Moodo App ea Maikutlo by Aishwarya Suresh and Jaylon Tellis

Moodo App ea Maikutlo by Aishwarya Suresh and Jaylon Tellis is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award in Moralo wa Sebopeho, Tshebedisano le Boiphihlelo ba Mosebedisi Competition Category.

TšepeSebopeho· 2025

Moodo App ea Maikutlo

by Aishwarya Suresh and Jaylon Tellis

Client: Tinker Works

Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award Winner in Sebopeho Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #167658

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Colors

The Design

About Moodo App ea Maikutlo

Moodo ke app ea iPad e kgahlisang e etselitsweng ho thusa bana ho lemosa le ho hlalosa maikutlo a bona. Ka ho sebelisa slider e bonolo, bana ba ka hlahloba maikutlo a motheo le mekgahlelo ea ona e botebo. Ba kaholoa ke roboto e botsoalle, mme ba ka tseba maikutlo a bona le ho fumana dikeletso tse ikgethileng tsa ho a laola. Ka ho nahana hape ka lebili la setso la maikutlo, Moodo e etsa hore bohlale ba maikutlo bo be bonolo ho utloisisoa, bo natefeloe, mme bo tle bo fumanehe ho baithuti ba banyane.

The Recognition

About the Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award

Moodo App ea Maikutlo ke mohapi oa Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award, kananelo e hlomphehang e fuoang meralo e metle e finyellang litlhoko tsa porofeshenale le tsa indasteri tse lebelletsoeng ho lintho tse hlahisitsoeng tse entsoeng hantle. Bahapi ba Tšepe ba bontša bokhoni bo boholo, bokhethehi bo phahameng, kutloisiso ea litsebi le bokhoni ba boqapi ba baqapi ba bona. Moodo App ea Maikutlo e lebelletsoe ho ba ntho e hlahisitsoeng e hlomphuoang haholo, e ratoang le e ratehang, e sebetsang le e nang le mehopolo e mecha. Moralo ona o hapileng Moputso oa Tšepe oa A' Design Award o kenyelletsa mekhoa e metle ka ho fetesisa ea indasteri mme o na le litšobotsi tsa theknoloji tse nang le bokhoni tse amanang le tsebo le talenta. Ka lebaka la botlalo ba eona, Moodo App ea Maikutlo e tšoanelehela tlhompho mme e entsoe ho fana ka ntlafatso ea bophelo e thusang ho etsa hore lefatše le be sebaka se molemo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Moodo is an innovative iPad app that helps kids understand and express their emotions in a fun, interactive way. Through a unique slider interface, children can easily explore core feelings and their subtle layers. With the guidance of a friendly robot character, they can pinpoint their emotions and receive personalized coping tips. Moodo reimagines the traditional emotion wheel, making emotional intelligence simple, engaging, and accessible for young minds.
Dimensions & Packaging: The app is for iPad and Android tablets which are commonly used devices by children
Tags: emotions, emotion wheel, dynamic slider, child, kids, children, friendly, robot, novel interactions, user experience, user interface, emotional intelligence, emotional development, education, emotional wellness, AI, dynamic dialog, GPT model
Production Technology: We used the design thinking process to create a solution for children to develop emotional intelligence. This iterative approach helped refine designs in Figma, producing wireframes, high fidelity screens, and interactive prototypes for user testing. The app integrates an emotion database and a conversational AI engine (e.g., GPT models) to drive dynamic, context-aware dialogues, enabling real-time emotional recognition, adaptive responses, and personalized interactions based on user input.
Design Challenge: Teaching young kids, especially about emotions which is a topic even adults struggle with, can be challenging. Our biggest challenge was taking a complex concept, traditionally shown in emotion wheel diagrams, and reimagining it in a way that is easy, engaging, and accessible for kids. Conducting usability studies and extracting meaningful insights was also an unexpected challenge as these young kids are just learning to express themselves.
Research: A literature review on emotional development in children was conducted, tracing the evolution of emotions from infancy to adolescence. Research by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that emotional intelligence leads to more self-confident individuals. A usability study with children aged 5 to 8 provided insights that informed key adjustments, resulting in a simplified, child approved app designed to effectively engage young users while supporting their emotional development.
Inspiration: Inspired by my five year old son, Moodo helps young children understand and express their emotions. At this age, kids often struggle with feelings like frustration or anger, leading to tantrums. While there are tools for parents to identify emotions in babies and toddlers, there is a gap in resources designed to teach preschoolers about emotional intelligence. Moodo aims to fill that gap, helping kids recognize, understand, and express their emotions in healthy ways.
Project Duration: Project inception was in December 2024 in Houston and Los Angeles. Brainstorming, ideation, user research, usability study and design iterations virtually took place in January 2025.
Operation Flow: Moodo starts with a friendly robot who helps the child identify their emotion using a unique slider. The robot mirrors the emotion and engages in an interactive dialogue. The background changes to match the mood, and the child is guided to explore more nuanced emotions. They can describe the situation behind their feelings to the robot. A weekly recap helps the child track emotional growth and reflect on their increasing emotional intelligence over time.
Patents: No Patents
Team Members: Aishwarya Suresh
Jaylon Tellis
Image Credits: Image #1 : Creator (UX Tech Lead) Jaylon Tellis, Moodo, 2025
Image #2 : Creator (UX Tech Lead) Jaylon Tellis, Moodo, 2025

Image #3 : Creator (UX Tech Lead) Jaylon Tellis, Moodo, 2025

Image #4 : Creator (UX Design Lead) Aishwarya Suresh, Moodo, 2025

Image #5 : Creator (UX Design Lead) Aishwarya Suresh, Moodo, 2025