Box Buddy

Follow the stars, find your calm.

Overview

A children’s mindfulness app that teaches box breathing through playful mini-games, with a simple mood check-in to help kids notice, name, and navigate big feelings.

Desktop is preferred for the full experience.

Jump To The Prototype

Client

Higher Echelon

Sector

My Role

Project Time

Tools Used

Kids Mobile (iOS/Android) Gaming, Wellness

Senior UX/UI & Product Developer

Six Months

Figma, Unity & Asana

Project Overview

Problem:
Many kids struggle to regulate anxiety in the moment; breathing skills are taught but rarely practiced at the exact time of need.

Users:
Children 6–12 (primary), Parents/Caregivers & Teachers/Therapists (secondary).

Solution:
A low-stim, game-guided box breathing coach with a quick mood check-in and short replayable mini-games that reward practicing calm.

Outcome:
Kids reached “calm” feedback in ~90 seconds during playtests; FTUE completion ↑ and errors ↓ after tutorial tweaks; parents reported clearer mood language at home.

My impact:
Led research synthesis, IA/flows, wireframes → prototypes, playtests, and shipped two Unity mini-games + mood monitor.

Phase 1- Problem, Goals, Success Measures

01. Problem statement

Kids with anxiety, and many neurodivergent kids, need practiced, accessible tools to downshift arousal quickly. Existing kid apps either entertain or instruct, but few coach in the moment with short, repeatable exercises and clear body/feeling labels.

02. Product goals

Teach and reinforce box breathing in < 2 minutes.

Build the habit: short sessions (2–4 min), daily.

Help kids identify & label feelings without judgment.

03. Success metrics

Time-to-calm (guided cycle to visible calm feedback) ≤ 90 sec.
First-session completion (FTUE) ≥ 85%.
Breathing pace adherence (staying with the 4-4-4-4 pattern) ≥ 80% by session 2.
Mood-label accuracy (kid label aligns with parent observation) ↑ over 2 weeks.
Day-7 return rate ≥ 35% for families who complete FTUE.
SUS score ≥ 80 from parents; Child ease (smiley scale) ≥ 4/5.

Phase 2 — Research

04. Participants & Methods

Participants

Kids (6–12): early readers + neurodivergent + neurotypical (n≈8–12).
Caregivers: parents/guardians (n≈6–10).
Experts: 2–3 teachers/therapists for quick reviews.

Methods

Parent interviews (30 min): meltdown triggers, boundaries, privacy needs.
Kid playtests (15–20 min): mood check-in → 1 guided breath cycle → 1 mini-game.
Short survey (n≈20): icon/language prefs, ideal session length.
Heuristic review: children’s apps (safety, readability, navigation norms).

05. Measures (what we tracked)

FTUE completion %
Time-to-calm (sec)
Breathing adherence % (kept 4-4-4-4 pace)
UI errors/mis-taps
Parent SUS (0–100)
Kid ease (1–5 smiley)
Return intent (Y/N + why)

06. Protocol (kid session)

Pick a mood.
Follow box-breathing coach (one cycle).
Play one mini-game.
Quick debrief: hardest/easiest, one change.

07. Top Insights (headline only)

Less reading, more cues.
Numbers = stress for some; use visual progress.
2–4 min loop works best.
Privacy first; local mood trends for caregivers.
Two modes: Low-Stim (reduced motion/sound) and Assist (stronger cues).

08. Foundational Research Results

FTUE Completion:

Baseline 78% → Iter1 85% → Iter2 90% → Final 94% after simplifying tutorial and adding voice prompts.

PP Prototype

Time-to-Calm:

Median dropped from 122s → 98s → 88s by Session 3.

Adherence:

Kids maintained the 4-4-4-4 pace 70% → 78% → 86%.

UI Errors:
Errors per task fell 5.2 → 3.7 → 2.6 → 1.9 with larger tap targets and fewer choices per screen.

Satisfaction:
Parents SUS 82/100, kid ease 4.4/5

What each metric is

SUS (System Usability Scale) — a standard 10-question survey for adults (strongly disagree → strongly agree).
- Score 82 ≈ “Excellent” usability (roughly top quartile of products).
- Interprets overall ease, confidence, and learnability from the parent/caregiver view (setup, controls, clarity, no dead ends).
Kid Ease (smiley scale 1–5) — a simple child-friendly rating after play (“How easy was it?”).
- 4.4/5 ≈ 88% positive; kids generally found it easy and enjoyable.

