Index

Paws & Play

Designing a playful learning experience that teaches kids responsible pet ownership.

Role

UX/UI Designer · Visual Designer

Duration

Sept 2024 - Apr 2025

Platform

Physical Product · Web

Tools

Figma · CSP · Tactiles · InDesign

The Problem

Many educational pet resources are:

Too text-heavy for children
Not engaging enough to encourage learning through play
Difficult for kids to navigate independently

As a result, important lessons around pet care are often overlooked or forgotten.

The Problem

Many educational pet resources are:

Too text-heavy for children
Not engaging enough to encourage learning through play
Difficult for kids to navigate independently

As a result, important lessons around pet care are often overlooked or forgotten.

Make learning about pet care fun and engaging
Create intuitive interactions for young users
Balance education with play

Goals

Wide age range of users
Need for simple language and visuals
Limited attention span of target audience

Constraints

My Role

I was responsible for:

Defining the user experience and interaction patterns
Designing the visual identity and illustrations
Creating storyboards and high-fidelity books
Ensuring accessibility and age-appropriate usability

My Role

I was responsible for:

Defining the user experience and interaction patterns
Designing the visual identity and illustrations
Creating storyboards and high-fidelity books
Ensuring accessibility and age-appropriate usability

My Role

I was responsible for:

Defining the user experience and interaction patterns
Designing the visual identity and illustrations
Creating storyboards and high-fidelity books
Ensuring accessibility and age-appropriate usability

Research & Insights

Research into pets' influence on children's development and vice versa:

Research & Insights

Research into pets' influence on children's development and vice versa:

1

Lack of knowledge on pet care leads to a superficial perspective of pets

2

Kids engage more with visual storytelling than long text

3

Gamified elements increase retention and enjoyment

These insights guided a playful, illustration-driven design approach.

Early Concepts & Prototypes

Early sketches and storyboarding explored:

Supplemental books for fun and intentional learning
Visuals that stand out
Interactive pages for engagement

The main characters were intentionally kept throughout the stories to reduce confusion.

Early Concepts & Prototypes

Early sketches and storyboarding explored:

Supplemental books for fun and intentional learning
Visuals that stand out
Interactive pages for engagement

The main characters were intentionally kept throughout the stories to reduce confusion.

A closer look & more

Design Direction

The visual direction focused on warmth, fun, and approachability.

Design Direction

The visual direction focused on warmth, fun, and approachability.

Final Solutions

Engaging Storylines

Through a series of 4 books, familiarity with characters and child-friendly language encourages understanding.

Engaging Storylines

Through a series of 4 books, familiarity with characters and child-friendly language encourages understanding.

Tactile Visuals

Interesting visuals to keep young audience engaged.

Tactile Visuals

Interesting visuals to keep young audience engaged.

Interactive Reviews

Games and activities reinforce learning through interaction.

Interactive Reviews

Games and activities reinforce learning through interaction.

A closer look & more

Results and Takeaways

This year-long project was such a joy to accomplish. After hand-making every aspect of the book series, I would leave the book-making to professionals from now on. Despite the challenges of the physical aspects of the project, I've learned time and time again how important user-testing and feedback are for these books. I'm confident that without the help and support from our community, this project would not have been as well-presented as it is now. This project has helped me grow my confidence in pitching new ideas and building an organization from the ground up. I hope to continue with this project in the future and continue creating for those who want to learn!