2025
Wiggler Reading
Wiggler Reading
UX Design
Project Summary
About the project
About the Project
Most reading apps make a quiet mistake. They confuse engagement with learning. Streaks go up, badges pile on, and parents feel good but when you sit a child down with an actual book, nothing sticks.
Wiggler is my attempt to fix the underlying system, not just the screen. It's a phonics-first, progression-based reading app for kids aged 4 to 8. Ten structured levels, from Pre-Reader all the way to Advanced Reader. Each level is a deliberate step, not a content dump.
As co-founder and the only designer on the team, I've been responsible for everything: the learning architecture, the UX, the visual system, the content structure, and the early experiments with real parents and kids.
As the founding designer and co-founder, I’ve been responsible for everything from zero to one
research, product thinking, UX, content structure, visual system, and early growth experiments.
The goal is simple:
Make reading feel achievable, daily, and measurable within 90 days.
MY ROLE
Role :Co-Founder, Lead Product Designer
Platform :Web + mobile
Stage : Early stage, user testing with parents and kids
Owned : Research, UX, content system, visual design, growth experiments
The Challenge
Too many unknowns at once. Kids hear sounds, see letters, get rules — all in the same session. No system reduces that cognitive load deliberately.
Parents want to help but don't know what to teach next. Most apps don't give them a clear picture of where their child actually is.
Edtech adds gamification as a substitute for clarity. Kids stay entertained. They don't improve. Parents keep paying until they notice.
The question parents ask most — "Is my child actually getting better?" — almost no tool answers it honestly.
Teachers dismiss most apps as distractions. For Wiggler to work in schools, it has to look and behave like a learning system, not a toy.
How I Thought About It
I spent weeks watching how kids actually fail at reading — not in test conditions, but at home. At a kitchen table. On a parent's phone at 7pm after dinner. The failure wasn't the child. It was the sequence.
Most apps throw content at kids. Wiggler sequences it. I built the learning architecture first, then designed the screens to serve that architecture. Every session follows the same repeatable structure: Learn, See, Practice, Apply, Recall. Five minutes. One concept. No branching chaos.
The system has 10 levels — L0 (Pre-Reader) through L9 (Advanced Reader). A child can't skip ahead. Progress is the product.
Core Principles
Make reading predictable, not confusing
Every day looks the same on purpose. Familiarity reduces anxiety. Kids stop wondering what's coming next and start focusing on learning.Reduce cognitive load aggressively
One sound, one concept, one screen. We strip everything else. Wiggler looks minimal because learning works better without noise.Design for daily momentum
A child who does five minutes every day beats a child who does an hour once a week. The system is designed around habit, not ambition.Progress must be visible
We track mastery, not activity. A parent should be able to open the app and answer the question — words decoded, sounds locked in, level reached — without digging.Respect attention, don’t hijack it
No infinite loops. No variable-reward traps. When the session is done, it ends. Trust comes from restraint.
Design Philosophy
Clarity over cleverness
Consistency over novelty
Learning over engagement hacks
What I Built
1. Each session runs the same five-step cycle: Learn → See → Practice → Apply → Recall. Under five minutes. One concept. Repetition isn't boring when the structure is clear — it's reassuring.
2.Ten progression levels starting from zero. L0 builds listening readiness and story comprehension before we introduce a single letter-sound. By the time a child hits L1, they already love the app and trust the journey.
3. Minimal UI — not because it looks clean, but because distraction costs kids attention they can't afford to lose. Color carries meaning. Layout never changes. Every screen answers one question: what do I do now?
4. Streaks are secondary. Mastery signals are what matter. The dashboard shows parents what sounds their child has locked in, which words they decoded correctly, and what the next step is. Activity and progress are not the same thing.
5. Parents don't need to teach. They need to understand. The parent layer shows them exactly what their child worked on, what stuck, and what's coming next — in plain language, not jargon.
Results & Impact:
Early testing with parents showed one consistent pattern: kids who struggled with other apps completed Wiggler sessions on their own, without prompting. Not because of rewards — because the structure removed confusion.
Parents reported visible improvement in blending and word recognition within 2 to 3 weeks. The most common feedback: "I finally know what my child is learning each day."
Return behavior was routine-driven, not reward-driven. That's the difference between a product that's useful and one that's just addictive.
Lessons Learned:
1. Systems over screens:
Good UI doesn't fix a broken learning sequence. The real design work at Wiggler wasn't the interface — it was the architecture. Figma came last.
2. Constraints create clarity:
We cut gamification and AI features early. The product got stronger every time we removed something. Constraints forced the right decisions.
3. Kids expose bad design instantly:
If something is confusing, a 5-year-old doesn't try harder. They stop. Kids are the most honest UX test you'll ever run.
4. Engagement is a byproduct: When learning is clear and achievable, kids come back on their own. You don't need to trick them. You need to design something that actually works.
5. Founder mindset changes everything: You stop asking "does this look good?" and start asking "does this actually help a child read?" The quality bar is different when you own the outcome.
6. Trust is the real product: Parents don't care about features. They care about one thing: is my child actually getting better? That question shaped every decision we made.
