Smart. Simple. Fun.
Our Role
Product Strategy
Product Design
iOS / Android App Design
Prototyping
Design Management
Platforms
iOS / Android
Project Phases
Design Development
Production Release
The Brief
Sparkler empowers organisations that work with young families by providing a mobile app and services designed to maximise early childhood development. The platform equips parents, grandparents, and caregivers with tools rooted in child and brain development science, helping them make the most of the crucial early years.
With features that promote developmental monitoring and screening, two-way family engagement through messaging, and access to age-appropriate play activities and tips, Sparkler enhances how caregivers support children. Our mission was to refine the app’s navigation and content organisation to increase its overall adoption among users.
The Challenge
Our task was to investigate and implement solutions to streamline Sparkler’s user experience, with a focus on key areas. First, we needed to reorganise the app’s information architecture to make navigation more intuitive. Testing revealed opportunities for improving the onboarding process and activity completion flow, reducing cognitive overload for users by trimming down unnecessary content.]
We also looked to enhance the coaching functionality and rework the “Learn Library” to make learning more engaging. Addressing user drop-off post-screening and introducing rewards, such as badges, to incentivize progress were also critical elements of the project.
One Metric That Matters
In designing Sparkler we returned to one of the foundational principles we adhere to when considering the design of an application or site: focusing on one metric that truly matters. In this case that metric is “card plays”. Because the activities recommended to parents and children are tuned specifically to the child’s current development, engaging in play consistently makes Sparkler a more effective experience.
Aligning our design efforts towards maximising the number of card plays provided a consistent decision-making structure and a single metric to evaluate whether Sparkler was becoming a more effective learning tool.
Onboarding
It’s important to remember that experience starts with the initial contact with the application’s concept and not just the app itself. We also know that successfully completing tasks immediately has a long term effect on the stickiness of a product. One of our earliest evaluations was the experience users had before they even started: the initial email sequence. This allowed us to pre-load application concepts to the families so they were prepared for the experience.
We redesigned the content and look of the initial email sequence that guided parents through the initial stages of the application experience setting up quick wins that demonstrated the key functionality of the app. Even after the parents and children were signed up and playing, emails were used to re-engage families and slowly build on the concepts and features of the app.
Card Play Enhancements
We introduced a new, intuitive navigation system for the Play section, allowing users to easily switch between Play Cards, Pods, and Favorites. This streamlined access encourages more interaction and helps users quickly find relevant activities. Additionally, we updated the design of the Play Cards to highlight key information, such as tips, making them more prominent to encourage activity completion.
These updates ensure a more consistent look and feel across various screens, providing a seamless experience whether users are exploring high-level summaries or diving into detailed content.
To enhance the overall functionality, we also added several features aimed at improving usability. A new search function allows users to find specific Play Cards quickly, while a shake feature adds an element of fun, letting users randomly discover activities. We also incorporated filters, enabling users to sort activities by duration, skill, or materials needed, making it easier for caregivers to find the right activity at the right time.
Lastly, each Play Card now includes additional tips and related content at the bottom, offering a more holistic learning experience for both caregivers and children.
Dashboards
On the back end of the application we improved the dashboard experience to make it easier for administrators, coaches and accredited partner agencies to see anonymized progress data. Our approach to dashboard design is primarily to keep things simple. By understanding what the key metrics are for any audience we can focus on screens that provide better insights and not more data.
Codename
Garth Harries, Sparkler