Case 1 - Árvore | Danieli Cordesco

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PokeÁrvore is a gamified feature designed for the Árvore Livros platform, transforming reading into a collaborative journey through challenges, AI-driven feedback, and family involvement.

Developed through research and rapid prototyping, the solution earned 2nd place in the hackathon 🏆

6. Results

This case was developed in collaboration with my teammates:
Anna Mendes | Cínthia Cantu | Fernanda Saba | Samanta de Araújo

Some images in this case are in Portuguese and are included for illustrative purposes. All key information and context are fully explained in English throughout the text.

1. THE PROBLEM

During Mega Hack Women, Árvore Livros challenged participants to explore how technology could support family engagement in children’s reading activities within remote and hybrid learning environments.

Context

During the COVID-19 pandemic, education shifted to fully or partially remote formats, significantly changing children’s learning routines and redefining the role of families in supporting school activities.

Problem 

Families with children aged 5 to 9 struggled to maintain engagement in reading activities, particularly outside the school environment and without continuous teacher mediation.

Impact 

Low engagement negatively affected the development of reading habits, children’s autonomy, and active family participation in the educational process.

Opportunity

To explore technology-driven solutions capable of transforming reading into a playful, collaborative, and accessible experience, strengthening the connection between schools, families, and students — even at a distance.

2. EXPLORATION

To broaden perspectives and diverge, we began by mapping hypotheses using the CSD framework (Certainties, Assumptions, and Doubts). We then conducted desk research on the relationship between children, smartphones, and reading habits in Brazil, mapped key stakeholders, and defined the guiding research questions that shaped our research plan.

Desk Research – Key Findings

Through desk research, we identified the following insights:

Children enjoy watching videos (especially YouTube) on their smartphones;
They prefer spending their free time interacting with friends;
50% of children aged 7 to 9 own a smartphone;
Most children aged 4 to 6 use their parents’ or guardians’ smartphones;
Brazil ranks 63rd out of 70 countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA);
Children who use Árvore’s solutions read more than twice the national average.

To further refine and narrow our knowledge scope, we conducted a quantitative survey with parents and guardians using the following approach:

Objective: To collect data on the educational habits of children aged 5 to 9 and understand the role and influence of families in those habits.
Method: A structured questionnaire with 10 multiple-choice questions.
Execution: Using Google Forms, we recruited voluntary participants through online communities of parents and guardians.
Data Collection Period: 3 days, totaling 75 valid responses.

Key Findings

Insights About Parents and Guardians:

69.6% of respondents were mothers;

51.8% were working fully remotely;

Most parents or guardians were able to support their children with school tasks for only 1 to 2 hours per day.

Insights About Children:

Children showed greater interest in educational content when they were discussing tasks, actively completing them, and/or listening to stories;

41.1% of respondents were responsible for children who could not yet read but enjoyed listening to stories;

85.7% reported that children were studying remotely at the time.

3. DEFINITION

Based on insights gathered during the exploration phase, we developed two personas and mapped their respective job stories to better define user needs and opportunities.

Based on insights from the exploration phase and the identified persona needs, we conducted a broad ideation session, gathering all proposals into a structured parking lot. We then collectively prioritized the solution that demonstrated the strongest alignment with user needs and the highest feasibility within the hackathon timeframe.

Among all the ideas explored, the selected solution stood out for comprehensively addressing the key needs identified in the personas while remaining viable within the project constraints. The proposal balanced engagement, implementation simplicity, and alignment with Árvore Livros’ strategic goals.

The solution integrates a gamified experience into the Árvore app, allowing students to create a nickname and a character to participate in reading challenges proposed by schools and families. As they complete challenges, students earn points, evolve their characters, and engage in playful interactions with peers, reinforcing reading habits through collaboration.

4. IDEATION

With the core idea defined, we moved forward by refining business rules and designing both user flows and AI agent interactions. Based on these flows, we developed low-fidelity wireframes to bring the experience to life and validate key assumptions.

In this case study, I present a summary of the main flows and practical examples of core user jobs. Click here to access the complete wireframe documentation.

Flow 1 — Creating Reading Challenges
Reading challenges can be created by schools, parents or guardians, and peers. Selected book excerpts serve as the foundation for practicing oral reading skills.

Flow 2 — Student Onboarding into the Gamified Experience
Students access the gamification platform, create a nickname and a character, and register their parents’ or guardians’ WhatsApp numbers. From that point on, they can receive and complete reading challenges.

Flow 3 — Learner Completing a Challenge

Students record their reading, which is analyzed by an AI system. After completion, they receive automated feedback and points based on performance, along with motivational messages.

When needed, learners can request support from a “Master Student” — a peer with higher scores and experience — while maintaining anonymity for both participants.

Flow 4 — Master Student Support
The Master Student assists by recording the same challenge excerpt using their own voice. The audio is then shared with the learner, allowing them to compare readings and progressively improve their performance.

Flow 5 — Character Duels
Points accumulated through reading and peer support allow students to use their characters in playful duels with classmates. Increased engagement in reading and mentoring leads to higher scores and character evolution.

Flow 6 — Parent and Guardian Updates

On a weekly basis, up to three parents or guardians receive performance reports via WhatsApp, including achievement notifications or alerts when performance falls below expectations.