Overview (Snapshot)
Suana is a mobile app designed to support children with cognitive disabilities in building independence through structured daily routines. Caregivers often struggle with tracking progress and providing consistent guidance. Suana bridges this gap by offering simple, accessible, and personalized task flows for children while enabling caregivers to monitor progress.
Impact (prototype stage):
70% of children completed assigned tasks without repeated caregiver intervention.
Caregivers reported reduced stress and better visibility into child progress.
Project Overview
Problem Statement
Children with accessibility needs have far lower independence in daily routines: only 4% can cook without assistance, and over 48% require help with basic self-care like bathing. Nearly half of schools lack adequate accessibility infrastructure, and most caregivers must frequently step in, limiting children's confidence and autonomy.
Potential Solution
An accessible, gamified, multi-task app that guides children through daily activities with step-by-step visual, audio, and animated instructions, tailored to varying abilities, while minimizing caregiver intervention.
Independence challenges
The following statistics demonstrate the critical need for accessible independence tools like Suana, highlighting the challenges faced by children with disabilities worldwide and the opportunity to empower them.
Complex Tasks
Only 4% of children with disabilities can perform complex tasks like cooking without assistance.
Basic Self-Care
Nearly 48% require help with basic self-care like bathing.
Early Care
Children with disabilities are 24% less likely to receive early care that supports independence.
Caregiver Burden
Caregivers face high emotional and physical burdens supporting daily activities.
The problem we are solving
Heavy caregiver reliance
Children with accessibility needs often depend on caregivers for simple routines like brushing teeth or getting dressed.
Limited teaching time
Parents have busy schedules with little time for repeated hands-on instruction of daily tasks.
Fragmented solutions
Existing apps focus on single tasks and still require constant caregiver supervision to be effective.
What we are building
Suana combines gentle guidance with playful motivation to help children master daily routines independently. Our comprehensive approach grows with each child's abilities.
Visual step guidance
Clear visuals, audio cues, and gentle animations guide children through each task at their own pace.
Progressive independence
Smart prompting system gradually reduces assistance as children build confidence and skills.
Playful motivation
Stickers, badges, and customizable avatars celebrate achievements and encourage continued learning.
Caregiver insights
Simple dashboard shows progress, allows customization, and helps families track independence milestones.
Target Audience
Primary
Children aged 2–10 with accessibility needs, including:
Neurodiverse children (autism, ADHD, cognitive delays)
Children with mobility or sensory impairments
Secondary
Parents and caregivers seeking tools to reduce dependency while supporting independence.
Tertiary
Special education teachers, therapists, and inclusive schools using digital tools to reinforce daily living skills.
Global Potential
120–150 million children worldwide in the 2–10 age group.
Competitor Analysis
We analyzed apps like Avaz AAC, Choiceworks, Brili Routines, and KidHabits. While they provided structured tasks, most lacked:
Independent navigation (needed caregiver setup).
Accessibility-first UI.
Engaging storytelling to make mundane tasks interesting.
Design Thinking Process
1
Empathize
Desk Research, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Competitor Analysis
2
Define
User Persona, Empathy Mapping, User Journey Mapping
3
Ideate
Task Flow, Site Map, Paper Sketches
4
Design
Lo-Fi Wireframes, Style Guide, Visual Screens (Hi-Fi)
5
Testing
Usability Testing, Iteration
User Research
Interviews with parents
revealed frustration about lack of time to guide children in life skills.
Surveys
confirmed the gap: most parents wanted safe, structured digital support but didn’t trust existing apps fully.
Observation of children with accessibility needs
showed heavy reliance on caregivers for even basic tasks.
Research & Discovery
1.
Interviews with working parents highlighted time scarcity and the emotional stress of dependency.
3.
Competitive review showed apps exist for specific activities, but none offer a comprehensive, independence-first platform.
2.
Observations revealed that children responded best to simple cues, repetition, and playful guidance..
User Personas
Child Learner
(6–10 yrs)
Curious, needs repetition, easily distracted.
Parent
(Working Professional)
Time-poor, seeks trustworthy tools to support child’s growth.
Child with Accessibility Needs
Requires clear navigation, supportive visuals, and reduced cognitive load.
Journey Mapping
Mapped parent and child journeys
From caregiver-guided tasks → to step-by-step digital prompts → to independent completion with reduced support.
Design Exploration
Card Sorting & Sketches
Broke tasks into small, clear steps.
UI Design
Friendly colors, high contrast, playful illustrations, but accessibility-tested.
Wireframes
Focused on simple navigation, large clickable areas, icons paired with text.
Usability Testing (Current Phase)
Iterated with children and parents. Clear improvements were seen in navigation success and reduced caregiver support.
Design Approach
Simplified step screens with icons, voice prompts, and progress cues.
Gamification with badges and stickers to encourage consistency.
Caregiver dashboard for customization and progress tracking.
Built using semantic HTML, ARIA roles, keyboard navigation, high-contrast UI, ensuring accessibility from the start.
Compliance & Accessibility Guidelines
Suana follows WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA):Perceivable
High contrast, text + icons, audio descriptions.
Operable
Full keyboard navigation, large touch targets.
Understandable
Plain language, consistent flows, feedback for every action.
Robust
Compatible with assistive tech like screen readers.
Lo- Fi Ui Solution
Usability Testing (Current Phase)
Conducted initial testing with 3 families.
Early insights:
Children engaged well with visual + audio prompts.
Parents appreciated the dashboard and reduction in repeated instruction.
Navigation was clear, though some onboarding steps felt too text heavy—this will be refined in the next design sprint.
What caregivers and teachers said
"My daughter now gets ready for school with confidence. She even reminds me when I forget steps in my own routine!"
"Suana has transformed our classroom independence. Now he take ownership of his self-care tasks and get success as well."
Key Learnings
1. Simplicity wins
children responded best to fewer steps and playful cues.
2. Caregiver involvement can decrease
over time if independence is built gradually.
3. Accessibility design choices benefit everyone
even siblings without disabilities found the app fun and easy to use.
Next Steps
- Expand usability testing to screen reader users, non-verbal children, and different cultural contexts.
- Build a beta version with extended activity library.
- Establish partnerships with inclusive schools and therapy centers.
- Prepare for seed funding to support full development, AI-powered personalization, and international rollout.
Global Potential
An estimated 240 million children worldwide live with disabilities, and millions more need support with self-learning due to parental time constraints.
Market Gap
No existing daily activity app fully integrates independence-building + accessibility-first design.
Projected Benefits
Reduced caregiver burden
Increased child confidence and skill adoption
Opportunity to scale into schools and therapy centers
Suana is more than an app. It is a step toward digital independence, equity, and dignity for children with accessibility needs.
What Suana means ?
Suana comes from the Japanese word meaning "burrow" or "nesting hole." Just like a nest provides safety and warmth for growth, our app creates a secure space where children can develop independence at their own pace.
The name symbolizes the psychological safety children need to explore, learn, and build confidence in their daily routines.
