UX Design
User Research
User Research
Product Design
Web/Mobile
Lead UX Designer, Co-Founder
August 2022 - Current
Figma, Adobe Suite
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VocalR will organize daily tasks to ensure tangible and lasting results, providing users with a comprehensive and effective approach to improving their speech skills.
VocalR games will assist users in speech repetition and practice, a well-known method endorsed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for correcting speech impediments.
An effective reward system ensures that users will return every day, eager to play more and enhance their skills.
children between the ages of 3 and 17 have also been affected by speech in JUST in the past year within the United States. Based on personal experience, we know that children who don't get speech therapy early are at a greater risk of problems in their academic performance and mental health.
of children in the United States, of children aged three to seventeen have been reported to experience speech, voice, language, or swallowing disorders in the past year. Studies show that speech therapy stands out as the most effective remedy for these reported conditions.
We needed to discover the speech therapy market. Research helped us find an opportunity for our product.
A speech disorder is a challenge with speech sound perception, motor production, and phonological representation. Speech-language pathologists engage in interactive sessions that utilize play and visual aids to promote language development.
These conversations helped pinpoint the key priorities of speech therapists, parents, and the children requiring speech therapy.
Speech Language Pathologist in Lodi, California
Speech Language Therapist in Newport Beach
Has a daughter that goes to speech therapy
Based off of our research and interviews, we created two personas. This helped us understand our product's priorities.
Core mission statements were crafted to remind us of what our product stands for. These statements were utilized to ideate on two potential solutions.
The initial solution we arrived at was a product that utilized virtual reality to educate children in an immersive space.
We predicted that the cost of VR for a family would be more cost-effective than in-person therapy. However, roadblocks emerged when we noticed that it would be too hard to monitor a child's mouth movements with a headset on.
Further analysis revealed that the VR headset is somewhat ineffective and could be replaced by a mobile device.
Our second hypothesis was that AI could be implemented to recognize speech patterns and create customized speech improvement plans for children.
Leveraging AI technologies to generate lesson plans could provide our product with a unique selling point. Additionally, this approach would enable us to stick with a familiar mobile platform, thereby enhancing the accessibility and reach of our solution.
Our findings have provided us with valuable insights, enabling us to solidify our position against the competition.
The speech therapy industry is quite large. In 2021, it was worth $9.9 billion dollars in 2021 and is expected to be a $17 billion industry by 2031.
Since there is an absence of competition, the market for speech therapy is little to none. Most alternative speech therapy options do not advance with the child’s improvement.
After we planned our business model, we needed to create a basic version of our app to show to investors (MVP). I was in charge of developing the user experience.
Current speech therapy apps on the market focus on play accompanied by a certified speech therapist.
Data-driven results
Personalized features
Visuals and images
Hidden costs are too high
More prompting for the child is needed
Self-teachable (for a child)
Motivating and goal oriented
Data-driven
How might we create an app that is self-taught, and engages a child to set their own achievable goals? VocalR must be accessible, affordable, and effective.
Our main focus was to build out the child-facing app first so we could showcase the gameplay as our MVP.
We've already developed AI-based code capable of detecting different speech issues and providing advice. Our goal is for our code to identify various speech impediments and offer relevant speech therapy recommendations.
Additionally, if a parent has previously had their child diagnosed, they can upload relevant documents here. This information will enable the app to suggest a suitable program based on the child's specific impediment.
Activities offer chances to earn "Koins," our reward tokens. "Koins" are earned through lessons, daily assessments, streaks (consecutive practice days), and milestones. Additionally, Badges visually represent language learning progress and dedication. Earned by gaining a certain amount of "Koins," badges unlock bonus lessons and cultural insights, enriching the learning experience.
Under the to-do list, rewards are clearly indicated, showing your progress towards earning a new badge. A progress counter near the end tracks your overall advancement in VocalR and your daily streaks.
The home screen also provides a link to the flashcards section. This page offers practice options for words a child has struggled with before. For example, if a child is working on "S" sounds due to a lisp, they can see the "S" words they encountered in previous games and assessments, along with their accuracy.
Additionally, you can access tips and advice to improve your "S" sounds. These pointers help children correct recurring mistakes.
The user's profile serves as the starting point, presenting a standard view with badges and groups. Clicking on badges reveals a detailed view of the rewards, while the group page provides information about friends in your circles. You can also view weekly leaderboards and add new friends as you continue playing.
The game board displays both the daily game and completed games from previous days. Popups serve as significant notifications, guiding you to the games. Additionally, there's a button for daily assessments, offering children the opportunity to earn substantial "Koins."
Tik-Tak Talk is a competitive game within the app where players can choose to place tiles to win a version of tic-tac-toe.
When a player decides to place a piece, they must say a word related to the curriculum. If the app recognizes the correct pronunciation, they can play the piece.
If the player doesn't pronounce it correctly, they will receive tips for improvement and be prompted to speak again. Additionally, players who accumulate enough points overall will be rewarded with a new item or game board!
We're in the process of involving a developer and game designer to ensure that our concept translates well into the games. We've already engaged a coder working on backend code to recognize speech patterns and impediments. However, we're still seeking a coder for comprehensive coding and game development.
We've identified potential candidates and plan to approach investors once these screens are shared with them.The next steps involve presenting these screens to investors. With well-prepared business decks and a tangible product, we're poised to convey our idea effectively.
Over the past year, I've gained valuable insights into startups and business models. Prioritizing essential needs over wants has been a crucial lesson. I'm enthusiastic about the project's future, excited to launch it, and make quality speech therapy accessible to all.