Mathemeleon: A Children’s Gamified Math Application
APPLICATION
UI/UX
SnapShot
Timeline
March 2024
Industry
Application Design
Role
Lead Graphic & UX Designer
Awards
Gold ADDY Award —
Online/Interactive: Apps
Overview
Mathameleon is a gamified math learning app designed to help children build foundational math skills without the stress and frustration that often accompanies traditional learning methods. Many kids experience math anxiety early on, which can lead to homework battles, low confidence, and
a lack of curiosity. Mathameleon flips that script by turning math into a playful, interactive experience that feels more like a game than schoolwork.
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The app is designed for children aged 6–10 and their parents. For children, it offers engaging challenges and positive reinforcement to encourage experimentation and celebrate small wins. For parents, it provides clear visibility into progress and skill development, ensuring screen time is educational and meaningful.
By combining research-driven insights, thoughtful UX design, and playful visual identity, Mathameleon aims to make math an enjoyable and confidence-building experience, helping children approach learning with curiosity and joy instead of stress.
The Problem
Many children develop math anxiety early when concepts don’t click right away. Traditional learning tools often emphasize correctness and repetition, which can increase pressure and discourage experimentation.
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Parents and educators want digital tools that support both academic growth and emotional confidence. However, many existing math apps focus either on entertainment without measurable learning outcomes or rigid drills that feel overwhelming to children.
The Goal
Make early math feel fun, safe, and confidence-building.
Why do kids and parents struggle with existing math learning tools?
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.
Key Takeaways
Insights
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
User Interviews
Addressing engagement and confidence challenges in early math learning.
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.
LoFi Wireframes
Mid-Fi prototype focused on playful, confidence-building learning
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.
MidFi Wireframes
User Testing
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.
User Testing Key Metrics
Introducing Mathemeleon, a gamified learning app designed to make math fun, approachable, and confidence-building for kids ages 6–9.
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.
Discover, Play, and Share Progress
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.
A Bright, Bold, and Kid-Friendly Brand
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.
Reflecting on Mathemeleon
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.
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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.