Tali Train
Tali Train is a game-based app designed to help children with attention deficits build their focus and cognitive skills through engaging, scientifically validated exercises.
The challenge lay in taking structured, repetitive training exercises and reimagining them as something kids would find exciting and rewarding. With strict gameplay guidelines in place, we relied on storytelling, visual design, and humor to reframe the context of the games, ensuring each session felt fresh and engaging while maintaining the rigor of the training.
We reunited the dream team behind Ready Attention Go, bringing the same passion and energy to a new challenge. Working through lockdown pushed us to be flexible and resourceful, from taking on multiple roles to recording voiceovers over video calls. Despite the hurdles, we were able to create something we we’re incredibly proud of, thanks to the resourcefulness of the team, and a shared drive to create something meaningful.
The outcome is a tool that turns training into an adventure—where every task becomes a step toward empowerment and growth. The team’s effort was further recognised with a Red Dot Design Award.
My Role:
Creative Director
Product Designer
UX/UI Designer
Character Designer
Illustrator
Script Writer
Music Director
Animation Director
Pirate Cove
The training program revolves around several themes that help keep the experience fresh. In the Pirate theme, players must help Grubby O’Patches save Pirate Cove from being torn to smithereens by a squad of scuttling squid.
Players hone their attention skills across four key areas by guarding treasure from sneaky pirates and monkeys, recruiting a new first mate, stopping the rampaging buccaneers, and firing the cannons to defend the cove.
After each training session, players can explore and unwind in their tropical island paradise, uncovering hidden treasures and enjoying the pirate life.
Brave Haven
In the Fantasy theme, players must help Jenn the Knight restore order to the kingdom of Brave Haven after the destruction caused by Huff Puff the Cranky Giant.
To earn the Queen’s trust and gain entry to the castle, players must prove their worthiness by completing a series of challenges. These include rounding up the Queen’s horses, rescuing the captured knights from mischievous trolls, bringing good fortune by feeding gems to a mystical dragon, and outsmarting the cheeky elves.
The Golden Circus
In the Circus theme, players join Ringo the Ringmaster on a mission to restore The Golden Circus to its former glory after a fiery mishap. Maverick, the fire-breather, accidentally torched the Big Top—and Ringo’s eyebrows—during a particularly unfortunate case of hiccups.
To rebuild the Circus, players must harness their Tali’s powers, which require focused and concentrated training. This involves helping out with various tasks around the Circus, such as repairing the Duck Gallery, feeding Elvis—the BIG star of the show, rescuing rabbits stuck in magical top hats, and waking up the slumbering animals.
Focus Prime
In the Space theme, players team up with Gizmo to repair her spaceship after her clumsy brother, Gadget, mistook the hyper-gravity commutator for a toaster, causing catastrophic damage..
Beamed up to the distant planet of Focus Prime, players embark on a mission to get the duo ready for their journey back home. This involves finding their missing captain, pinpointing their home planet, rounding up Gadget, and fixing the chaos he’s left in his wake.
Awards
Red Dot Award Winner
Best Classroom/Behaviour Management App or Tool - Tech Edvocate Awards (USA)
Game design
Working closely with the chief scientist, we pushed to make these attention challenges intuitive and engaging for all children, whether neurotypical or neurodiverse.
To enhance the experience, we sprinkled in moments of humour and surprise, ensuring the app remained fun and enjoyable throughout.
Character design
Since the story played such a crucial role in engaging kids through repetitive and often monotonous training exercises, we focused on creating compelling, memorable characters that kids would genuinely care about saving.
