A Gamified SEL App
FeelZoo is an interactive mobile app designed to help children ages 5-10 develop their social-emotional learning (SEL) skills based on the CASEL framework. Intended for classroom use, the app provides teachers and school counselors with an engaging tool to guide young learners through the development of essential SEL competencies.
FeelZoo is aligned with the five core competencies of the CASEL framework. Activities were created to address each of the competencies to ensure a holistic approach to SEL development.
Learning Theories Applied
Behaviorism
FeelZoo uses reinforcement and rewards to support learning. Learners complete activities to unlock new animals and earn coins, which they spend to build habitats for their animals—keeping them motivated and engaged.
Cognitivism
The app helps learners develop social interaction skills by observing characters express emotions and practicing responses. This aligns with Bandura’s social cognitive theory, focusing on observational learning and self-regulation.
Constructivism
FeelZoo promotes active learning through interaction and reflection, allowing learners to build their understanding. This approach aligns with Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories, where experience and social interaction drive meaningful growth.
FeelZoo addresses the growing concern of underdeveloped social-emotional skills in children, which can negatively impact their learning and overall well-being. With limited SEL instruction in schools and homes, the app provides a focused resource for teachers and school counselors to support SEL development.
Learner Personas
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Learning Goals
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Remember: Learners will identify and name different emotions (e.g., happy, sad, angry) using emoji icons in the app.
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Understand: Learners will explain how different strategies can help them manage their emotions.
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Apply: Learners will select an emoji that represents how they feel at the moment and record it in a journal feature.
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Analyze: Learners will sort scenarios into emotional categories and explain their choices.
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Evaluate: Learners will evaluate character emotions in stories and explain their reasoning.
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Create: Learners will develop a story illustrating how a character uses coping strategies to handle challenges.
Assessment Types
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Formative Assessment: Real-time feedback through progress tracking and rewards helps assess a learner’s engagement and emotional growth. Teachers can use this data to adjust teaching strategies.
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Summative Assessment: Future iterations could include end-of-module reflections or quizzes where learners demonstrate their emotional regulation skills and understanding of concepts.
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Confirmative Assessment: The app collects feedback from teachers and counselors to assess its impact on learners'' social-emotional development within the classroom. Additionally, parents are encouraged to observe and report instances where learners apply the SEL skills learned through the app in real-life situations, such as resolving conflicts with peers or expressing their emotions effectively.
Scaffolding
Sensemaking
Learners recognize and interpret emotions through interactive stories and animated characters that make abstract feelings more relatable. It also presents emotions with visuals and text to give learners different ways to engage with emotional expressions.
Process Management
The app organizes the process into structured steps that guide learners from identifying emotions to applying regulation strategies. Interactive activities such as games, role-play, and breathing exercises create engaging ways for learners to explore and manage feelings.
Articulation & Reflection
Self-reflection is fostered through progress tracking via badges and milestones. Additionally, a personalized journal provides learners with the opportunity to record and express their emotions daily, supporting the development of greater self-awareness.
Design Process
App Highlights
Core Features
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Mood Buddies: Interactive activities that help learners identify and manage emotions based on the CASEL framework.
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Rewards System: Learners earn coins by completing activities by using them to unlock new characters and buy in-app items while encouraging engagement through extrinsic motivation.
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Progress Tracker: Learners can track their growth in different SEL areas and receive positive reinforcement through feedback and rewards.
SEL Development through Engagement
The app incorporates Self-Determination Theory, emphasizing:
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Autonomy: Learners can choose activities that interest them, which fosters ownership of their learning.
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Belonging: By providing opportunities for learners to develop social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, it helps them build stronger social connections and feel valued within their classroom and community.
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Competence: The progress tracker and positive feedback help learners feel a sense of achievement by boosting motivation.
Accessibility Considerations
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Typography: Clear, legible fonts with appropriate text sizes for readability.
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Readability: Simple language to accommodate younger readers.
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Multimedia: Captions for audio and video content to support learners with hearing impairments or language barriers.
The potential impact of FeelZoo can be significant. By focusing on SEL at a young age, the app has the power to improve children’s emotional well-being, social interactions, and academic success.
Future Improvements
App Development
FeelZoo is currently in its concept phase, with ongoing refinement through valuable feedback from users and experts. The goal is to create an engaging and personalized experience for learners at various developmental stages.
Grade-Specific Options
Offer tailored options for each grade level, ensuring that activities are appropriately designed for different developmental milestones. Each activity will include different levels of difficulty, providing a progression that grows with the learner’s abilities.
Learner Expansion
Expand app to middle and high school students, providing a broader scope for older learners. Additionally, introduce a parent dashboard, allowing families to track their child’s progress and stay connected to their learning journey.
UX / UI Considerations
FeelZoo’s UX design emphasizes minimal cognitive load, ensuring intuitive navigation and clear affordances that help learners interact effortlessly. By implementing consistent design patterns and natural touch interactions, the interface fosters usability and engagement. Gamification, character-driven experiences, and multisensory elements enhance motivation, while accessibility features—such as strategic color psychology, optimized typography, and audio-visual support—promote inclusivity. A scaffolded learning framework provides structured progression, immediate feedback, and error-handling that encourages exploration without frustration. These UX principles create a seamless, developmentally aligned digital experience that supports emotional learning.
Additional Context
This project was developed as part of a graduate course on learning technologies. While formal roles were not assigned within the group, I naturally took on a leadership role, as I was the only team member with familiarity in LXD, UX/UI, and childhood development.In this capacity,
I guided the design process from start to finish, coordinating a team of four, managing timelines, and integrating all design elements cohesively. I also designed all the visual assets for the course version of the project and created a set of cohesive assets for my portfolio to maintain a unified and professional aesthetic throughout.
