Ed Tech SAAS
Social-Emotional Learning App for Parents and Children
Collaborating with an EdTech startup, I contributed to the research and development of a digital platform aimed at strengthening social-emotional skills in children aged 5–12, mainly in the United States. The project provided guided, interactive activities for families, addressing challenges like self-confidence, emotional outbursts, and struggles with parent-child communication.
OVERVIEW
CHALLENGE
High initial interest but low retention rates.
Families needed personalised onboarding that adapted to their children’s behaviours while remaining easy to use and manageable for parents, avoiding feelings of overwhelm.
INITIAL GOALS
Help parents and kids bond through short, playful activities.
Achieve a retention rate of 80% by addressing key pain points.
PROCESS
1. Research and Discovery
We started by exploring the landscape of social-emotional learning (SEL) and understanding user needs:
Benchmarking: Analysed apps like Lumosity and tools like Big Life Journal, identifying gaps in parent-child interaction and actionable SEL tools.
Surveys: Surveyed 150 parents with questions about their parenting moments to identify core concerns.
In-depth Interviews: Conducted interviews with parents who recently purchased parenting courses or apps.
Parent struggles on how to communicate with child about their feelings.
Children often experience intense emotions they cannot manage independently, leaving parents seeking practical strategies for emotional co-regulation.
Existing solutions lacked tailored activities that integrated parents and children.
Key Insights:
Key Quotes:
“When my child struggles to communicate their feelings, I need strategies that encourage them to open up and share their thoughts”
2. Prototyping and Testing
The first prototype included:
Short video lessons for parents paired with interactive tasks.
Gamification elements.
Simplified navigation to minimise friction.
INITIAL PROTOTYPE
USABILITY TESTING
Tested the prototype with 10 parents.
Positive feedback from 80%. Additionally, videos were often either skipped (25%) or received a neutral response (50%).
Iterating on parent feedback, we shortened lessons and simplified navigation.
Usability feedback mapping
RETENTION ANALYSIS
Even after multiple adjustments, our data revealed a retention drop to 24% within a few weeks. We held a strategic session to hypothesise specific audiences whose needs might be deeper. Our options were:
Single parents with multiple responsibilities.
Fathers who struggle with co-parenting roles.
Parents of children with ADHD.
We chose to concentrate on parents of children with ADHD. Several factors:
Repeated Themes in Interviews
High Frustration
Data Insights
3. Narrowing Focus: ADHD Families
Retention showing significant drop
I conducted interviews with parents of children with ADHD, which revealed some of their common challenges:
Managing hyperactivity and emotional regulation.
Navigating fears around social integration.
A strong need for practical, tailored tools.
ADHD RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS
I conducted next 8 interviews and market research on apps and tools for children with ADHD and their parents. The common pain points included:
Children struggle with focus, causing parents to worry about their academic performance.
Challenges with communication in certain situations.
Frequent and intense tantrums, making it difficult for parents to stay calm.
“On days when he’s struggling the most, I feel helpless and question if I’m doing enough as a parent”
Key Quotes:
4. Iterating the Solution
After analysing interviews and consulting with ADHD specialists, we refined the app to address day-to-day coping and emotional regulation:
Scenario-Based Micro-Lessons.
Daily Rewards & Achievement System
Redesigned Onboarding
Course Format
Enhanced prototype version
Combining qualitative and quantitative data ensures both empathy and effectiveness in solutions.
Focus to ADHD families allowed us to create more targeted solutions.
KEY LEARNINGS
Clickable Prototype Testing.
Refined Retention Metrics.
Collaboration with educators and psychologists to enhance content.
NEXT STEPS