has revealed that excessive screen time leads to a negative impact on child development. Could the technologies that are meant to help us actually be hurting us?
45 Million Americans are Functionally Illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level.
85% of juveniles who face trail in the US court system are functionally illiterate. indicating there is a correlation between illiteracy and crime.
Reading to children for at least 15 minutes a day helps them grow smarter and more prepared for future careers than those who do not get read to.
Being read to improves socio-emotional intelligence due to a feeling of security and identity being formed though bonding.
Who is this for?
This feature is geared towards individuals who already own the Khan Academy Kids app, or is recommended from education professionals to those who can benefit from building bonds with their children in a non-challenging way.
Who else is in this space?
When I surveyed the competition, two apps came to light. Each utilizing effective teaching methodologies similarly to the way Khan Academy Kids is. Though, neither explicitly present an avenue for socio-emotional learning within their curriculum.
Understanding the Design System
As I was only designing a feature, and not an app from scratch, I leveraged the existing design system the brilliant designers at Khan Academy had already set in place.
Button Design, Type Design and Copy Tone were given the most importance in my mockups.
Positive Feedback Interactions
I was sure to include a fundamental part of any teachers toolkit, Positive Feedback. This feedback came in the form of animations that aligned with tone and design.
These interactions displayed were evaluating the comprehension and articulation of reading material.
Key Screens to test
Embedded into the reading library within the app, I had a focus on 4 key screens.
User Feedback
A quick prototype created in Figma allowed for an easy way to test users' initial feedback of this new flow.
Of the small sample, these were the observations:
25% Used the grownup button
Grown-Up tips were only utilized in the beginning of the flow.
100% reported appreciating the interaction time with their family member.
Users reported designs integrated into the flow and branding of the app.
Final Thoughts
Based on this feedback I evaluated where improvements can be made before proposing this to my leader.
Re-evaluate the usage, placement and purpose of the grownup button. Is it impeding the flow of reading a story? It is something that can benefit users, but is it something they recognize they can provide that benefit?
Is promoting this connection, through 'reading attention' a good thing for our brand? Is it aligned?
In order to highlight the child's journey in our Map Feature, how can we track the progress of the students with interactions in this feature?
What are the resources required for the integration of this feature into our existing library and future titles?
