Portfolio Case Study

Children Stuttering Training CompanionTM

Oct, 2025-Jan, 2026

A soft interactive companion and app system designed to help children who stutter practice speech training at home with lower anxiety, more consistent routines, and gentle progress feedback.

Project
Overview

The project explores how a physical companion and a parent-facing app can work together as a calmer, more approachable home-practice system.

Role

UX Research / App Design / Product Design / Physical Prototyping

Tools

Figma / Arduino / Physical Model / User Interview

Focus

Stuttering Training / Child-Friendly CBT / Parent Support / Home Practice

UX Research App Design Product Design Physical Prototyping

Background

Stuttering is not only a speech fluency issue. It can include repetition, prolongation, and speech blocks that interrupt speaking and make everyday communication feel unpredictable.

For children, the experience can also involve avoidance, embarrassment, body tension, and anticipatory anxiety before speaking situations.

Current treatment often depends on clinical sessions and repeated home practice. Families need tools that make practice feel consistent, emotionally safe, and easier for parent support.

User
Research

Research showed that pressure changes the speaking experience. Public speaking, phone calls, meetings, and presentations can increase anxiety and avoidance.

User Observation

Children may show tension, lip trembling, hesitation, and difficulty starting sounds. The social environment often shapes how difficult a speaking moment feels.

"I want tools that reduce the anxiety of anticipating my stutter, not only correct my speech."

Persona

Daniel represents a school-age child who needs private, low-pressure training and clearer feedback for parent-supported practice.

Persona

Daniel

Profile

8 years old
Diagnosed since primary school

Symptoms

  • Anxiety before speaking
  • Lip trembling
  • Tension under pressure

Needs

  • Guided practice
  • Private, low-pressure training
  • Affordable support
  • Progress feedback for parents

Key
Insights

The strongest design opportunity was connecting emotional comfort with practical training structure.

Insight 01

Stuttering support is emotional, not only technical.

Children need tools that help them feel calmer before speaking, not just tools that measure fluency.

Insight 02

Parents need lightweight progress feedback.

Parents want to understand whether training is working, but too much data can make the system feel clinical and stressful.

Insight 03

Practice needs to feel approachable.

A soft physical companion can make repeated training feel less like therapy and more like a daily routine.

Insight 04

The system needs to connect child comfort with parent guidance.

The physical product supports the child emotionally, while the app helps parents manage training routines and progress.

Design
Direction

The final direction became a two-part system: a parent-facing app and a child-facing physical companion.

Parent-facing App

Structure and guidance

  • Training data
  • Reminders
  • Goal settings
  • Privacy settings
Child-facing Physical Companion

Comfort and feedback

  • Soft plush texture
  • Smile screen
  • Breathing light cue
  • Squeeze button
  • Gentle feedback
  • Daily training support

App
Design

Large app mockups are shown on a pure white background and kept exactly as provided.

Product Settings

Connection status and training plan screens help parents prepare the practice routine.

Product connection and training plan app screens
Product connection and customizable training plan screens

Data Summary

Daily and monthly views help parents understand practice consistency and progress patterns.

Training data app screens
Training data, reminder, and progress views

Development

The physical prototype combines screen feedback, Arduino-based sensing, a soft body, and a detachable base for daily home practice.

Prototype development with screen feedback and Arduino hardware
Screen feedback and Arduino hardware development

Product
Design

The product photography is shown as a clean gallery without changing the robot, app screen, hand, cable, lighting, base, or background inside the photo.

The final prototype combines a soft plush companion with a parent-facing mobile app. The device gives children gentle emotional feedback through a smile screen, light cue, and tactile button, while the app supports training setup, progress tracking, appointment booking, and calming resources.

Soft companion pressure button interaction
Training plan app used with the physical companion Soft companion prototype on base
Training data app used with the physical companion
Soft companion, pressure button interaction, and app-supported practice setup