Project Summary: Designing a user-centered experience that supports illiterate adults in learning to read autonomously.

Reading Buddy

Why: Many adults struggle with reading and experience shame that often prevents them from seeking help.

Who: Illiterate adults seeking to improve their reading skills independently.

Context:

This project is a digital experience proposal for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), a subset of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The proposed mobile experience will be introduced at the next fiscal meeting, aiming to complement existing website resources and foster self-guided learning. It must align with USDE’s goals of quality, accountability, and leadership in education.

Tools

  • Figma

  • Google Suite

  • Microsoft Office

User Interviews and Research

Finding the problem:

Illiterate adults often feel shame about their inability to read, fearing judgment or ridicule if others find out. 

This fear can lead them to avoid situations that reveal their illiteracy level, even if it means forgoing help.

The USDE wants illiterate adults to learn and advance their reading skills to accomplish the AEFLA’S goal to raise literacy in adults.

However the underlying problem is that illiterate adults face limited access to non-judgemental environments that accommodate their unique learning needs during their limited downtime which is a big issue. Here we have a typical case of business goals vs user goals not matching.

Business Goals