2025
Wiggler Reading
UX Design
Project Summary
About the project
About the Project
Most reading apps make a quiet mistake. They confuse engagement with learning. Streaks go up, badges pile on, and parents feel good but when you sit a child down with an actual book, nothing sticks.
Wiggler is my attempt to fix the underlying system, not just the screen. It's a phonics-first, progression-based reading app for kids aged 4 to 8. Ten structured levels, from Pre-Reader all the way to Advanced Reader. Each level is a deliberate step, not a content dump.
As co-founder and the only designer on the team, I've been responsible for everything: the learning architecture, the UX, the visual system, the content structure, and the early experiments with real parents and kids.
As the founding designer and co-founder, I’ve been responsible for everything from zero to one
research, product thinking, UX, content structure, visual system, and early growth experiments.
The goal is simple:
Make reading feel achievable, daily, and measurable within 90 days.
MY ROLE
Role :Co-Founder, Lead Product Designer
Platform :Web + mobile
Stage : Early stage, user testing with parents and kids
Owned : Research, UX, content system, visual design, growth experiments
The Challenge
Too many unknowns at once. Kids hear sounds, see letters, get rules — all in the same session. No system reduces that cognitive load deliberately.
Parents want to help but don't know what to teach next. Most apps don't give them a clear picture of where their child actually is.
Edtech adds gamification as a substitute for clarity. Kids stay entertained. They don't improve. Parents keep paying until they notice.
The question parents ask most — "Is my child actually getting better?" — almost no tool answers it honestly.
Teachers dismiss most apps as distractions. For Wiggler to work in schools, it has to look and behave like a learning system, not a toy.
How I Thought About It
I spent weeks watching how kids actually fail at reading — not in test conditions, but at home. At a kitchen table. On a parent's phone at 7pm after dinner. The failure wasn't the child. It was the sequence.
Most apps throw content at kids. Wiggler sequences it. I built the learning architecture first, then designed the screens to serve that architecture. Every session follows the same repeatable structure: Learn, See, Practice, Apply, Recall. Five minutes. One concept. No branching chaos.
The system has 10 levels — L0 (Pre-Reader) through L9 (Advanced Reader). A child can't skip ahead. Progress is the product.
Core Principles
Make reading predictable, not confusing
Every day looks the same on purpose. Familiarity reduces anxiety. Kids stop wondering what's coming next and start focusing on learning.Reduce cognitive load aggressively
One sound, one concept, one screen. We strip everything else. Wiggler looks minimal because learning works better without noise.Design for daily momentum
A child who does five minutes every day beats a child who does an hour once a week. The system is designed around habit, not ambition.Progress must be visible
We track mastery, not activity. A parent should be able to open the app and answer the question — words decoded, sounds locked in, level reached — without digging.Respect attention, don’t hijack it
No infinite loops. No variable-reward traps. When the session is done, it ends. Trust comes from restraint.
Design Philosophy
Clarity over cleverness
Consistency over novelty
Learning over engagement hacks
What I Built
1. Each session runs the same five-step cycle: Learn → See → Practice → Apply → Recall. Under five minutes. One concept. Repetition isn't boring when the structure is clear — it's reassuring.
2.Ten progression levels starting from zero. L0 builds listening readiness and story comprehension before we introduce a single letter-sound. By the time a child hits L1, they already love the app and trust the journey.
3. Minimal UI — not because it looks clean, but because distraction costs kids attention they can't afford to lose. Color carries meaning. Layout never changes. Every screen answers one question: what do I do now?
4. Streaks are secondary. Mastery signals are what matter. The dashboard shows parents what sounds their child has locked in, which words they decoded correctly, and what the next step is. Activity and progress are not the same thing.
5. Parents don't need to teach. They need to understand. The parent layer shows them exactly what their child worked on, what stuck, and what's coming next — in plain language, not jargon.
Results & Impact:
Early testing with parents showed one consistent pattern: kids who struggled with other apps completed Wiggler sessions on their own, without prompting. Not because of rewards — because the structure removed confusion.
Parents reported visible improvement in blending and word recognition within 2 to 3 weeks. The most common feedback: "I finally know what my child is learning each day."
Return behavior was routine-driven, not reward-driven. That's the difference between a product that's useful and one that's just addictive.
Lessons Learned:
1. Systems over screens:
Good UI doesn't fix a broken learning sequence. The real design work at Wiggler wasn't the interface — it was the architecture. Figma came last.
2. Constraints create clarity:
We cut gamification and AI features early. The product got stronger every time we removed something. Constraints forced the right decisions.
3. Kids expose bad design instantly:
If something is confusing, a 5-year-old doesn't try harder. They stop. Kids are the most honest UX test you'll ever run.
4. Engagement is a byproduct: When learning is clear and achievable, kids come back on their own. You don't need to trick them. You need to design something that actually works.
5. Founder mindset changes everything: You stop asking "does this look good?" and start asking "does this actually help a child read?" The quality bar is different when you own the outcome.
6. Trust is the real product: Parents don't care about features. They care about one thing: is my child actually getting better? That question shaped every decision we made.
