Through my eyes

1 in 5 kids in the U.S. live with learning and thinking differences such as ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. Yet their challenges remain largely unseen and too often, misjudged.

Understood.org came to us with an ambitious question:
“How might we help parents, teachers, and peers truly understand what these kids experience every day?”

Our goal was to transform perception. Turning invisible struggles into felt experiences, and knowledge into empathy. Creating those light bulb moments of shared recognition.

We began by immersing ourselves in their world. Workshops and interviews with specialists, educators, and Understood’s UXR team gave us a scientific foundation; sessions with children aged 11–14, Pedro, Caris and Francesca, gave us emotional truth.

Pedro, Caris and Francesca, became collaborators, helping us capture how their difference feels, sounds, and moves. Together we mapped their lived experiences into emotional moments: the noise of a classroom, the shifting letters of a page, the exhaustion of constant focus.

We used real life moments highlighted in our workshops to build the structure, sequencing, and user journeys based on the children’s day-to-day routines — walking in their shoes, letting them guide us. These insights became an emotional catalyst that were realised in a tangible way for example:

The child as guide: We designed a flow and narrative journey, based on these videos and the children’s daily moments, shaped into simulations to create a complete experience.

User connection: We introduced the real faces of the children to help build a personal and emotional connection that was supported by also using their voices as an introduction and as part of the audio feedback. 

Every element, colour, rhythm, sound, was intentional. Translating real human stories into narrative principles.  Blurred text mirrors dyslexic decoding. Jittery inputs recreate the motor coordination challenges of dyscalculia. Split-focus gameplay simulates ADHD’s fragmented attention.

Co-created visuals and voiceovers from each child ground the experience in authenticity. As users play, dynamic visual gauges track emotional states — frustration, focus, relief — transforming empathy into measurable understanding.

Every element, colour, rhythm, and sound, was intentional, translating real human stories into narrative principles. Each illustration, carefully crafted, was inspired by the stories of Francesca, Pedro, and Caris, bringing their experiences to life in each scenario. In some simulations, a visual effect and a shift in scenery introduce a narrative turning point, fully immersing the user in the children's everyday challenges.

Understood Through Your Eyes launched as a first-of-it’s-kind flagship experience within Understood.org’s ecosystem, combining:

- Real children’s stories
- Playable empathy simulations
- Expert resources and guides

The platform is expanding with wider content, companion resources and stories continuing to help care-givers, peers and teachers see, hear, and feel differently.