EkStep Foundation set out to give 200 million children in India access to quality learning through an open, scalable platform. I joined as UX Designer, responsible for the end-to-end experience of the consumer app, for children aged 5–12 with vastly different literacy levels and device familiarity.

The app had to communicate without relying on reading ability, while still giving parents easy control over their child's profile. Most comparable apps leaned on text labels and multi-step sign-up, both of which fail a 5-year-old and frustrate a busy parent.

Field observations in schools across Bengaluru, parent interviews on device use at home, and usability sessions with children aged 5–10, alongside a competitive review of Khan Academy Kids and regional ed-tech apps. Children navigated by icon and color, largely ignoring text labels, and a sense of ownership over a profile avatar visibly increased return engagement.

Genie, a friendly mascot, greets children on launch and guides onboarding with no instruction text needed. "Pick your favorite Avatar!" lets children personalize their profile in one tap, replacing formal sign-up with instant ownership. Story, Games, Quiz, and Others read as bold icon-led tabs rather than text labels, and visual progress bars make learning momentum feel earned, not graded.

The final high-fidelity UI, ready for build.