Readaroo
PROJECT OVERVIEW
An AI-powered reading app that helps children with dyslexia learn through multisensory methods like gamified learning maps and visual-auditory aids.
CHALLENGE:
SKILLS:
TOOLS:
TIMELINE:
TEAM MEMBER:
Gather the wisdom of all to complete the project.
User Research, Interviewing, MVP, Wireframing, UI design, Prototyping, Video Editing, Storytelling
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop
11 Weeks, September 2024 to November 2024
Jolin Wu | Linyun Gong | Weiwei Tang | Difei Huang | Qi Luo | Aarushi Pohnerkar
Problem
How might we use multi-sensory and gamified learning methods to create accessible, engaging educational tools for children with dyslexia to enhance their reading and comprehension skills?
Prototype
iPhone Student Mode
The student model reduces the difficulty of reading by segmenting the reading material and incorporating diverse and interactive ways to help students complete the reading step by step. At the same time, the model uses a variety of methods to stimulate students' interest in reading.
iPhone Teacher Mode
Teacher Mode is designed to assist teachers in understanding students' reading, providing positive feedback, and supporting students to participate in reading group mini-games to increase learning fun and collaboration.
Ipad Mode
The iPad mode is optimized for the iPad, providing a more suitable reading experience for this device and enhancing reading comfort.
Feather
Student Mode: Learning Map
Provides gamification-based learning paths that split reading materials into multiple stages and goals, helping children track their progress visually.
Reduces learning difficulty and enhances children's sense of reading achievement through progressive tasks and reward mechanisms.
Student Mode: Book Library
A digital library designed for children with dyslexia, covering graded books at all reading levels and supporting personalized recommendations.
Providing content appropriate to learning ability ensures that children can learn and progress at the correct reading level.
Student Mode: Reward Systems
Uses virtual rewards such as badges, costumes, and real-time feedback mechanisms to encourage children to engage in reading and continue practicing.
Enhances children's motivation and interest in reading and develops persistent learning habits.
Teacher Mode: Class Management
Provides teachers with class management tools for tracking students' learning progress, making reading plans, and analyzing teaching effectiveness.
It helps teachers instruct and support students more effectively and improve teaching efficiency.
Teacher Mode: Share Materials
Supports the sharing of learning materials and activities between teachers and children, facilitating the creation of collaborative learning environments.
Enhance communication and collaboration among teachers to form an effective learning support network.
Business Value
Through in-app purchases of tokens, users can unlock content such as digital books, costumes, etc., and provide membership subscription options to allow users to access more permissions and features.
Build a sustainable monetization model that increases user stickiness while funding the ongoing development and optimization of the app.
Research
Primary Interview
Interviewees: 7 teachers
Teaching experience: 16-32 years
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Common Signs of Dyslexia
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Struggles with distinguishing letters, writing letters/words backward, and sequencing
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Have exceptional creativity and think outside the box
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Emotional Impact
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Low self-confidence and Embarrassment
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Hiding their struggles
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Socioeconomic Impact
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Students from higher-income families had better access to resources
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Poverty can increase the likelihood of struggling with dyslexia
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Importance of Early Diagnosis
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Addressing learning challenges earlier
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Boosting self-esteem
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Teaching Methods
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Multi-sensory techniques
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Breaking down tasks
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Interest-based content
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Gamification learning
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Personalized learning approachs
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Progress tracking
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Repetition-focused tasks
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Short study sessions
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Secondary Research
10%
people have dyslexia
(780 million people)
20%
elementary student
have problems learning
how to read
75%
people with limited reading
skills have dyslexia
38%
4th-grade students read
at a level that’s below
average
25%
adults read at an
elementary school level
40%
poor children have
reading and language
learning difficulties
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Children with Dyslexia
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Each school year comes with new difficulties.
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Need help with reading challenges.
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Some strategies children use are slowing down and using decoding skills.
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More diverse reading materials in libraries are needed.
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Parents of Dyslexics
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One of the most challenging hurdles was getting a diagnosis and intervention.
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Advocate for early intervention.
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Reserve children’s self-esteem as learners.
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Dyslexia Tutors
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Dyslexia primarily affects decoding, hindering the ability to translate written words into spoken language.
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Emphasizes the importance of building trust with students and setting high expectations.
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Tools provide personalized learning experiences.
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Stakeholder Map
Defines key players such as dyslexic children, teachers, parents, developers, and investors, and analyzes their needs and goals to facilitate comprehensive product development and a collaborative ecosystem.
Empathy Map
The thinking, emotions, and behaviors of child users are simulated to reveal the challenges they face in reading and learning and their desire for fun, intuitive learning experiences.
Persona
A typical user image centered on dyslexic children is constructed, reflecting their backgrounds, goals, needs, pain points, personalities, and behaviors to provide clear guidance for product design.
