Disney x Byjus Early Learn
How do you design learning games for kids who can't read?
edtech
|
10 Mn+ downloads
|
300+ games
The Disney × BYJU'S G123 product worked for grades 1–3. Extending it to Pre-K and Kindergarten meant redesigning for users who couldn't read instructions, couldn't navigate text menus, and needed to learn entirely through voice, character, and play.
Role
Lead UX Designer
Timeline
9 Months
Team
60-person cross-functional
Platform
Tablet & Mobile
NUMBERS ON THE BOARD
71 min
avg daily time per student
500k
downloads in the first month · India launch
1700+
cities reached · India, USA & Canada ·
85%
annual subscription renewal rate
CONTeXT
300+ gamified learning experiences across Math and English, designed specifically for pre-readers and early learners (PK/KG)
Disney × BYJU'S launched Early Learn in June 2019, initially for grades 1–3. Following the G123 release, the team set out to extend it to Pre-K and Kindergarten (children aged 3–6) while directly addressing the gaps the earlier product revealed.
Scope
Game UX · Design System · Storyboard
Markets
India (launched) · USA · Canada (scaled)
Constraint
Designing for a cognitive stage where reading, & sustained attention don't exist yet
JUMP TO SOLUTION
What we found
The brief said "adapt." The audit said: this is a complete rethink.
Auditing 150 G123 games with observational research across 40 children revealed four structural problems , and they weren’t solvable with visual polish alone.
Layout fatigue
Overwhelming screen information and single-styled, monotonous layouts failed to hold the attention of children with shorter spans.
Engagement vs education
Lengthy, over-exaggerated storylines were causing cognitive overload rather than teaching.
Parents couldn't explain what their child had learned
The experience felt like entertainment. Screen-time guilt was driving cancellations & learning was invisible to the person paying for it.
Curveball
Mid-project, the brief changed twice.
Disney wanted to scale IPs faster
Adding more characters meant IP-specific colour systems would never keep up. The category-based system wasn't the original plan — it became necessary to survive the pipeline at scale.
BYJU'S decided to expand to mobile
The product launched tablet-first. Mid-project, mobile (Android + iOS) was added to scope. Every layout decision had to be revisited for portrait orientation and smaller thumb interaction zones.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Learning & Testing
We split games into Learning Stage (explore) and Testing Stage (demonstrate)—building confidence before assessment.
explore, then assess
single-mode
Voice-First, Visual-Led Storytelling
For pre-readers aged 3-5, we shifted to voice-driven character dialogue with visual demonstrations.
voice + visual demo
only text
Tap & drag based interactions
Two distinct layout systems: selection (tap), & manipulation (drag) because a 4-year-old's motor precision changes how you use screen real estate.
interaction-specific layouts
one canvas fits all
Thematic design system
Once Disney scaled to 35+ IPs from 19, we consolidated the system into 6 thematic categories making it possible to ship 300+ games.
6 thematic categories
19 IP-libraries
How might we design learning experiences for pre-readers where every interaction is felt, not read?
CHARACTER based Intros/Outros
Learn with short, easy-to-understand dialogues from beloved Disney characters. They’ll guide you through every step, making learning as fun as a magical adventure!
PLAY, LEARN , SHINE!
Math and English concepts embedded inside Disney storylines. The story pulls the child forward; the learning happens inside it.
Hint System
Help that feels like part of the game, not an interruption to it.
Designing for one age group taught me how differently "accessible" reads across a 3-year range.
I'd push harder on accessibility from day one. Early learners aged 3–6 have the widest variance in motor skills, attention, and cognitive development of any age group. The tap and drag interactions worked for most kids in our play tests but "most kids" isn't good enough when you're reaching a million students. I'd build accessibility testing into the first sprint.
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