Aleph Kids
Game-based English learning with an AI companion
Role
Lead Product Designer - Sole Designer
Type
Startup Project · Launched Service
Duration
3 months ( 2026.06- 2026.08 )
Team
1 Product Designer, 2 Developers / Co-founders
Context
Learning English Through Play with Aleph Kids
Aleph Kids is an English learning experience built in Minecraft, where children learn and practice English with an AI character named Annie while parents track their progress. I spearheaded the end-to-end design of Aleph Kids, shaping the experience for both children and parents.
Project Background
Proving Early Potential
Aleph Kids validated its learning potential through repeated sessions with real children and quickly gained attention from parents through social media. These early results led to its selection for Y Combinator’s 2025 F25 batch.
Pain Point
Subscribed Once, but Didn’t Stay
Parents subscribed after discovering Aleph Kids through social media or word of mouth, but did not continue their subscriptions. Many children also failed to return after their first session, limiting consistent learning.
*Parents discover Aleph Kids through social media and decide whether to subscribe. The service is accessed through a parent account, while children play and learn.
Problem
Two Users, Different Motivations
Through interviews with 15+ parents and children who did not resubscribe, I found that children lacked a reason to return and play, while parents lacked a reason to continue subscribing.
Design Goals
Designing for Two Different Needs
I defined two design goals around the needs of children and parents.
Home For Child
Encourage children to explore, play, and look forward to coming back.
Playful Visuals
Positive Reinforcement
Game-based Motivation
Dashboard For Parent
Make learning progress visible and give parents a reason to keep subscribing.
Learning Evidence
Progress Visibility
Clear Feedback
Final Design · Child
A Home Built Around Play
I centered Home around Annie, making it fun for children to explore content and building anticipation for the next play.
1
Character Interaction
Annie interacts with children like a game character, using conversation, praise, and progress to guide their next play.
2
Featured Content
I featured recommended content prominently at the top, so children can start playing without hesitation.
3
Easy Exploration
I used icons to make map types and difficulty easy to scan.
Beginner
Intermediate
Hard
Survive
Explore
Battle
Collect
I expanded the experience beyond gameplay, giving children more ways to explore English content and grow with Annie.
Beyond gameplay, children could explore a wider range of focused English learning content.
I created a space to build a deeper connection with Annie through character levels and growth.
Final Design · Parents
Making Learning Progress Visible
By redesigning the Growth Report around learning progress, I made it easier for parents to see what their child is learning and understand its value.
1
Make Real English Use Visible
Show speaking time and learned words and sentences to make learning progress tangible.
2
Turn Feedback into the Next Step
Highlight strengths and what to practice next to support continued learning.
Before & After
Before - Unclear Purpose
-Children lacked motivation and a clear next step.
-Parents could see what their child did, but not what they learned from it.
After - Clearer Experiences for Each User
-Annie motivates children and leads them into play.
-Learning results and feedback show value and support continued subscription.
Outcome
Growing Together Through Learning
Child
Following the redesign, 7-day return and monthly active users increased, showing stronger continued engagement among children.
Parent
Revenue increased by 13%, while the impact of continued engagement on subscription renewal requires longer-term observation.