Phase 3 — IA & User Flows

09. App IA

Home → Mood Check-in → Game Select→ Mini-Game
Mini-Games (grid of 4) → Play → Reward → Back to Home
Settings → Mood Log (local) • Screen-Time • Audio • Accessibility (Low-Stim, Assist)
About/Help (1 screen: how box breathing works + privacy note)

Design rule: One screen = one decision. No dead ends; always “Back” and “Pause”.

10. Primary Flow (FTUE loop)

Home: Tap “Let’s Start”
Mood: Pick face (😟 😐 🙂) → Tap “I feel…”
Coach: Follow 4-4-4-4 box (voice + progress path) → “Great job!”
Mini-Game Select: 4 tiles → tap one
Mini-Game: Win → soft confetti + “Collect calm badge”
Return: Back to Home or “Breathe again”

Success checkpoint: Reaches “Great job!” within ≤ 90s.

Home: Single clear CTA to reduce choice load.

11. Mini-Game Flow

Grid → Game → Win/Retry → Badge → Back to Grid
Session cap: ~2–4 min; suggest “One more breath?” on exit.

Game : 4 choices max to keep session short and decisive.

12. Settings Flow (For Adults)

Settings →
- Mood Log (local): week chart
- Screen-Time: week chart
- Audio: music / SFX sliders, voice on/off
- Accessibility: Low-Stim (reduced motion/contrast boost), Assist (stronger cues)

Settings: Local-only trends; privacy-first for families.

Phase 4 — Design Evolution

12. Paper → Low-Fi → Hi-Fi

We iterated from quick paper sketches to grayscale wireframes before committing to color and characters. The biggest win came from replacing numeric timers with a visual progress path and voice prompts—kids completed the first breath more often and reached calm faster. Reducing choices (single CTA on Home, four-tile game grid) shortened sessions to the 2–4 minute target. Accessibility and privacy shaped defaults: local-only trends, Low-Stim visuals, and optional Assist cues.

Paper Brainstorming

Home + Login (early idea)
- I explored a traditional login gate. We cut accounts for COPPA/privacy and replaced this with a single “Let’s Start” to lower friction.

Home (simplified)
- One clear CTA + sound/settings icons. This “one screen = one decision” pattern became the app’s baseline.

Mood Picker — words first (exploration)
- List of emotion words (“Happy, Angry, Scared…”). Kids hesitated to read; decision time was slow.

Mood Picker — faces first (kept)
- Emoji faces with “I feel…” prompt. Kids chose faster and more confidently; words remain secondary for caregivers.

Breathing Coach — box path (kept, refined)
- Early sketch shows a box with arrows and a Start button. We evolved this into a visual progress path + soft corner tones to avoid timer anxiety.

Mini-Game Select (kept, reduced choices)
- Initial grid concept for quick play after the breath. We standardized art and capped to 4 tiles to keep sessions under 4 minutes.

Mini-Game — infinity trace (exploration)
- A tracing loop that matches inhale/exhale pacing. Useful for rhythm practice; we balanced feedback to stay calm, not hype.

Low-Fi Wireframes & Prototype

Start Screen (Adults) — “Let’s Start!”

Single clear CTA reduces choice load and gets kids into the calming loop fast. Cloud avatar reinforces friendly tone. Gear icon = quick access to Grownups settings.

Mood Picker (Adults) — “I feel…”

Three big face buttons (angry / neutral / happy) with the “I feel…” prompt. Faces first for early readers; words come later in the flow if needed. One tap → coach.

Games Grid — Mini-games

2×3 tile layout, capped at four active choices per session to keep play under 4 minutes. Right-side emotion rail reminds kids to check in again after playing.

Grownups (Settings/Dashboard)

Four simple areas:
- Mood Tracking: local log (date → mood) for trends without accounts.
- Screen Time: weekly view to keep sessions short and healthy.
- Audio: music/SFX sliders; voice prompts on/off.
- Settings: tutorials, gameplay aids (Low-Stim / Assist).
  “Back to Games” returns to kid mode with one tap.

High-Fi Wireframes & Prototype

What you’ll see
A polished, kid-friendly flow: Start → Mood → Mini-Games → Reward. Visuals are low-stim by default with optional voice cues and gentle haptics.

