A system experiment
SpellBoard
A spelling practice concept designed to make learning feel playful, approachable, and confidence building for kids.
Personal
Vibe Coding
Product Design
Why I built this
SpellBoard started as a small project while helping my son practice spelling at home. English is not my first language, and raising children in English has made me very aware of how intimidating spelling and phonics can feel.
I wanted to explore what spelling practice could look like if it felt calmer, more playful, and more confidence building. Parents enter custom spelling words, children move through a themed world, and letters become part of a small interactive adventure.
This was prototyped using Figma Make and AI to move fast through early exploration. Graphics were generated and refined, interactions were tested, and the design judgment behind all of it was still mine.
Challenges & Solutions
This project went through many iterations. Several aspects of the experience needed refinement before the interface felt calm, intuitive, and cohesive.
CHALLENGE 01
Refining the Interface
Early versions felt visually busy and lacked hierarchy. I simplified backgrounds, improved contrast, and strengthened layout structure so interactions became easier to follow.
CHALLENGE 02
Improving the Voice
Spelling tools depend heavily on pronunciation quality. Standard text to speech felt robotic, so I explored alternatives using ElevenLabs voice generation to improve warmth and clarity.
CHALLENGE 03
Interactions for Kids
Letters, spacing, and touch targets were refined repeatedly to feel more comfortable and intuitive for younger users.
CHALLENGE 04
Motion and Feedback
Animations and micro interactions were added intentionally to reinforce progress and make interactions feel responsive without becoming distracting.
Reflection
What this project taught me
Designing SpellBoard reinforced something I continue coming back to: AI is most useful as an accelerator for exploration, not final answers.
The project also highlighted how much interaction details matter. Children's interfaces need more clarity, more feedback, and more intention than adult products.
Designing for my son created something designers rarely get: an extremely honest user.
Want to try it?
You can explore SpellBoard yourself and see how the experience works. Enter a few spelling words, choose a world, and start the adventure.
Voice feedback may occasionally disconnect in preview mode while the prototype continues evolving.