The Emotion Tracker For Children
Design a cross-platform tool to help kids to learn about emotions, empathy and self-awareness.
Target age : 5-10 years old
Year
April 2023
Tool
Figma
Project Type
B2C
Project Overview
The Emotion Tracker for Children is a digital tool designed to help children develop emotional intelligence and improve their ability to recognize, understand, and manage their feelings. This tool consists of a user-friendly mobile application that offers various features to help children track and express their emotions in a safe and fun way.
My role as a UX designer
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability tests. When designing the Emotion Tracker app for children, primarily intended for use on tablets. I am also creating a parental control app for smartphones aimed at guardians. This parental control app enables guardians to monitor and manage their child's activities within the Emotion Tracker app, including controlling access for safety purposes.
Define the problem
Before proceeding with the design process, it's essential to gain a deep understanding of the users. Based on the research I conducted, I have created two personas: one representing the guardian and the other the main user, the child.
About Maria
Maria is a 30-year-old mother of two. She spends time with her children, but her newborn baby requires more attention, leaving her seeking help to understand her 5-year-old daughter.
Problem
Maria finds it challenging to accurately interpret Lily’s emotional states, especially since Lily is still learning to express herself conversationally.
She struggles to identify effective strategies for helping Lily manage her emotions when she is upset or having a tantrum.
Goal
Maria aims to help Lily identify and label her emotions more accurately.
She wants to develop strategies to manage Lily’s emotions in a healthy way.
Providing support and guidance to Lily is essential for better emotional regulation.
About Sarah
Sarah is an 8-year-old elementary school student who is struggling to manage her emotions.
Problem
Feeling like the emotion tracker is too complicated or difficult to use.
Forgetting to use the emotion tracker regularly, which makes it harder to see patterns in her emotional states over time.
Goal
Understanding her emotions better and recognizing patterns in her emotional states.
Learning strategies to manage her emotions in a healthy way.
Communicating her emotions more effectively to others, including her parents and teachers.
Design Process
Many kids' apps are designed to be used in landscape mode to provide a wider view and a more interactive experience for children.
Parents/Guardian version is focus on being simple and easy to navigate.
I made a quick paper wireframe and digital lo-fi wireframe to visualize and iterate on the layout and functionality of a digital product.
Hi-Fi prototype
For the high-fidelity design process, I opted for a cheerful and positive color scheme, predominantly based on shades of orange.
Tablet design
Main page
The key design consideration is easy navigation. The main page also maintains a simple and clean design, allowing users to navigate themselves easily without confusion.
Feeling Log page
This design represents the progress of app usage related to emotions. Each day, when a user adds their emotion, the app assigns a color. By the end of the month, the user will have a complete color representation based on their emotional input.
Completion Goal:
The design encourages consistency in emotion tracking. Users aim to complete the color spectrum by the end of the month.
This goal motivates users to engage with the app regularly and maintain emotional awareness.
Smartphone design
Main pages
Users can review the emotion chart, diary streaks, and time counter to quickly observe the app’s activity.
Parenting resources
These sources can offer guidance, tips, and strategies to support guardians in better understanding and addressing their child's emotional needs, fostering a more nurturing and supportive environment within the family.
Usability Testing
Then I conduct usability testing with 6 participants (3 children, 3 adults) for about 10-15 minutes.
Design Changes after testing
Next Step
Visual Design Improvement
Collaborate with professionals to enhance sound effects and animation design, making them more captivating for child users.
User Feedback
Develop feedback mechanisms that respond to user interactions with sound effects and motion. This could include providing auditory cues when selecting emotions or displaying animated visual feedback to acknowledge user input.
Accessibility Considerations
Screen Reader Compatibility: Ensure screen reader compatibility by labeling interface elements, providing alternative text for images, and enabling keyboard navigation for visually impaired users.
Contrast and Color Accessibility : Improve contrast and color accessibility with high-contrast schemes, alternative visual cues, and accessibility testing for users with low vision or color blindness.
Adjustable Text Size and Interface Scaling: Enable adjustable text size and interface scaling to accommodate users' visual preferences, ensuring responsive layout across different devices and screen resolutions.
Thank you so much!
As this project is part of a UX design course, I welcome any critique and feedback.