ConfiGrowth

Starting from a personal question

The project began with concern for my ten-year-old brother. He was shy, found it difficult to make new friends at school, and gradually seemed less confident. As a psychology student interested in human-computer interaction, I wanted to explore how theory and technology could help children discover their strengths and build confidence.

The research frames fourth through sixth grade as an important period of transition. Children’s social and emotional development is changing rapidly, and their ability to form prosocial relationships, develop a sense of confidence, and express and manage emotions can influence how they experience school. The original design board references Rew et al. (2012), Raven (2002), and Chen et al. (2005) as background for this direction.

Quantitative study

I worked with a group of 15 elementary-school students in grades four through six, together with their parents, and conducted quantitative and qualitative studies online.

• Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES)
• Wei Yunhua’s Children’s Self-Esteem Scale (CSES)

These scales consider aspects of self-perception including physical appearance, abilities, academic performance, moral character, and social interaction. The plotted results showed meaningful variation among participants and identified children with lower self-esteem scores. Rather than treating children as a single group, this result highlighted the need for a design that could respond to different confidence levels and support needs. The source board presents individual charts but does not provide a portfolio-ready aggregate effect size, so no additional statistic is inferred here.

Interviews with children and parents

To understand the experiences behind the scores, I conducted semi-structured interviews with six pairs of children and parents, selected from both higher and lower self-esteem groups.

The interview guide explored children’s experiences, challenges, desires, and expectations related to confidence. The parent questions examined situations in which children lacked confidence, how parents currently offered support, how school environments affected children, and what parents would want from a confidence-building app. Comparing the two perspectives helped reveal not only how children felt, but also where their needs and their parents’ observations aligned or differed.

Three confidence profiles

Confidence Seeker

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Confidence Seekers often struggle with social interaction and feelings of isolation. They need supportive environments that make friendly peer connections feel safer and more approachable.

Together, these profiles revealed three connected design opportunities: build confidence through supportive social experiences, help children identify strengths without constant comparison, and give children and parents better ways to discuss emotional growth.

Product direction

I chose to design a reading app that helps children build confidence through stories grounded in real-life scenarios and presented in a playful, cartoon-based style. The product direction narrowed the earlier brainstorm into three goals:

Concept exploration

Story adventures became the core because they could combine emotional learning, decision-making, rewards, and real-life practice without reducing confidence-building to a single motivational message.

Theoretical foundations

The concept was informed by four ideas documented in the original design process:

• NarrativeEngaging stories and metaphors can hold attention, support imagination, and communicate complex ideas through personal growth.
• MetaphorFamiliar images can make abstract ideas such as self-compassion and self-integrity easier to understand.
• Embodied thinkingPhysical sensations and real-world actions can help connect an idea to lived experience.
• Conceptual Metaphor TheoryRelating an abstract concept to a more concrete experience can support understanding and reflection.

Visual system

Mood Board

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The interface uses bright green and orange to create an energetic, child-friendly atmosphere. Green represents growth, positivity, and vitality; orange adds enthusiasm, creativity, and encouragement. The supporting typography, illustration, and animal-avatar system establish a playful visual language across stories, tasks, and progress views.

Prototype & User Flow

The final flow follows Emily through ten connected moments:

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Emily browses story scenarios on the Home page, such as school, home, or the supermarket.

Feedback

Families responded positively to the vibrant colors, the use of storytelling to support confidence, and interactive features such as customized avatars. These elements helped children engage with the concept.

The testing also revealed limitations. The participant group was small and may not represent a wider audience. Some features still lacked coherence, the overall experience required further refinement, and parent engagement was not yet sufficiently resolved.

Next steps

The next iteration should expand the interview group, test the story-to-task flow with more families, clarify how parent feedback supports rather than pressures children, and refine the feature set into a more consistent experience.