2025
Wiggler Reading
UX Design
Project Summary
About the project
About the Project
Most reading apps make a quiet mistake. They confuse engagement with learning. Streaks go up, badges pile on, and parents feel good but when you sit a child down with an actual book, nothing sticks.
Wiggler is my attempt to fix the underlying system, not just the screen. It's a phonics-first, progression-based reading app for kids aged 4 to 8. Ten structured levels, from Pre-Reader all the way to Advanced Reader. Each level is a deliberate step, not a content dump.
As co-founder and the only designer on the team, I've been responsible for everything: the learning architecture, the UX, the visual system, the content structure, and the early experiments with real parents and kids.
As the founding designer and co-founder, I’ve been responsible for everything from zero to one
research, product thinking, UX, content structure, visual system, and early growth experiments.
The goal is simple:
Make reading feel achievable, daily, and measurable within 90 days.
MY ROLE
Role :Co-Founder, Lead Product Designer
Platform :Web + mobile
Stage : Early stage, user testing with parents and kids
Owned : Research, UX, content system, visual design, growth experiments
The Challenge
Too many unknowns at once. Kids hear sounds, see letters, get rules — all in the same session. No system reduces that cognitive load deliberately.
Parents want to help but don't know what to teach next. Most apps don't give them a clear picture of where their child actually is.
Edtech adds gamification as a substitute for clarity. Kids stay entertained. They don't improve. Parents keep paying until they notice.
The question parents ask most — "Is my child actually getting better?" — almost no tool answers it honestly.
Teachers dismiss most apps as distractions. For Wiggler to work in schools, it has to look and behave like a learning system, not a toy.
How I Thought About It
I spent weeks watching how kids actually fail at reading — not in test conditions, but at home. At a kitchen table. On a parent's phone at 7pm after dinner. The failure wasn't the child. It was the sequence.
Most apps throw content at kids. Wiggler sequences it. I built the learning architecture first, then designed the screens to serve that architecture. Every session follows the same repeatable structure: Learn, See, Practice, Apply, Recall. Five minutes. One concept. No branching chaos.
The system has 10 levels — L0 (Pre-Reader) through L9 (Advanced Reader). A child can't skip ahead. Progress is the product.
Core Principles
Make reading predictable, not confusing
Every day looks the same on purpose. Familiarity reduces anxiety. Kids stop wondering what's coming next and start focusing on learning.Reduce cognitive load aggressively
One sound, one concept, one screen. We strip everything else. Wiggler looks minimal because learning works better without noise.Design for daily momentum
A child who does five minutes every day beats a child who does an hour once a week. The system is designed around habit, not ambition.Progress must be visible
We track mastery, not activity. A parent should be able to open the app and answer the question — words decoded, sounds locked in, level reached — without digging.Respect attention, don’t hijack it
No infinite loops. No variable-reward traps. When the session is done, it ends. Trust comes from restraint.
Design Philosophy
Clarity over cleverness
Consistency over novelty
Learning over engagement hacks
What I Built
1. Each session runs the same five-step cycle: Learn → See → Practice → Apply → Recall. Under five minutes. One concept. Repetition isn't boring when the structure is clear — it's reassuring.
2.Ten progression levels starting from zero. L0 builds listening readiness and story comprehension before we introduce a single letter-sound. By the time a child hits L1, they already love the app and trust the journey.
3. Minimal UI — not because it looks clean, but because distraction costs kids attention they can't afford to lose. Color carries meaning. Layout never changes. Every screen answers one question: what do I do now?
4. Streaks are secondary. Mastery signals are what matter. The dashboard shows parents what sounds their child has locked in, which words they decoded correctly, and what the next step is. Activity and progress are not the same thing.
5. Parents don't need to teach. They need to understand. The parent layer shows them exactly what their child worked on, what stuck, and what's coming next — in plain language, not jargon.
Results & Impact:
Early testing with parents showed one consistent pattern: kids who struggled with other apps completed Wiggler sessions on their own, without prompting. Not because of rewards — because the structure removed confusion.
Parents reported visible improvement in blending and word recognition within 2 to 3 weeks. The most common feedback: "I finally know what my child is learning each day."
Return behavior was routine-driven, not reward-driven. That's the difference between a product that's useful and one that's just addictive.
Lessons Learned:
1. Systems over screens:
Good UI doesn't fix a broken learning sequence. The real design work at Wiggler wasn't the interface — it was the architecture. Figma came last.
2. Constraints create clarity:
We cut gamification and AI features early. The product got stronger every time we removed something. Constraints forced the right decisions.
3. Kids expose bad design instantly:
If something is confusing, a 5-year-old doesn't try harder. They stop. Kids are the most honest UX test you'll ever run.
4. Engagement is a byproduct: When learning is clear and achievable, kids come back on their own. You don't need to trick them. You need to design something that actually works.
5. Founder mindset changes everything: You stop asking "does this look good?" and start asking "does this actually help a child read?" The quality bar is different when you own the outcome.
6. Trust is the real product: Parents don't care about features. They care about one thing: is my child actually getting better? That question shaped every decision we made.