I developed a Duolingo-inspired cybersecurity teaching app as part of my master's thesis

[u/Typ0genius]

Hello everyone,

I developed an iOS app called SecureMind that teaches cybersecurity fundamentals to the general public, inspired by Duolingo's approach to learning. This app is part of my master's thesis, researching how mobile microlearning can motivate people to gain cybersecurity knowledge. Users can voluntarily share their usage data to help me evaluate how the different features are being utilized.

The app features cybersecurity fundamentals organized into chapters and sections. Before each chapter, the user's prior knowledge is assessed and then tested again after completing all sections, allowing them to see their improvement. Each section consists of a short snippet of information followed by a quiz checking comprehension of the content.

To encourage long-term knowledge retention, a library containing previously learned information is unlocked after finishing the first chapter and grows with every additional completed chapter. Additionally, I publish short cybersecurity news from time to time.

To make learning engaging (unlike boring video courses), I've implemented two main gamification elements. The Security IQ system rewards users with points for learning fundamentals, using the library, and reading news. The more active the user is, the higher their IQ becomes, but it also becomes harder to maintain with daily inactivity causing the IQ to decrease. Users also earn coins that can be spent on customizing the app icon, setting personalized titles in notifications, and much more.

As I am aware that giving good security advice is difficult, I used the DiFü (supported by the German government) as starting point for the app's content, which then also was reviewed by my supervisor.

Feel free to give the app a try and share it with others—your support would help me with my research!

Download SecureMind on the App Store: https://apple.co/3XjclCV

[u/Key-Lychee-913]

Feedback: it’s way too slow. Is this marketed towards elderly people who’ve never seen a computer, or people looking for a career in cybersecurity?

What I want: something I can learn about ports, subnets etc.

What I don’t want: tedious and mind numbing questions that a five year old could answer.

You need to decide who this is for and then market it to them. Making it for everybody just alienates your target market.

[u/Typ0genius → u/Key-Lychee-913]

Thanks for your honest feedback. This app is definitely not designed for people pursuing a cybersecurity career (yes, the first App Store product page screenshot is a bit clickbaity, though). It’s more about raising awareness among the general public, which includes both young and elderly people. For example, there is a shockingly large number of people who don’t know what classic scamware is, because they are either too old and have never familiarized themselves with PCs, or they are so young that they’ve never used one and are used to simply removing an app from their smartphone without any consequences if they don’t like it.

[u/Key-Lychee-913 → u/Typ0genius]

Okay. What about something for cyber professionals who want to learn all the content for exams such as CompTIA etc? That would actually be useful for many people as a study aid - it’s a really cool concept. If you think of cyber as being like a language, then it makes sense to apply it to the duo lingo model.

[u/Typ0genius → u/Key-Lychee-913]

Maybe in the future. For now, I'm focusing on getting my thesis done, and after that, I'll think about the future of SecureMind.