Smart Insoles + Mobile App for Fun Walking Therapy in Kids
Play for Health
Author
Yashasvi Kishor
Skills
UX Design
UX Research
Motion Design
STAKEHOLDER
KORA
Tools
Figma
Miro
Overview
About
WHAT WAS THIS PROJECT?
Walk therapy disguised as play—kids wear smart insoles synced to a playful app that tracks movement, encourages improved walking patterns, and delights them with mini-games. Kids often resist physiotherapy. Parents need a fun, safe, and reliable way to encourage walking improvement and monitor progress.
Product Vision for KORA
WHAT DID WE IMAGINE?
To transform pediatric walking therapy into a joyful, engaging, and measurable experience by combining smart wearable technology with gamified exercises, so children build healthier walking patterns while parents and therapists gain clear insights into progress.
Context
Background
WHAT’S GOING ON?
Walking therapy for children under six is often challenging—kids quickly lose interest in repetitive exercises, and parents struggle to keep them engaged while also monitoring progress. Traditional therapy methods feel clinical, boring, and disconnected from what motivates children most: play.
At the same time, parents need reliable ways to track improvements and ensure therapy is working. Without clear feedback, it’s difficult to measure whether a child’s walking behaviour is improving.
KORA was born from this gap: a playful system that blends smart insoles, gamified exercises, and progress analytics to help kids enjoy therapy while giving parents and therapists the tools to track measurable results.
Problem
WHAT DID WE IMAGINE?
For children under six, improving walking behavior is often a challenge. Traditional physiotherapy exercises are repetitive, clinical, and hard to sustain outside therapy sessions. At home, parents struggle to motivate kids, who quickly lose interest when movements feel like chores rather than play.
There was no dedicated solution that combined fun, therapy, and measurable progress. Parents had no reliable way to ensure their child was practicing correctly, nor any data to track improvements over time. This gap left therapy inconsistent, unengaging for kids, and difficult for parents to monitor.
Opportunity
WHERE CAN WE GO TO?
We saw an opportunity to create the first playful therapy system that turns walking exercises into gamified experiences supported by smart insoles. By blending wearable technology, imaginative games, and real-time analytics, KORA reimagines how children engage with therapy.
Kids get motivated through colorful characters, story-driven games, and instant rewards, while parents gain access to clear insights on steps, foot load, and activity levels.
Our vision was to empower families with a solution that makes therapy engaging for kids, measurable for parents, and effective for long-term improvement—bridging a gap that had never been addressed before.
How might we make walking therapy engaging for kids—while giving parents measurable insights and confidence in their child’s progress?
Design Goal for KORA
Our research showed that children often lose motivation when therapy feels repetitive, while parents lack visibility into whether exercises are actually working. The absence of structured, child-friendly solutions led to inconsistent practice, frustration at home, and therapy drop-offs.
We found that success in this space depends on turning therapy into play and making progress visible. To address this, we designed KORA with four key goals in mind: Engagement, Personalization, Measurability, and Trust.
The aim was to create an experience where children look forward to therapy through imaginative games, and parents can monitor improvements through clear analytics—ensuring therapy is not just fun, but also effective and reliable.
Features
Onboarding & Setup
Playful first impression
-Fun, illustrated onboarding screens introduce therapy as play (“Play for health”, “Therapy that’s fun”).
-Simple sign-up, email verification, and success flow build parent trust from the start.
Personalisation & Profiling
Therapy that adapts to each child
-Parents answer a few quick questions (age, treatment status, tracking preferences).
-The app then recommends games best suited to the child’s needs and abilities (up to age 6).
Insole Connection & Calibration
Seamless device setup
-Step-by-step pairing with Bluetooth + location.
-Calibration turned into a mini-game (“Run fast to scare the cat”) so kids stay engaged even in technical steps.
Game Library
Therapy disguised as play
-Home screen showcases a list of mini-games (e.g., Pop the Balloon, Feed the Dino, Don’t Wake the Cat).
-Star-based point system motivates kids to keep playing and improving.
Tutorials & Game Flow
Clear, story-driven guidance
-Pre-game instructions use metaphors (“Jump like a frog”, “Stand on one leg like a flamingo”) to teach movements.
-Kids understand instantly and enter games prepared.
-Each game ends with positive reinforcement (“You did it! +1”).
Error States
Friendly recovery
-Instead of technical errors, kids see playful messages (“Mister Dinosaur fell asleep”).
-Turns disruption into part of the story, keeping the experience positive.
Parent Controls
Confidence and customization
-Parents manage profiles, insoles, and app settings in a clean, professional interface.
-Game selection feature lets them choose movement categories (walk, squat, sneak) based on therapy needs.
Reflection
How did I feel working on it?
Working on KORA was immensely rewarding—it merged empathy, gamification, and measurement in a way that truly delights both kids and parents. Curious about the prototype or interaction demos? I’d love to share!
Copyright
Yashasvi Kishor. All rights reserved