Saksham

Introduction

Designing for neurodiversity in
Indian education.

During an interview for this project, an educator in India told me something I couldn't stop thinking about: "I have 40 students and no tools. I know some of them learn differently, but all I can do is teach the same way and hope for the best." That sentence became the emotional foundation for everything I designed.

My role: Sole designer and researcher. I independently drove every phase of this project: research strategy, user interviews, interaction design, high-fidelity prototyping, and usability testing. I also authored the published research paper (TAGA Journal 2026).

In India, over 5 million children with learning disabilities like dyslexia, ADHD, and autism face a system that wasn't built for them. Tools don't adapt to their cognition, interfaces overwhelm instead of support, and stigma means many go undiagnosed entirely.

Problem Statement

How might we create an experience that adapts to each learner's cognitive style?

I audited the tools these students actually use: Byju's, Duolingo, and government e-learning apps. Not a single major platform in India offered cognitive adaptation for neurodiverse learners. The apps were designed for a "default" student: fast-paced, visually dense, text-heavy. For a child with dyslexia, these interfaces don't just fail to help; they create anxiety.

The challenge became clear: design an educational experience that adapts to each learner's cognitive style, while promoting independence and confidence, not just learning outcomes.

Research

The research that changed
what I thought I was designing.

I went in thinking I was designing a learning app. After interviewing educators, parents, and accessibility experts, I realized I was designing a way for children to feel capable. Every parent described the same pattern: their child wasn't struggling with the content. They were struggling with the interface.

Meet the Users

I created personas based on real interviews to ground every design decision in human experience.

Published Research

This research culminated in my paper, "Designing for Neurodiversity: Accessibility in Educational Technology for India's Future Learners," published on Cal Poly's Digital Commons and in Cal Poly's TAGA 2026 Journal.

Key Insights

Four findings that reshaped
my entire approach.

Design Process

From empathy to
interactive prototype.

I initially tried to build an AI-powered emotion tracker, but testing revealed this felt invasive. Parents said, "I don't want an app watching my child's face." That feedback forced me to pivot to proactive customization: let the student control their environment before frustration ever starts.

Design Decisions

Three choices I had to defend
against my own instincts.

Each one was a moment where the obvious move turned out to be wrong, usually because educators and parents pushed back on assumptions I hadn't realized I was making.

Design System

A visual language built for
accessibility.

Warm, high-contrast colors and a friendly typeface chosen to reduce cognitive load, making every screen feel inviting and easy to navigate for neurodiverse learners.

Solution

Introducing Saksham.

"Saksham" means "capable" in Hindi, and that's the feeling this app is designed to create. Every feature traces back to a specific research finding: the customizable dashboard exists because parents said their children shut down when they can't control their environment. The guided reading mode exists because educators told me audio reinforcement was the single most effective intervention they'd seen. The offline functionality exists because 60% of India's rural students lack reliable internet. Nothing is decorative; every decision has a reason.