Project: Little Allies
home tiled screen banner little allies
home tiled screen banner little allies for mobile
App Design / Illustration / UX
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Background
With heartbreaking acts of racial injustice occurring daily, adults are left wondering: how do I discuss racism with my child? How do I raise an ally? Enter: Little Allies, an immersive app that teaches children about racism, and allows adults to initiate and sustain conversations about race with young minds.
Click here to view and navigate through the Little Allies mobile prototype.
App Premise
The design was created with the goal of being able to communicate open and constructive conversations about race with young children, providing controlled, age-appropriate educational resources and tools to help children understand and address racial bias in their day to day lives. By promoting awareness and understanding at a young age the app aims to help create a more equitable and inclusive society.​ In addition to providing educational resources and games, the app would place children in scenarios involving racial injustice to encourage allied behavior. Parents that create the account, would receive a journal for their child, game summaries, and discussion tips to inspire their Little Allies.
Little Allies Sign In Main Screen on App. App Design Agency Mockups
Introduction
Parents learn the mission at Little Allies, creating a joint account with their child, and sign up to receive updates detailing their child’s progress in the game. They will also gain access to resources that will help them continue the conversation about racial bias when devices are away.
4 image screens Little Allies
Avatar Customization
The project also involved making custom illustrations. The child starts their journey by creating a character and choosing features from a diverse set of options for inclusiveness. Using a slider we created access to a wide range of skin tones, hair colors, and eye colors.
Large Image with Options
In the following screen, they input their name, age, and preferred setting. These choices help curate the experience for each child. Most notably, the complexity of each scenario will differ depending on age, allowing the child to confront mature issues in a way that feels comprehensible to them.
3 screen final
Interactive Scenarios
The child encounters various scenarios and selects a response to the situation. They receive an explanation revealing why their choice was "right" or "wrong." If they chose correctly, they receive a badge to quantify and positively reinforce allied behavior.
Scenarios can range from 1:1 to group situations.
Little Allies More Screens for App Design
World map on mobile app design and development showing theater museum and library
Locations
The child can visit the Library to learn the Word of the Day or discover new books.
The Museum to discover the Icon of the Day.
The Theater to watch educational clips and TV shows.
All three destinations include interactive games with prizes to maintain interest and engagement.
Their avatar is free to roam across the map no matter which environment they choose. They are encouraged to explore and discover what Little Allies has to offer.
Parental Component
Outside of the Little Allies app, adults receive text or email notifications to review resources and summaries of their child’s accomplishments in the game and receive thought-starters to help keep the conversation going.
3 image screen mockups 9
Positive Reinforcement
The Little Allies stickers, badges, and journal rewards them accordingly and continue to reinforce allied behavior in the real world outside of the app.