Why I build my kids' education apps

My three kids each have their own app: SouSou for financial education for the youngest, Studyverse for school motivation in middle school, Quizzy for elementary school. I could have looked for ready-made apps. I prefer to build them myself, and not just because it's my job.

The problem with existing apps

Most educational apps for kids rely on real or near-real rewards: monetizable badges, exchangeable points, mechanics copied straight from mobile gaming. It works well in the short term, and it worries me in the medium term: it trains kids to act only for the external reward, at the expense of the pleasure of learning for its own sake.

By building these apps myself, I can set a simple rule and stick to it: no real reward as a motivation mechanic. Gamification stays, but it stays symbolic.

What it teaches me

Each app is also an excuse to rework a subject I already master professionally, but under different constraints: an audience aged 6 to 13, a much simpler interface requirement, and zero tolerance for friction. Designing an interface an 8-year-old understands without explanation is a more demanding UX exercise than most of the dashboards I build on client engagements.

The real benefit

The result isn't perfect, but it's mine: I can adjust it in one evening when I notice a mechanic isn't working for one of them. That control, more than the app itself, is what justifies the time I put into it.