Wing-See Yau designs Tamagotchi-like toy to help make reading fun
Brunel University graduate Wing-See Yau has designed Yomi, a device that encourages children to read by linking their progress to the growth of digital pets.
Yomi is a compact device that converts reading time into points. These rewards are visualised in the form of a digital avatar that grows and evolves over the course of a 14-day cycle.
Yau developed the project during her final year of studies at Brunel University and presented it at the recent New Designers graduate fair, where it earned her the Cadbury-Mondelez International Award.
She told Dezeen that the self-initiated brief was informed by her childhood struggles with reading and her desire to make the experience more enjoyable for other children.
Her research identified that reading rates in the UK are declining, with only 33 per cent of children saying they enjoy reading and many turning instead to digital forms of entertainment.
With educators and parents increasingly keen to encourage young people to re-engage with reading from an early age, Yau set out to create a simple and fun solution that gamifies this activity.
"This approach showed me that daily streaks, visual feedback, badges and collectable items can significantly increase motivation and engagement," the designer told Dezeen.
"I wanted to incorporate these elements into my design to make reading feel more rewarding, interactive and enjoyable for students."
Yomi's name is derived from the Japanese word 'yomu' which means 'to read'. Yau explained that she wanted a short and simple name that represents the toy's playful and approachable nature.
The product aims to build positive associations by linking reading with a digital reward, transforming it into a fun and engaging activity.
Yau chose to develop a dedicated device, rather than an app, to prevent children from switching their attention to other activities like social media or games.
Daily reading time is converted into points that translate into the growth of a digital pet, from a baby to a child, teen, adult and culminating in a wise, mythic version of itself.
This form of incentive was informed by Yau's conversations with parents, who explained that children enjoy collecting and trading digital pets in video games. The idea of ownership, collection and social motivation also references the 1990s Tamagotchi toys.
Children use a built-in camera on the device to scan a book's barcode and begin a reading session. This also allows them to log the book's genre, with the most-read genre determining the bi-weekly outfit of their pet monkey.
They can choose to read aloud to their pet to practice their storytelling and pronunciation, or they can read silently to help build their focus and develop independent reading skills.
A built-in microphone recognises when the child is reading aloud. At the end of the session, the reading duration is converted into points that help the monkey to grow.
Reading cycles last for 14 days, at the end of which a new pet is introduced and the process begins again.
Long-term reading progress is mapped by the growth of the 'Tree of Knowledge' on a dedicated screen. Users can also collect a series of badges linked to the different genres of books they read.
Yau said she designed the product to support young children as they begin their reading journey, while also encouraging them to develop important life skills.
"Many children lack confidence when reading aloud in class, something I personally experienced," she added. "I wanted to address this issue in my product because it is key to supporting both literacy development and self-expression."
Other projects featured at New Designers this year included a service for formulating bespoke natural skincare products and a children's chair that transforms into an abstract interpretation of a castle.
The photography is courtesy of Wing-See Yau.
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