Designers
Cho-Ling Wu, Weiwei Tang, Qi Luo, Difei Huang
Year
2025
Category
New Talent
Country
United States
School
Savannah College of Art and Design
Teacher
Denise Pilar
Three questions to the project team
What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
The biggest UX challenge was crafting an inclusive platform for two distinct user groups: dyslexic children needing simplicity and multi-sensory engagement and teachers requiring powerful customization and tracking. We balanced these diverse needs while integrating gamification, real-time data, and emotional reinforcement, demanding deep empathy, iterative testing, and thoughtful system design across all touchpoints for a seamless and effective user experience. This complex interplay required constant iteration to ensure accessibility without sacrificing the robust features needed by educators.
What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
An aha!-moment came during user testing when a dyslexic student, typically disengaged with reading, exclaimed, "This feels like a game and I want to keep going!" It strongly validated our gamified approach and commitment to enjoyable learning, confirming we were on the right track to truly motivate young readers. A low point was truly grasping the profound isolation many dyslexic students feel, which deeply refocused our efforts on making the platform emotionally supportive, emphasizing encouragement, choice, and progress over mere correctness to rebuild their confidence.
Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
In five years, we see Readaroo as a global leader in inclusive reading, supporting multilingual learners in diverse educational settings, significantly expanding our reach and impact to address a broader range of learning needs. We plan to integrate AR storytelling, AI-driven personalization, and advanced curriculum tracking to continuously enrich the learning experience, making it even more adaptive and engaging for every child. We aim to continue designing joyful, collaborative, and accessible learning systems that empower every child, family, and educator to thrive, fostering a lifelong love of reading.
