Readaroo
Impact with usability testing insights
Our team partnered with Chatham Academy to test prototypes with 6 students (grades 1 to 12) and 3 teachers, gathering valuable feedback to refine and improve the app's design.
Find joy in multi-sensory learning
Students with dyslexia enjoyed the app’s multi-sensory, gamified approach, reporting improved comprehension and greater confidence in reading.
Embrace customization
Teachers highlighted the app’s Teacher Mode as a game-changer, simplifying personalized instruction and progress tracking for classroom efficiency.
Motivated by gamification
Gamified elements like rewards, levels, and costumes boosted student motivation, turning reading practice into an engaging adventure.
Readaroo is designed to support children with dyslexia, in overcoming literacy challenges
Design an AI-powered reading app for dyslexic children, integrating multi-sensory methods (visual, auditory, tactile) and gamified learning to provide personalized, engaging, and accessible learning experiences.
How to empower Dyslexic readers through design?
As part of the SCAD UX Design course, we were introduced to the concept of neurodiversity and challenged to design solutions addressing the unique needs of this community. Inspired by a friend's personal connection to dyslexia—a condition that often goes undiagnosed yet affects many—we chose to focus on creating a solution for dyslexic individuals. Our goal was to provide accessible support for dyslexic readers while fostering an engaging reading experience for all.
Empathy with users
Through user interviews, empathy mapping, personas, and journey mapping, we gained a deep understanding of the needs and challenges.
Craft key features
Ideated features to address user pain points effectively.
Design user paths
Developed user flows, information architecture, and wireframes to ensure smooth navigation.
Test with students and teachers
Tested prototypes with students and teachers, gathering actionable feedback to refine the app's functionality and usability.
Iterate to final solution
Presented a polished design to support both dyslexic students and educators.
Understanding and interviewing users
We conducted interviews with 7 experienced teachers who have worked with students with dyslexia. Their valuable insights helped us identify key user needs and uncover pain points in the learning process.
Common Signs of Dyslexia
- Struggles with distinguishing letters, writing letters/words backward, and sequencing
- Have exceptional creativity and thinking outside the box
Teaching Methods
- Multi-sensory techniques
- Breaking down and repetition-focused tasks
- Gamification learning
- Short study sessions
Impact
- Low self-confidence and Embarrassment
- Hiding their struggles
- Poverty can increase the
likelihood of struggling with dyslexia
Pain Points
Falling behind in class
“I feel struggle to keep up with the reading pace of classmates.”
Blurred and jumbled text
“It is difficult for me to read small letters because it looks blurry and mixed together.”
Time-consuming tasks
"Reading and writing assignments take significantly longer.”
Dyslexia affects 20% of the population
Children with dyslexia struggle to process and understand information during learning, leading to confusion and frustration.
How might we create accessible, engaging educational tools for children with dyslexia to enhance their reading and comprehension skills?
How we empathized with users
By creating an empathy map based on user research insights, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by children with dyslexia.
Meet with Sophia
This persona is a representation of our target users, developed based on insights gathered from user needs and pain points.
Crafting solutions for Dyslexia
After user research and exploring relevant solutions it was time to create essential features that met my users needs by creating a roadmap. Below are some of the key features:
Multi-sensory learning
Integrate text-to-speech, typing games, and drag-and-drop activities
Dyslexia Font
Incorporate OpenDyslexic Font specifically designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia
Gamification Learning
Add quizzes, colorful characters, and reward-based systems
Progress Tracking Tools
Include dashboards for monitoring student progress
Short Study Sessions
Limit sessions to 15 minutes with recommended breaks and short content in one page
Teacher-Student Interaction
Enable real-time material sharing, messaging, and task submissions
Defining users paths
The user flow maps the step-by-step journey to complete tasks, ensuring an intuitive experience while addressing user needs and guiding interactions efficiently within the app.
Low fidelity explorations
By creating 50+ Student Mode and 30+ Teacher Mode wireframes, we defined key elements , ensuring a clear and user-centered design foundation.
Concept validation with users
Our usability testing aimed to assess the student user experience, gather feedback on functionality and design, evaluate teacher support tools, and identify areas for improvement. We conducted sessions with 6 students with dyslexia and 3 dyslexia teachers, gaining valuable usability findings to refine our app.
Reading support
Many students face on-screen text challenges, necessitating text-to-speech features, and adjustable font sizes to aid comprehension.
Accessible mobile design
Design more extensive and simplified tapping functions for easier use on mobile devices, especially for younger students.
Age-appropriate books
To support skill-appropriate reading improvement, offer a broader age range of books, such as decodable books for younger students.
Engaging team games
Introduce friendly, competitive team games within the app, allowing teachers to group students and encourage cooperative, interactive learning experiences.
Adaptable teaching tools
Provide customizable teaching options based on student age and ability, including access to detailed material descriptions for teachers
Progress tracking
Implement dashboards that allow teachers to monitor individual student progress, track difficulties, and review game outcomes for targeted support.
How Readaroo look and feel
To bring our vision forto life, we created a compelling vision video that showcases the app’s core features and its impact on children with dyslexia and their educators.
Takeaways from this project
