Many children enter school without the literacy foundations they need, struggling with reading, writing, and even basic focus. At the same time, busy parents often rely on technology to fill the gap, assuming schools will catch their kids up. The result is a cycle where screen time replaces story time, and children miss out on the bonding, structure, and confidence that family-led literacy provides.

"Develop a digital tool to help aid in the development of children's literacy skills?"

To understand user pain points and untapped opportunities, we used a layered research strategy:

Current literacy tools emphasize digital content delivery but fail to integrate parents meaningfully, leaving children without the consistent structure and support they need to thrive.

I conducted interviews with educators and child & youth workers to understand where children struggle most, and how parental involvement (or the lack of 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 as young as four can navigate tablets but often struggle to 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: like reading during breakfast or talking about money while shopping, not abstract or one-size-fits-all activities.

04

Consistency builds confidence and connection. Kids thrive when literacy becomes a shared daily routine. Parents “showing up” regularly not only strengthens skills but also fosters emotional security and self-esteem.

Insight: Educators and child & youth workers consistently stressed that literacy development begins at home. When parents fail to show up: reading daily, providing structure, or engaging in free play — children arrive at school unprepared and struggle to adapt.

Interviews with educators and care workers revealed that literacy struggles often stem from a lack of parental structure and engagement at home. Designing with this insight in mind allows us 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.

We ran multiple rounds of 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 of scheduling an activity, and running it.

Recordings were analyzed to identify friction points and improve clarity.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

Gather Round’s homepage and calendar function anchor the experience, giving parents and children a shared space to 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.

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.

Ensures parents and families of 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.