Finding Product-Market Fit by Transforming a Typing App into a Modern Learning Platform

Typezap began as a gamified touch-typing platform designed to help children develop typing skills in a fun, interactive way. While early testing showed kids enjoyed the typing experience, insights from parents and schools revealed typing alone wasn't compelling enough to make them invest long-term.

This led to a data-driven journey of evolving Typezap into a platform focused on essential but often-overlooked subjects, positioning it as a modern educational solution. The project included extensive research, multiple phases of user testing, and continuous iteration—each decision shaped by real feedback and grounded in the goal of achieving product-market fit.

Product Designer

As the Product Designer on the team, responsibilities included:

• •Leading the design strategy, from initial concepts to production-ready interfaces.
• •Establishing a scalable design system with reusable components for consistent user experience.
• •Designing the platform's visual identity, including color systems, typography, layouts, and interaction feedback.
• •Creating the mascot Leorio, developing its character and integration into the platform.
• •Conducting research and user testing, analyzing behavior and feedback from both online campaigns and live events.
• •Working in close loop with developers to translate design iterations into fast, responsive releases.

The first concept aimed to make touch-typing engaging for kids through gamification and playful visuals. To achieve this:

• A bright, energetic color palette balanced fun with readability.
• Rounded, legible typography (Mulish and Chivo) created a friendly and playful look, with Roboto Mono used for the typing interface.
• An 4pt grid system with consistent spacing supported quick iterations and scalable updates.
• Micro-interactions and subtle animations were integrated to provide responsive, satisfying user feedback.

To build a recognizable identity, the crocodile mascot Leorio was created. Leorio served as an in-app guide, celebrating milestones, offering encouragement, and making the learning experience memorable. A physical mascot costume of Leorio was even produced for events, helping boost sign-ups by ~25% at demos.

Gradual Difficulty Progression

Beyond visual design, addressing a major issue with other touch-typing platforms was crucial. Many platforms had sudden jumps in difficulty level that either frustrated users enough to abandon proper technique or caused their speed to drop suddenly, leading to loss of motivation. For the team, designing exercises with gradual difficulty progression became a core criteria—difficulty would only increase after users had enough practice with the combinations used in an exercise, ensuring they stuck to the right technique.

Major Competitor Platforms

Affective Computing for Emotional Support

The platform leveraged affective computing to enhance the learning experience. Whenever a user's speed dropped, the system would sense the reason and the user's emotional state, addressing those feelings at the right time to maintain motivation and engagement.

The first response to feedback led to Learn-o-Type, a feature combining typing practice with learning short educational facts—aiming to bridge the gap between engagement and parental value.

Based on these insights, the decision was made to fully reposition Typezap as an educational platform teaching subjects that matter but are often overlooked. Typing was retained as one learning module, but it became part of a broader offering.

Subjects introduced included:

• Artificial Intelligence basics
• Cybersafety and responsible digital habits
• Indian culture and history
• Civics (e.g., laws for kids, rights, etiquette)
• General knowledge topics

This pivot transformed Typezap from a niche typing tool into a platform truly aligned with parents' and schools' priorities.

After the final iteration, we successfully presented this at Asia's biggest event for educators at DIDAC 2025, validating our product and generating interest from schools, educators, and stakeholders.

• Early success in engaging kids wasn't enough—true product-market fit required understanding what parents and schools valued.
• Testing in real environments and collecting honest feedback was key to identifying gaps.
• A strong, adaptable design system allowed the platform to pivot quickly.
• Strategic subject expansion and Olympiads turned Typezap into a sustainable, scalable educational product.
• Consistent visual identity, including Leorio, helped build trust and brand recognition among kids and parents.