Overview
Year
2018
Category
EdTech
Role
Digital UI/UX Designer
Status
Project halted at 3/5 completion due to budget constraints.
tHE PROBLEM
Project Context
✸ Client’s Needs
The client needed an engaging mobile app that allows children to develop self-management skills by trading toys and earning virtual currency. The app needed to balance fun, education, and safety, with a user-friendly interface for children and an oversight system for parents.
✸ Target Audience
The primary audience consists of children aged 6-12 who enjoy gamified, role-playing experiences that encourage creativity and allow them to build their own unique worlds.
The secondary audience comprises parents seeking a safe environment where their children can develop skills, along with tools to monitor and manage in-app transactions and activities.
The tertiary audience is businesses leveraging the platform can focus on collaborations that combine education and entertainment. Key priorities include partnerships, monetization strategies, and features that enhance user engagement, safety, and value creation.
INITIAL INSIGHTS
UX METHODS
UNDERSTAND
Child Psychology Development
Financial Education for Children
Industry Reports
A 2019 report on children’s gaming habits shows that kids aged 6-12 spend 2-3 hours daily playing mobile games, often under parental supervision. Popular games like Minecraft, Roblox, and Animal Crossing succeed by allowing kids to create their own worlds and customize characters.
LEGO Group Study
In 2020, LEGO found that 93% of children in this age group prefer games that foster creativity, offering freedom to customize and adapt. Align with KB-Hero’s concept of enabling children to personalize characters and collect items, fostering creativity and engagement.
User Personas
✸ Children aged 6-12
Who enjoy interactive elements, bright colors, games, and rewards. Inspired by cartoon characters, the platform uses vibrant designs and playful elements to capture their attention.
✸ Parentals
Who seek transparency and easy control in a safe, secure environment where their children can participate confidently.
Detailed Insights
Children’s Behavior & Psychology
Children in this age group are quick learners but easily distracted. They love engaging, colorful activities that combine fun with skill development.
Parental Concerns
Parents want their children to learn responsibility and asset management while ensuring online safety and privacy.
Responsibility & Value Education
Teaching children the value of belongings and encouraging proper care to avoid waste is a major concern.
Safe Environment
A safe online community is essential, where children can interact and trade without risks.
competitive analysis
For the analysis, I selected both Direct competitors (apps focusing on education, gamification, and child safety) and Indirect competitors (popular apps for children’s entertainment and creativity)
Direct Competitors: Toca Boca, LEGO Life.
Indirect Competitors: Minecraft, Roblox.
User Interface
Insights
➤ Toca Boca excels in fostering creativity and interaction but lacks advanced parental control tools.
➤ LEGO Life offers a safe environment for kids but does not include gamified transactions or financial education.
➤ Minecraft & Roblox stand out with high customization and creative freedom but require strict parental supervision due to their extensive community connections.
Challenges & Solutions
✸ How to keep children returning to the app regularly?
Gamification with daily rewards: Offer daily login rewards and tasks, such as Coins, free items, or small accessories, to encourage regular engagement.
Time-limited challenges and events: Organize weekly/monthly special events or challenges with exclusive rewards.
Leaderboards and achievements: Foster healthy competition through leaderboards and achievement badges for completing tasks or customizing characters.
Frequent content updates: Introduce new characters, items, and accessories regularly, aligned with seasonal themes or cultural events, to keep the app fresh and exciting.
✸ How can children earn virtual Coins without selling old toys?
Daily and weekly tasks: Complete login tasks, participate in events, or customize characters to earn Coins.
Mini-games: Include simple mini-games where children can play and earn Coins.
Successful exchanges: Reward children with small bonuses for completing successful trade transactions.
Event promotions: Offer free Coins or double the earned Coins during special events or holidays.
✸ How can parents manage their children’s spending & usage within the app?
Spending reports: Provide detailed spending reports showing the Coins earned and used, sent via email or accessible in the parental dashboard.
Spending limits: Allow parents to set daily/weekly/monthly spending limits for better control.
Transaction Control: Notify parents in real-time for every transaction and require their approval for transactions exceeding a set spending limit, ensuring secure and responsible usage.
Outcomes and Impact
This analysis helped refine KB-Hero’s features to stand out:
Gamified tasks and rewards encourage regular engagement.
Parental control tools ensure transparency and safety.
Themes inspired by fairy tales that convey life values, lessons, and skills create a unique differentiator in a saturated market.
Client Feedback and Early Testing Results
Designed the UI/UX for a mobile app that received positive early feedback. Client feedback showed high satisfaction with the intuitive UI and engaging user flows. Early testing indicated improved task completion times
Projected Outcomes
Despite the project halting at 3/5 due to budget issues, the app has clearly defined safe transaction flows and provides parental control features, ensuring a user-friendly and secure experience for both children and parents.
Revenue Streams and Performance Indicators
✸ What is the business model of the app?
KB-Hero operates on a Freemium model, offering basic features like toy trading and earning virtual coins (KB-Coins) for free. Users can pay to unlock premium features such as exclusive items, special characters, or gamified events with big rewards.
✸ Main revenue streams?
Daily and weekly tasks: Selling Fowi Coins and premium customizations.
Subscriptions: Monthly plans for parents to access advanced features like detailed reports.
Kid-Safe Ads: Partnering with child-friendly brands to display ads in the app.
✸ How to measure success?
For Users
Quantitative: User retention rate, task completion rate.
Qualitative: Feedback from children and parents.
For Business
Revenue: Conversion rate from free to paid users, in-app purchase revenue.
Brand: Awareness measured through downloads and social media engagement.
FINALIZE UI
I started creating the information architecture and low-fi concepts for primary use cases. After having a go-ahead from the client and stakeholders on the mockups, I began to conduct usability tests with the low-fidelity mockups. Once we had confidence in the design, we began digitalizing the designs.
Reflection
Through this reflection, I aim to demonstrate my ability to assess my work objectively, adapt to challenges, and continuously improve as a Digital Product Designer
What Went Well 🌟
The intuitive user flows, gamification, and parental controls were well-received and validated through positive feedback.
What Could Be Improved 💠
The project’s halt due to budget constraints highlighted the need for better stakeholder alignment and long-term planning.
Final Thoughts 🚀
Despite the project being halted, I remain confident in the original design’s potential and how it aligns with modern UI/UX principles.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Consistency was crucial in KB-Hero’s design. Our bespoke design system ensures future additions align with the existing style, from color palette to typography, icons, grids, and component sizes. This system guarantees uniform design throughout the product.
