AfroLingo

Many language-learning platforms lack meaningful representation of African languages and cultural context, and often fail to combine structured learning with real-time, human interaction.

AfroLingo is a cross-platform (iOS, Android) language-learning app that blends bite-sized lessons, progress tracking, and real-time experiences such as tutor chat and in-app notifications. It uses a modern full-stack architecture with realtime infrastructure to support scalable, interactive learning.

• Designed and implemented the full product architecture (client + server)
• Built the cross-platform client using React Native and Expo
• Developed the backend API with Node.js, Express, and TypeScript
• Designed the PostgreSQL database schema and managed it with Prisma
• Implemented real-time features (chat, notifications, presence) using Socket.IO
• Integrated Firebase Authentication on client and server
• Set up Redis for presence tracking, rate limiting, and Socket.IO scaling
• Created onboarding, personalization, and progress-tracking flows
• Prototyped community features to demonstrate scalable UI and feature organization

• Bite-sized lessons, stories, grammar tips, and practice activities
• Progress tracking with XP and streak mechanics
• Personalized onboarding and user preference storage
• Tutor discovery powered by backend APIs
• 1:1 real-time chat with persisted message threads
• Realtime notifications and presence indicators via Socket.IO
• Prototype community UI demonstrating scalable feature structure

• Designing a realtime architecture that cleanly integrates Firebase Auth with Socket.IO
• Balancing persistent data storage with low-latency realtime interactions
• Structuring the project to support future scalability while remaining developer-friendly as a solo project
• Managing state consistency between REST APIs and realtime events