Mental Health E-Camp

Mental health E-camp

‘Child-friendly’ experience design - UI/UX

Client: Tung Wah college

The Proposal

Mental Health E-Camp is a thoughtfully designed mobile app aimed at promoting mental wellness among children aged 9–10. Through engaging games, interactive courses, and personalized goal-setting, the app encourages young users to develop daily habits that support their emotional well-being. A research-based questionnaire and focus-oriented features help children reflect on their activities and moods. Additionally, the app collects anonymized user data to support academic research, enabling the analysis of correlations between daily behavior and happiness levels.

Challenge:

How might we promoting mental wellness, making the learning enjoyable and engaging for 9-10 years old kids?

Solution:
How emotional design play role in ‘Child-friendly’ E-camp?

Emotional design in UX for child-friendly apps involves creating experiences that are engaging, enjoyable, and developmentally appropriate for kids. It goes beyond usability—focusing on how the app makes children feel during and after use.

1. Delight and Fun

Vibrant colors, playful animations, and friendly characters.
Use of rewards (like stickers) to spark joy.

2. Sense of Safety and Comfort

Gentle animations, friendly faces, and positive reinforcement.
Reassuring feedback like "Great job!" or "That’s okay, try again!".
Avoiding harsh sounds or red error messages that could cause anxiety.

3. Simplicity and Clarity

Clear visuals and minimal interface clutter.
Use of icons, illustrations, and voiceovers to guide non-readers.
Predictable patterns to reduce confusion and build confidence.

4. Empowerment and Achievement

Celebrate small wins to build self-esteem.
Inspirational quote

5. Trust and Familiarity
Use friendly characters or mascots that guide the child.

Consistent visual language and tone.
Parental involvement settings that create a feeling of safety

🧠 Developmental Appropriateness
Children of different ages have different cognitive and emotional needs:

Age Group

2–5 yrs
6–8 yrs
9–12 yrs

Emotional Design Focus

Simple navigation, big buttons, audio feedback, playful visuals
Storytelling, customization, learning through play
Challenges, achievements, more autonomy and exploration ︎

Best Practices:

Use positive reinforcement (never shame or stress).
Design for short attention spans—keep interactions quick and rewarding.
Include empathic characters or guides that feel like friends.
Avoid overstimulation—balance excitement with calm areas.

Reference:

Castella, K. (2018). Designing for kids: Creating for playing, learning, and growing. Routledge.

Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child. Basic Books.

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). NAEYC.

UX/UI Development:

1. Persona

I developed a primary persona based on research insights, representing a 9-year-old child who enjoys playful learning but struggles with managing emotions. This persona guided key design decisions, ensuring the app remained age-appropriate, emotionally supportive, and engaging. By empathizing with the child’s motivations and challenges, I was able to create a more personalized and meaningful user experience.

2. Competitor analysis

I conducted a competitive analysis of four leading apps to identify strengths and gaps in UX/UI design for children’s wellness and learning. This helped uncover opportunities to combine emotional support with gamified engagement tailored specifically for 9–10-year-olds.

Summary:
E-camp offers a unique combination of features -

✅ Emotional engagement + gamification
✅ Age-specific design for 9–10-year-olds
✅ Interactive, playful features
✅ Goal-setting
✅ Celebrate small wins

This helps address market gaps in existing apps, which often lack interactivity, targeted emotional learning, or child-centered customization.

3. Start from draft - Wireframe

My design process began with a deep understanding of the user’s needs, emotional context, and age-specific abilities. With a clear goal of creating an engaging and emotionally supportive experience for children aged 9–10, I followed a structured and iterative approach:

🧠 1. Initial Concept & Sketching > 📐 2. Low-Fidelity Wireframes > 🧪 3. Feedback & Iteration

Wireframe outcome:

4. Style and colour exploration

I explored playful, warm color palettes and shapes to create a friendly and emotionally safe environment for children. The chosen style aimed to balance fun and positive, supporting both engagement and emotional comfort.

5. UI & Flows

I mapped out key user flows to ensure intuitive navigation and a smooth, age-appropriate experience tailored to children aged 9–10. The UI was designed with large touch targets, minimal text, and visual cues to support independent exploration and emotional engagement.

6. User feedback for Version 1.0