Why it matters

Faces first, words second helps early readers choose feelings faster.
Visual box path replaces numeric timers to reduce anxiety.
One screen = one decision keeps sessions inside the 2–4 minute target.
Privacy-first: no accounts; mood trends stay on device.

Try this path
Tap Let’s Start → pick a face → follow the box breathing coach → choose any mini-game. After a win, you’ll see a calm badge and a nudge to Breathe Again.

Accessibility highlights
Low-Stim mode (reduced motion/boosted contrast) and Assist mode (stronger audio/tactile cues). All feedback is color-agnostic with icons + labels.

Mini-Games

Mini-Game 1 — Calm Circuit (Box Trace)

Goal: keep your finger on the box path as the coach guides 4-4-4-4 breathing.
How it teaches: the path moves at a calm pace; staying with it reinforces cadence + patience.
Success: smooth trace with corner pauses → soft confetti + calm badge.
Designed for: short wins in under 90 seconds.

Mini-Game 2 — Infinity Drift (Figure-8 Flow)

Goal: trace a gentle ∞ loop while the cloud counts each corner.
How it teaches: inhale on the first curve, hold, exhale on the second, hold—mapping breath to motion.
Success: complete three loops with steady pacing → badge + “One more breath?” prompt.
Designed for: rhythm practice without numbers (no timer pressure).

Why games at all?

Play repeats the skill. Short wins build confidence, and every round quietly practices the same breathing pattern, so kids can use it when feelings spike.

What to look for

Calm animations, no flashing or countdown stressors.
Minimal HUD: only progress + success state.
Loads quickly; works full screen on desktop and mobile.

Phase 5 — Prototypes & Playtests

13. Test Goals

Validate the FTUE loop (Start → Mood → Coach → Mini-game).
Reduce time-to-calm and UI errors.
Confirm faces-first mood selection and visual path coaching.

14. Tasks (kids)

Start the app and pick how you feel.
Complete one box-breathing cycle.
Play one mini-game and finish a round.
Tell us one thing you’d change.

15. Measures

FTUE completion %
Time-to-calm (sec)
Breathing adherence % (kept 4-4-4-4)
UI errors/mis-taps
Kid ease (1–5) and Return intent (Y/N)

16. Participants

Kids 6–12: n=12 (mixed reading levels; ND & NT).
Caregivers: n=10 (observed + SUS survey).

17. Findings → Changes → Impact

What Stuck (kept)

One screen = one decision
Faces before words
Visual path coaching (no numeric timer)

What We Dropped

Login/account screen
Six-tile game grid
Flashy rewards (replaced with soft affirmations)

Quotes

Kid (9): “The cloud tells me when to turn.”
Parent: “No account is a relief—I can still see the mood trend.”
Kid (7): “I like the happy/sad faces. It’s faster.”

Playtests confirmed that low-stim visuals and faces-first choices reduce friction for early readers. Replacing numeric timers with a visual path cut median time-to-calm by ~20% and improved first-time success. With larger tap targets and a four-tile game grid, most sessions stayed inside the 2–4 minute goal. Parents rated usability 82/100 SUS, and kids reported 4.4/5 ease, aligning with our accessibility and privacy goals.

Phase 6 — Results & Metrics

18. Summary

We improved first-time success and reduced stress signals by simplifying choices and replacing numeric timers with a visual breathing path. In playtests, FTUE completion rose to 94%, median time-to-calm dropped to 88s, adherence to the 4-4-4-4 cadence increased, UI errors fell, and satisfaction stayed high for both caregivers (SUS 82/100) and kids (ease 4.4/5).

19. Key wins

Conclusion

BoxBuddy turned a complex self-regulation skill into a short, repeatable loop kids actually use. By replacing wordy menus and numeric timers with faces-first choices and a visual breathing path, we cut friction at every step: FTUE reached 94%, median time-to-calm fell to 88s, adherence climbed, and UI errors dropped. Caregivers rated usability 82/100 (SUS) and kids reported 4.4/5 ease—evidence that the experience is both trustworthy for adults and approachable for children. Privacy stayed first-class (no accounts; local mood trends), and accessibility is built-in with Low-Stim and Assist modes.

Bottom line: a calming tool kids can start in seconds, finish in minutes, and remember when it matters.

Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to explore this case study. For a deeper dive into my artistic journey and to view more of my creations, please 'Read More"