Gatehr Round

An alarming 66% of 10-year-olds globally cannot read a simple story:

Gather

Round

was

developed

as

part

of

a

13-week

design

sprint

and

presented

in

a

high-stakes

pitch

competition

before

industry

professionals,

where

our

team

ultimately

secured

first

place.

Gather

Round

mobile

platform

that

helps

parents

transform

everyday

moments

into

literacy-rich

experiences

with

their

children.

combining

guided

activities,

family

scheduling,

and

progress

tracking,

the

app

encourages

consistent,

meaningful

engagement.

The

result

interface

built

for

families,

simple,

flexible,

and

supportive

—

making

literacy

feel

less

homework

and

connection.

Test the Prototype

Role

UX Researcher, UI Designer, Produt Designer, Interaction Designer, User Interviewer

Tools

Paper prototypes, Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, Google Forms

Collab—orators

Me: See Role
Team: Brandon, Emily, Lucas, Jenny, Vandit
User Testing Participants

Term

13-Weeks

Solution

Literacy starts at home — but parents aren’t showing up

Many

children

enter

school

without

the

literacy

foundations

they

need,

struggling

with

reading,

writing,

and

even

basic

focus.

the

same

time,

busy

parents

often

rely

technology

fill

the

gap,

assuming

schools

will

catch

their

kids

up.

The

result

cycle

where

screen

time

replaces

story

time,

and

children

miss

out

the

bonding,

structure,

and

confidence

that

family-led

literacy

provides.

See the study here

Objective

How might we

"Develop

digital

tool

help

aid

the

development

children's

literacy

skills?"

See the study here

Research

Grounding Design in Reality

understand

user

pain

points

and

untapped

opportunities,

used

layered

research

strategy:

See the study here

Key Insights

Current

literacy

tools

emphasize

digital

content

delivery

but

fail

integrate

parents

meaningfully,

leaving

children

without

the

consistent

structure

and

support

they

need

thrive.

conducted

interviews

with

educators

and

child

youth

workers

understand

where

children

struggle

most,

and

how

parental

involvement

(or

the

lack

it)

shapes

early

literacy

outcomes.

01

Parental

involvement

is

inconsistent

and

often

absent.

02

Excessive

screen

time

is

displacing

fine

motor

and

literacy

skills.

Children

young

four

can

navigate

tablets

but

often

struggle

write

their

own

names,

highlighting

the

trade-off

between

tech

fluency

and

foundational

skills.

03

Parents

need

guidance,

not

generic

advice.

Care

workers

emphasized

that

families

want

practical,

real-life

prompts:

reading

during

breakfast

talking

about

money

while

shopping,

not

abstract

one-size-fits-all

activities.

04

Consistency

builds

confidence

and

connection.

Kids

thrive

when

literacy

becomes

shared

daily

routine.

Parents

“showing

up”

regularly

not

only

strengthens

skills

but

also

fosters

emotional

security

and

self-esteem.

POEMS

observation,

empathy

mapping,

human

factors

literature

review,

Social

observing,

affinity

mapping,

User

testing.

Research

Engagement Shapes Early Literacy

Insight:

Educators

and

child

youth

workers

consistently

stressed

that

literacy

development

begins

home.

When

parents

fail

show

up:

reading

daily,

providing

structure,

engaging

free

play

—

children

arrive

school

unprepared

and

struggle

adapt.

See the study here

Research

Design Implication:

Interviews

with

educators

and

care

workers

revealed

that

literacy

struggles

often

stem

from

lack

parental

structure

and

engagement

home.

Designing

with

this

insight

mind

allows

to:

Provide parents with simple, guided prompts that fit naturally into daily routines.
Reduce reliance on screen time by reframing literacy as play and conversation.

Research

Refining activity flows through testing.

ran

multiple

rounds

testing

with

mid-

and

high-fidelity

prototypes,

where

respondents

navigated

the

onboarding,

goal-setting,

and

activity

scheduling

flows

using

only

visual

and

contextual

cues.

With

the

assigned

goal

scheduling

activity,

and

running

it.

Recordings

were

analyzed

identify

friction

points

and

improve

clarity.

Testing + Refinement

Removing Chart-Junk!

1 Changed calendar scrolling functionality to horizontal swipe (based on multiple anecdotes form user feedback)
2 Removed unnecessary graphical elements, and centered date text, and icons establishing clearer hierarchy.
3 Adjusted bottom cards, and added universal navigation.

Aligning Language to Include Every Family

1 User testing revealed insight that exposed: Onboarding language as misaligned, and unexclusive. Here is an example of how things changed.
2 Changed text to reflect consideration of family's of all sizes.

Refining Scheduling for Real-Life Routines!

1 User testing revealed insight that exposed: Onboarding flow didn’t account for acute meeting times.
2 Expanded this screen to lead into a tertiary split flow that enabled users to select exact times on a calendar or integrate their already existing colanders from other platforms.
3 Changed flow to reflect consideration of acute timeframe selection.

Solution

A Home for Family Routines.

Gather

Round’s

homepage

and

calendar

function

anchor

the

experience,

giving

parents

and

children

shared

space

plan,

track,

and

celebrate

literacy

together.

1 Streamlined calendar flow makes it easy to schedule story time, activities, or reflection sessions, with quick-add and edit functions designed for busy parents.
2 Horizontal timeline navigation provides a clear visual overview of daily and weekly commitments, reducing confusion and supporting forward planning.
3 Homepage widgets highlight progress, goals, and upcoming activities, reinforcing consistency and helping parents see the impact of their involvement at a glance.

Making Activities Easy to Discover and Act On.

Helping

parents

quickly

find,

filter,

and

schedule

literacy-rich

interactions.

1 Surface activities that fit the user’s schedule, reducing decision fatigue.
2 Clear categorization by themes like creativity, problem-solving, and social skills makes it easy for parents to choose activities aligned with their goals
3 Actionable activity cards allow parents to explore, save, or schedule with one tap.

Onboarding for Clarity and Inclusion.

Ensures

parents

and

families

all

types

can

set

goals,

create

profiles,

and

schedule

activities

with

ease.

1 Simplified language makes the process clear and welcoming, avoiding jargon or misaligned terms.
2 Progressive disclosure breaks steps into smaller actions, reducing overwhelm while guiding parents through setup.
3 Flexible scheduling options allow families to pick times that fit their routines, or sync with existing calendars for convenience.

An alarming 66% of 10-year-olds globally cannot read a simple story:

Role

Tools

Collab—orators

Term

Solution

Literacy starts at home — but parents aren’t showing up

Objective

How might we

Research

Grounding Design in Reality

Key Insights

01

02

03

04

Key Persona

Research

Engagement Shapes Early Literacy

Research

Design Implication:

Research

Refining activity flows through testing.

Research

Research

Testing + Refinement

Removing Chart-Junk!

Aligning Language to Include Every Family

Refining Scheduling for Real-Life Routines!

Solution

A Home for Family Routines.

Making Activities Easy to Discover and Act On.

Onboarding for Clarity and Inclusion.

Interactive Figma Prototype