Mathemeleon
CalmSync
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A Children's Gamified Educational Math Application
Math without the meltdown
For many kids, math sparks stress—not curiosity. Parents told us about homework battles, frustration, and low confidence. Mathemeleon was designed to flip that script, turning math into a playful, low-pressure experience kids actually enjoy.
Many children feel discouraged early on when math concepts don’t click right away. Instead of building curiosity, traditional methods often create pressure, frustration, and fear of failure. Parents and teachers want tools that support learning and emotional growth—but most apps miss that mark.
Design an experience that helps kids practice foundational math skills without pressure. The goal was to create a tool that feels like play—encouraging experimentation, celebrating small wins, and meeting kids at their level to build confidence through joyful learning.
I began by reviewing popular children’s math apps to understand how they engage young learners and support parents. Next, I conducted interviews with parents, educators, and kids to learn about their experiences, frustrations, and needs.
Through these conversations, I discovered key challenges around motivation, confidence, and usability that existing tools didn’t fully address. Below is a summary of user interviews and personas developed from these insights.
User 2
8-year-old student in 3rd grade
“It’s boring when it’s just plain math problems. I like games that help me learn!”
Children need engaging, varied, and gamified content to stay motivated and interested in learning.
User 1
Full-time working mom of an 8-year-old
“I want to make sure she’s actually learning and not just playing games on a screen.”
Parents need reassurance that the app provides real educational value, not just entertainment.
User 3
Parent balancing remote work and homeschooling.
“If I can’t see how she’s improving, I don’t know if it’s worth the time.”
Visible progress tracking and feedback are essential to help both parents and children feel the app is effective.
After uncovering the key barriers to children’s engagement and confidence with math, the next step was to brainstorm solutions that would make learning fun, rewarding, and approachable.
The concepts below focused on combining game mechanics with foundational math skills, providing adaptive challenges, and encouraging progress without pressure or fear of failure.
By using playful visuals, an encouraging tone, and a story-based structure, Mathameleon transforms the learning experience into an engaging journey. The final design prioritizes ease of use for kids while offering visibility and progress tracking for parents. Features like interactive challenges, customizable avatars, and positive reinforcement work together to reduce math anxiety and build foundational skills in an enjoyable way.
Mathameleon’s visual identity uses a vibrant palette of purple and green to spark imagination and focus—colors shown to appeal to children while maintaining clarity and contrast. Paired with a rounded, playful typeface that feels approachable and fun, the design invites young learners into a world of math exploration that feels more like play than homework.
This project challenged me to think beyond aesthetics and deeply consider how design choices support learning, accessibility, and engagement. Every element—from the color palette to the flow of the game—was crafted to align with a child’s cognitive development and user behavior.
Designing for a younger audience pushed me out of my comfort zone. I had never conducted user research focused on children before, which required a shift in how I approached usability, language, and interactivity. It taught me how important it is to simplify without compromising clarity—and how to make learning feel like fun.
The Mathameleon homepage brings all math challenges, games, and problem sets front and center, giving students easy access to engaging content. With built-in grading and progress tracking, kids can see how they’re doing—and easily share results with their parents, keeping everyone in the loop and celebrating wins along the way.
After initial brainstorming and sketching, I developed a mid-fidelity prototype that combines story-driven challenges with skill-building exercises. The design balances fun and education, aiming to engage kids while boosting their confidence and math mastery.
Through testing the mid-fidelity prototype with parents and children, I uncovered key usability challenges and emotional barriers. Users expressed that while the app was engaging, some instructions were unclear, causing frustration for younger kids. Parents also wanted clearer progress tracking to feel more involved. Overall, feedback showed that simplifying instructions and enhancing feedback would boost user confidence and sustained engagement.
Low-fi Sketches
User Testing Key Metrics
When math becomes a struggle, confidence is the first to go.
Make early math feel fun, safe, and confidence-building.
Why do kids and parents struggle with existing math learning tools?
Addressing engagement and confidence challenges in early math learning.
Introducing Mathemeleon, a gamified learning app designed to make math fun, approachable, and confidence-building for kids ages 6–9.
Designing with intention in mind
A Bright, Bold, and Kid-Friendly Brand.
Working on an app designed for children
Mid-Fi prototype focused on playful, confidence-building learning
Problem
Goal
Research
Ideation
Final Design
Visual Identity
Reflecting on Mathemeleon
Discover, Play, and Share Progress
Development
User Testing
How Might We...
1
Make math feel like a fun and engaging game instead of a boring chore?
2
Support kids’ confidence with positive feedback and meaningful rewards?
3
Create an experience that adapts smoothly to each child’s learning pace and style?
Through our user interviews, we discovered that parents are eager for tools that make math feel fun and engaging, rather than intimidating or tedious. They expressed frustration with the lack of platforms that build confidence through play. Children responded especially well to story-based games, showing higher engagement when visuals, characters, and interactive elements were involved. Both parents and kids emphasized the importance of progress tracking—parents wanted visibility into their child’s learning journey, while kids were motivated by positive feedback and rewards. These insights informed our decision to build Mathameleon around gamification, character-driven storytelling, and clear progress markers.
Affinity Map
Emma Peterson
8-year-old
She wants math to be fun, engaging, and to feel proud when she solves problems.
Olivia Peterson
Mom of 2
She wants an engaging app that makes math fun and tracks her child’s progress easily.
Samantha Green
Mother who homeschools
She wants a simple way to support her child’s math learning and keep them engaged at home.
Affinity Map
Insights
Font
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
12345678901@#$^&*_-
Baloo
A
Mathameleon Green
#9EB73B
Mathemeleon Purple
#B89FC6
Tile Green / 300
#93c5fd
Background Green
#DAEBDA
Task Completion
85%
Navigation Ease
72%
Positive Feedback
88%
Brand Identity
Learning & Confidence Building
Motivation & Engagement
Parental Needs & Visibility
Design Preferences
During these interviews, I identified recurring patterns in several key areas:
Gamified, story-based math keeps kids engaged.
Parents want progress tracking and confidence boosts.
Simple, friendly UI is crucial for all users.
Rewards and customization motivate young learners.
Key Takeaways
Mid-fi Sketch
Dashboard
Profile
Games
Math Game
Dashboard
Profile
Games
Math Game
Grade Portal
Grade Portal
Key Takeaways from User Interviews
BACKGROUND
Mathemeleon is a gamified math app for kids ages 6–10 that turns screen time into learning time. I designed it to blend core math concepts with playful game mechanics, using vibrant visuals and adaptive challenges to spark confidence and curiosity.
SCOPE
UX/UI Design, User Testing, User Interviews, Research
MY ROLE
Sole Designer — Research, Ideation, Flows, Wireframes, Visual Design, Prototyping
TOOLS
Figma, FigJam, Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Forms
AWARDS
Gold ADDY 2024 — Online/Interactive: Apps
