GKIDS Readiness Check
A parent-friendly website that helps families understand how early learning skills are assessed — and how to support them at home.
- Role
- UX/UI Design, User Research, Illustration
- Timeline
- 5 months
- Year
- 2023
- Tools
- Adobe XD · Photoshop · Illustrator
OVERVIEW
Commissioned by Georgia Public Broadcasting for the Georgia Department of Education, the GKIDS Readiness Check walks families through three key learning domains: Foundations of School Success, English Language Arts, and Mathematics. Fully 508-compliant and available in English and Spanish, the site is built for accessibility, clarity, and impact.
CHALLENGE
How might we give parents and caregivers — across every level of digital literacy — a single, accessible place to understand and support their child's kindergarten readiness?
USER RESEARCH
We listened to families, educators, and stakeholders before we designed a single screen.
- 01
Interviewed families, educators, and GPB stakeholders to map real caregiver needs.
- 02
Identified barriers tied to socioeconomic status, occupation, and parenting style.
- 03
Audited existing GaDOE resources for gaps in discoverability and clarity.
WIREFRAMES
Wireframes
Stakeholder, educator, and parent feedback shaped the wireframe direction. A prominent left-hand navigation emerged as a clear preference, letting users scan learning domains and jump between skill pages from both the overview and individual domain views.
DESIGN PROCESS
Understanding the Parent Journey
Parents and caregivers bring diverse experiences shaped by socioeconomic status, occupation, and parenting style. Interviews with families and educators surfaced the key access barriers — and shaped a strategy to make the site discoverable, inclusive, and relevant across backgrounds.
Information Architecture
To help caregivers quickly find content that supports kindergarten readiness, we designed a clear, minimal structure organized into three core learning domains, each linking directly to skill-specific pages, plus FAQs and resource links from GaDOE and the Department of Early Learning.
Iconography
Each skill in the readiness curriculum was paired with a custom icon to make learning more visual and intuitive for families. Built in collaboration with education leads and tested with parents, the icon set clearly represents key concepts while strengthening the project's visual identity.
Typography
Type selection ensured content stayed legible both on-screen and in print. The pairing was chosen for clarity, accessibility, and reliability — so printed pages remain easy to read regardless of age or the quality of a home printer.
FINAL SOLUTION
Inspired by the GKIDS logo, the final design feels warm, welcoming, and easy to navigate — friendly colors and classroom-inspired cues create an approachable experience that encourages families to engage in their child's learning at home.
08 · Impact & Results
Accessibility
508 Compliant
Languages
EN · ES
Site traffic
+20%
09 · REFLECTION
"When you're designing for families, clarity is the feature. Every icon, every word, every link is a chance to remove one more barrier between a parent and their child's learning."
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