Designing an AI-learning app called Whylo to fuel kids' curiosity
Designing an AI-learning app called Whylo to fuel kids' curiosity
duration
duration
4 months
4 months
role
role
End-to-End Product Design
End-to-End Product Design
team
team
3 Product Designers
3 Product Designers
tl'dr
tl'dr
Kids have a lot of questions, but most of them are either answered too quickly or brushed aside. We built Whylo to catch those small moments of curiosity and help kids ask questions with ease and figure things out in their favorite ways of learning instead of just being told the answer.
Kids have a lot of questions, but most of them are either answered too quickly or brushed aside. We built Whylo to catch those small moments of curiosity and help kids ask questions with ease and figure things out in their favorite ways of learning instead of just being told the answer.
the problem
the problem
Kids are always curious…
Kids are always curious…
Questions keep coming to kids, but the moment might pass & it might disappear.
Questions keep coming to kids, but the moment might pass & it might disappear.
Parents get a lot of questions, but may not always have the answer.
Parents get a lot of questions, but may not always have the answer.
Google handles a few, but the answer might be hidden behind a wall of text.
Google handles a few, but the answer might be hidden behind a wall of text.
…but they don't always get to the answer.
…but they don't always get to the answer.
the solution
Soo, we designed an app for kids to…
🎤 ask questions easily,
💡 get answers that make sense, and
🎨 learn in their favorite ways
instantly!
getting into the process👇
defining the problem
Interviews revealed that a 7-year-old and a 13-year-old want different things.
We interviewed 7 kids ranging from ages 7 to 13, and some of their parents to understand their current behaviors & preferences.
Down below are some notable quotes from the interviews & insights from affinity mapping!
"He keeps asking "why" until it fits logically"
Parent of a 7-year-old
"I don't have the patience to search & find answers"
13-year-old
insight 01
Older kids want quick, informative answers whereas younger ones want the whole story
"I prefer explanations that feel like stories"
9-year-old
insight 02
Younger kids enjoy learning through stories, quizzes & other modes of learning
"I like to only learn things that interest me"
10-year-old
insight 03
Attention drops for all kids if they aren't interested in certain topics & if learning feels effortful
"It's fun figuring things out myself & showing off!"
13-year-old
insight 04
Recognition & rewards increase motivation to learn
problem statement
How might we design a learning experience that feels as natural as asking "why?"
meet our users
Whylo is designed for two kinds of curious.
Meet Andy! He asks questions until things make sense, then asks five more.
7-year-old
Meet Olivia! She wants real answers, fast — without it feeling like schoolwork.
13-year-old
what we're building
We chose to build what keeps the curiosity loop alive.
Through MoSCoW, SCAMPER, and Lightning Demos, we identified the features that matter most: ones that each play a role in the loop.
Ask feeds Explore. Explore feeds Learn. Learn feeds Collect. Collect brings kids back to Ask.
getting into the design process 👇
key design decisions
We converted mid-fi to hi-fi and tested them with 4 users.
With every iteration a voice inside me grew louder "you are designing for kids".
I'm gonna take you through the decisions made to design some of our most important screens & flows through internal discussions & user testing.
01 Making the homepage the launchpad for the curiosity loop
The homepage initially felt like a learning app, not a space for curiosity.
We made question-asking more prominent, but too many input options confused users.
The final homepage balances asking and exploring to support natural curiosity.
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Final Design
02 Making the asking a question flow easy for a kid to comprehend
All input options: text, voice & photo at once would overwhelm the kid.
3/4 kids were confused if their voice was being recorded while asking questions.
Live transcription from voice to text provides visual feedback to kids.
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Final Design
03 Creating an adaptive answer experience based on the kids' age & interests
Younger kids get visual, character-led answers that make complex ideas feel simple and fun
Older kids, or kids who've grown with the app, get deeper, more detailed answers that treat them as intelligent learners
Younger Kids
Older Kids
Explore the other screens built for Whylo!
if we had more time...
AI guardrails for safe, age-appropriate answers
Kids can share answers with their friends, making it more social
Parental onboarding for mindful monitoring of mobile use
Adding video content for kids who like learning through animated videos
what did i learn?
👧👦 Designing for kids is a WHOLE other ballgame! and very fun!
Kids were our most honest research participants. No filter, just real reactions. Every button label, every piece of copy had to earn its place by being understandable to a 7-year-old without talking down to a 13-year-old. Given more time, we'd go deeper like exploring: Do kids even own their own phone? How involved is a parent? Those questions would reshape the product in ways we'd love to explore.
🎨🖍️ Balancing UI flexibility & using a styleguide
Whylo needed to be vibrant, but color and playfulness can't come at the cost of consistency. The styleguide gave us a clear split: functional elements like buttons and navigation followed strict rules. Everything else like illustrations, characters, and animations could be as playful as we wanted. That boundary kept Whylo joyful without feeling chaotic.
i had a great time working on this project with my team - Debo & Shlok!
big thanks to Prof. Anthony Conta for being such a helpful mentor throughout the journey :)
Hop on to a bigger screen to unlock the complete case study and for the best experience! 🗝️ 🤩
“... and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”
-Vincent Van Gogh
photo clicked by me at jim corbett national park, india. one of the most refreshing trips of my life.
© designed by sriya benjaram 2026.
© designed by sriya benjaram 2026.
the solution
Soo, we designed an app for kids to…
🎤 ask questions easily,
💡 get answers that make sense, and
🎨 learn in their favorite ways
instantly!