[Case 01]
Little Pathfinder
Education Technology
Helping Children Respond Effectively Through Music and Story
[Project Overview]
Little Pathfinder is a research-informed concept designed to support young children when they feel lost in public spaces. Through playful, hands-on interactions (storytelling, visuals, and guided practice), it helps children remember key personal information, learn “stay put” and help-seeking strategies, and recognize safe adults (e.g., employees, security). The experience prioritizes emotional comfort and privacy-by-design, encouraging parent–child collaboration.
[Project Goals]
Keep kids engaged through playful interaction. Design an interactive, engaging experience that captures and maintains a child’s attention.
Support safety and confidence in help-seeking. Provide comfort and emotional reassurance while teaching children how to identify and approach safe adults for help.
Build essential memory skills while protecting privacy. Help children remember key personal information (e.g., parent contact details) in a way that safeguards the family’s private data.
[Industry]
Education
[My Role]
UX Designer
Team Project
[Methods]
In Depth Interview
User Survey
User Flow
Prototypes
[Timeline]
September 2025- December 2025
[Process]
[01] Fly on the Wall
Observed discussed theme regarding children's safety on online forums.
Noted behaviors, conversations, and pain points.
Grouped observations into themes to inform design decisions.
[02] In Depth Interview
Conducted interviews with 2 teachers of 5-year-olds
Conducted interview with a mom of three.
Summarized findings into key takeaways.
[03] User Survey
Design survey to learn about potential user concerns and pain points.
We surveyed 20 parents and caregivers to understand how children learn and recall safety information.
Grouped top insights into themes to guide design decisions.
[04] User Flow
Conducted interviews with 5 possible users to uncover frustrations and preferences.
Analyzed behavioral data to identify bottlenecks in the current flow.
Benchmarked against competitors to identify best practices for checkout flows.
Getting Lost Is Parents’ Biggest Safety Fear
Parents’ most frequent concern is their child getting lost in public places, yet they feel they have limited access to clear, trustworthy resources on what to do in these situations.
Kids Often Don’t Know Key Safety Information
Many parents worry that their children don’t reliably know or remember essential details like home address and phone number, and are very interested in helping them learn how to call for help.
Recognizing Danger and “Safe People” Is Hard
Parents are anxious about whether children can recognize unsafe situations or people, and whether they can identify “safe adults” (e.g., staff, security) to approach when they need help.
Parents Value Concrete Strategies and Role Play
Strategies like “stay put” are commonly mentioned, and parents highly value role-playing and practice-based activities as ways to help children rehearse what to do if they get lost.
[Persona]
Emily
Mom of Two
Age: 32
Location: Seattle
Tech Proficiency: Moderate
Gender: Female
[Goal]
Feel reassuring with her kid's safety.
Teaching tools that can easily fit into her daily routine.
Want her kids to learn key informations by heart so they can use it when they're lost.
[Frustrations]
Children's lack of interest and attention span.
Lack of time and energy.
Not knowing what teaching methods and tools are effective.
Dora
Kindergarten student
Age: 6
Location: Seattle
Tech Proficiency: Beginner
Gender: Female
[Goal]
Feel reassuring with her kid's safety.
Teaching tools that can easily fit into her daily routine.
Want her kids to learn key informations by heart so they can use it when they're lost.
[Frustrations]
Children's lack of interest and attention span.
Lack of time and energy.
Not knowing what teaching methods and tools are effective.
A calming teddy bear that pairs with a parent app to turn contact details into a simple, personalized safety song by using an AI song generator. The bear’s rhythmic heartbeat and playful singing help children self-soothe and remember what to do if they get lost.
Bluetooth connect button
[Key Learnings]
Privacy-by-Design Builds Trust
Designing for safety also means designing for privacy, using minimal necessary info while enabling quick, appropriate help
Playful Practice Improves Recall
Short, repeatable activities (role-play, visuals, songs) help children remember key info and confidently ask a safe adult for help.
Non-bias survey design improves data quality
Keeping survey questions neutral (no leading wording) and offering balanced answer choices reduced pressure to “say the right thing,” resulting in more trustworthy insights about parents’ real concerns and behaviors.