On October 5th and November 25th, the traveling music festival Popronde settled in Groningen and Amsterdam. A great opportunity to test Taaly, an innovation that pairs new Dutch residents with local language buddies. At the Cultural Student Center Usva in Groningen, they tested what motivates people to sign up as language buddies: money, exchange points in the app, or symbolic karma points.

Initiator Shadi Alhakimi said, “We received valuable feedback from the participants and the audience, with people showing enthusiasm for Taaly’s innovative approach. Based on the responses, we will further refine and optimize our prototypes. We are currently considering some adjustments to the app, such as improving user experience and maximizing impact.”

During Popronde Amsterdam on November 25th, they asked passersby if they were open to becoming language buddies. Language ambassadors wondered if the profiles of newcomers were decisive in becoming a language ambassador, but this was not successful. The profile descriptions were too long for visitors to quickly read them.