INDUSTRY:
Toy Design
CLIENT:
Smartivity
YEAR:
2023
EXPERIENCE:
Product Design
Kids Game Design
Little Word Builder is an educational flashcard game designed for children aged 3–5 to explore vocabulary through emoji-based visual cues. With 5 fun categories, it encourages word recognition, imagination, and cognitive association. The game blends play and learning in a simple, intuitive format that even pre-readers can enjoy, making it ideal for both at-home and classroom engagement.
Little Word Builder is an educational flashcard game designed for children aged 3–5 to explore vocabulary through emoji-based visual cues. With 5 fun categories, it encourages word recognition, imagination, and cognitive association. The game blends play and learning in a simple, intuitive format that even pre-readers can enjoy, making it ideal for both at-home and classroom engagement.
challenge.
Designing a physical card game for pre-readers meant thinking beyond aesthetics—every icon, color, and category had to be instantly intuitive. The biggest challenge was ensuring 3–5 year olds could grasp and engage with emoji combinations without adult explanation. Usability testing with kids highlighted attention span limits and the need for clear, tactile feedback—all solved through iterative prototyping.
Designing a physical card game for pre-readers meant thinking beyond aesthetics—every icon, color, and category had to be instantly intuitive. The biggest challenge was ensuring 3–5 year olds could grasp and engage with emoji combinations without adult explanation. Usability testing with kids highlighted attention span limits and the need for clear, tactile feedback—all solved through iterative prototyping.
result.
The final product was successfully playtested with real users and validated for age-fit, engagement, and parent appeal. I learned how deeply design must respond to developmental stages. From packaging to UX, every detail shaped comprehension and joy. The process refined my ability to test, simplify, and co-create with users—especially when the users are little humans still learning the world.
The final product was successfully playtested with real users and validated for age-fit, engagement, and parent appeal. I learned how deeply design must respond to developmental stages. From packaging to UX, every detail shaped comprehension and joy. The process refined my ability to test, simplify, and co-create with users—especially when the users are little humans still learning the world.
The Little Word Builder game looks super fun and engaging :)
RJ
Co-Founder