User Journey Map
Depicts the complete learning path of children with dyslexia in traditional educational settings, showing their behaviors, emotions, and touchpoints, highlighting opportunities for optimization at each stage.
Key Insights
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Multi-sensory Learning is Crucial
Integrate text-to-speech, typing games, and drag-and-drop activities.
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Personalized Learning
Create tailored, bite-sized tasks and vocabulary games.
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Progress Tracking Tools
Include dashboards for monitoring student progress.
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Gamification Improves Motivation
Add quizzes, colorful characters, and reward-based systems.
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Interest-Based Content
Allow students to pick topics/themes they enjoy.
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Phonics and Repetition
Use phonetic modules, flashcards, and repetition-focused tasks.
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Short Study Sessions
Limit sessions to 15 minutes with recommended breaks.
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Teacher-Student Interaction
Enable real-time feedback, messaging, and task submissions.
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Accessible Learning
Offer affordable options with tiered subscriptions for tutoring.
Ideate
Solutions
01
Teacher & Student Mode
04
Gamified Learning
02
Text-to-speech / images
05
Reward System
03
Short Content in one Page
06
Upload Materials
Information Architecture
A clear hierarchical structure has been designed to ensure that child users can quickly find their needs. Complex information is presented intuitively by simplifying the navigation flow to enhance accessibility.
User Flow
Shows the critical path from registration and login to completion of learning tasks, highlighting the core interaction flow and ensuring smooth and consistent operation.
Business Model Canvas
It illustrates the monetization through token purchase of content, member subscription rights, etc., while emphasizing the dual potential of user value and market expansion.
Iterate
Sketches
Initial ideas for the application interface were quickly sketched out through brainstorming during the discussion, covering the gamified design of the learning map and laying a solid foundation for subsequent design validation.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
50+ Student Mode Lo-Fi Wireframes
30+ Teacher Mode Lo-Fi Wireframes
Use low-fidelity wireframes to define key page layouts and interaction points, prioritizing functionality and user experience fluency to provide a framework for high-fidelity design.
Usability Testing
Goal
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Assess the user experience for students
Identify how easily students can navigate the app, engage with reading exercises, and use features designed to improve reading skills.
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Gather feedback on functionality and design
Determine if the app’s features, layout, and interactions are intuitive, engaging, and accessible for students with dyslexia.
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Evaluate support tools for teachers
Understand how teachers perceive the functionality of the tools provided, including ease of use and relevance for classroom support.
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Identify areas for improvement
Collect any pain points, confusion, or suggestions for enhancing the design and usability of the app based on firsthand user experiences.
Tasks
Teacher Mode
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Sign-in / Registration
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Navigating the Dashboard
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Assigning Reading Materials
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Connecting with Students
Student Mode
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Onboarding
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Choose a Book
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Read with Assistance
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Track Your Progress
Participant
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6 Students with Dyslexia
One student from each grade, 7th through 12th, totaling six children.
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3 Dyslexia Teachers
Experienced educators who can provide feedback on the app’s classroom utility and support tools.
Findings
01
Adaptable Teaching Tools
Provide customizable teaching options based on student age and ability, including access to detailed material descriptions for teachers.
02
Phonics and Syllable Games
Integrate syllable-focused games to support essential early literacy skills and align with in-class teaching needs.
03
Progress Tracking
Implement dashboards that allow teachers to monitor individual student progress, track difficulties, and review game outcomes for targeted support.
04
Age-appropriate Books
To support skill-appropriate reading improvement, offer a broader age range of books, such as decodable books for younger students.
05
Engaging Team Games
Introduce friendly, competitive team games within the app, allowing teachers to group students and encourage cooperative, interactive learning experiences.
06
Accessible Mobile Design
Design more extensive and simplified tapping functions for easier use on mobile devices, especially for younger students.
07
Reading Support
Many students face on-screen text challenges, necessitating text-to-speech features and adjustable font sizes to aid comprehension.
08
Accessibility and Clarity
Enhancing accessibility features and simplifying navigation will support all users, particularly those struggling with reading.
Reflection
Teamwork was central to the success of the project. Each member contributed a unique perspective, especially one member responsible for stylistic unification, who ensured that the design language was consistent across the board, resulting in a more professional and coordinated outcome. Through regular discussions and open communication, we effectively minimized conflict and duplication and ensured that everyone's ideas were fully expressed. Although some disagreements and cross-tasks were encountered, these challenges fostered teamwork and compromise instead.
In the process, I deeply understood the importance of team division of labor, unity of style, and detail management. In particular, I learned to listen and compromise to find a balance in disagreements, and at the same time, I improved my communication skills and learned to express myself clearly and accept feedback. This experience has enhanced my teamwork, project management, and execution skills and has brought me valuable experience.