: instead of making traditional learning slightly more accessible, why not build learning tools that work with neurodivergent brains from the ground up?

This doesn't mean other approaches are wrong. But it does mean there's room for tools designed specifically for how our brains actually work.

The Honest Truth About Kann

Kann isn't perfect at all. It won't work for everyone. Some users find it too simple, others want features it doesn't have and will probably never have.

But for brains like mine that need:

• Relevant, topic-specific content

• Clean, uncluttered and fun interfaces

• Multiple ways to engage with material

• Clear visual progression

Kann works brilliantly.

And maybe that's enough. Maybe building tools that work perfectly for some people is better than building tools that work okay for everyone.

For Other Designers Considering Development

If you're a designer frustrated with existing tools, here's what I learned:

Start Small

Don't try to build the next Duolingo. Build something that solves one specific problem really well.

Use Your Design Skills

Your understanding of user experience is more valuable than you think. Good development is 80% thinking, 20% coding.

Embrace the Learning Curve

Yes, learning to code is hard. But it's not harder than learning Japanese with ADHD whilst fighting interfaces designed for different brains.

Focus on Problems, Not Technologies

SwiftUI and Kotlin are just tools. The real work is understanding what problems you're solving and for whom but you knew that already.

The Future of Neurodivergent Learning Tools

Building Kann convinced me that we need more tools designed specifically for how neurodivergent brains work. Not adaptations of existing approaches, but completely new paradigms.

This means:

• Content that adapts to individual interests and learning patterns

• Interfaces that reduce cognitive load instead of adding to it

• Assessment methods that work with different processing styles

• Progression systems based on competence, not arbitrary metrics

A Personal Note

Creating Kann was the hardest and most rewarding project I've ever undertaken so far. It forced me to confront my limitations, learn entirely new skills, and accept that my brain works differently.

But it also taught me that those differences aren't bugs to be fixed. They're features that lead to different solutions.

If you're neurodivergent and frustrated with existing learning tools, know that you're not the problem. The tools are the problem. And sometimes, the best solution is to build your own.

Kann exists because I was tired of fighting tools that weren't designed for brains like mine. It's my love letter to everyone who's ever felt like they were doing learning wrong, when really they just needed different tools.

Your brain isn't broken. It just needs different solutions.

—-

Kann is available on iOS and Android, with generous free tiers designed to help learners discover if the approach works for their brains before committing to paid content. Named after the kanji 間 (kan) from 時間 (jikan), because learning should be about time well spent, not time wasted fighting your tools.