SymbolStory is an innovative web app designed for child therapists to easily create Social Stories—a clinically proven method to help children with learning difficulties, such as autism. The app enables the creation of fully customizable stories tailored to each child’s needs in just minutes, a feat made possible through the integration of AI, overcoming limitations of previous methods.

I crafted an intuitive user experience to ensure that therapists could easily navigate the platform and create custom Social Stories efficiently.

Utilizing advanced technologies in an environment not typically oriented toward tech presents several challenges:

Persona — Our primary users are child therapists and their assistants, who do not regularly engage with technology or web applications. Therefore, creating a highly intuitive and accessible user experience is essential.

Technology — AI, particularly in image generation, is still in its early stages of development. We need to anticipate and accommodate potential flaws and limitations in its current form.

A comprehensive design system was developed with clear, easy-to-understand tokens and Figma components. Understanding the volunteer nature of the project, and the likelihood of working with multiple developers and other designers, I made sure to document all components thoroughly. This ensures seamless integration for any new team members joining the project.

To ensure seamless system growth and scalability, I focused on establishing key system patterns, particularly in terms of structural hierarchy and navigation. These foundational elements were essential to create a consistent and intuitive user experience. By defining a clear organizational structure, we enabled future features and content to be easily integrated without disrupting the overall design. This approach not only supports the app’s current functionality but also allows for smooth expansion as the project evolves, ensuring long-term sustainability in both user experience and system architecture.

After defining the structure, we shifted our focus to prototyping and implementing individual features. In parallel, we researched various AI API solutions to meet our personalization requirements. As a result, at the current stage of development, SymbolStory can generate consistent child characters and adapt to different cognitive abilities, offering a more tailored experience for each user.