Jimmie Solomon - Design Leader

Case Study

Ember by Ignite

Reading

Ember by Ignite

Reading

Ember by Ignite

Reading

An AI-powered reading practice app that extends the

impact of live tutoring to help solve America's literacy crisis

An AI-powered reading practice app that extends the

impact of live tutoring to help solve America's literacy crisis

An AI-powered reading practice app that extends the impact of live tutoring to help solve America's literacy crisis

Client

Ignite Reading

Timeline

12 Weeks

Role

Product Design & Prototyping

Platform

Web Application

The Challenge

Bridging the Gap

Between Tutoring

Sessions

Bridging the Gap

Between Tutoring

Sessions

Bridging the Gap

Between Tutoring

Sessions

Ignite Reading provides live 1-on-1 tutoring to students based on the science of reading. Students meet with their tutor for 15 minutes every school day—but what happens between sessions?

We identified an opportunity to leverage AI technology to create a

supplementary practice tool that reinforces lessons from tutoring sessions and prepares students for what's coming next—extending the impact of every minute spent with a tutor.

66%

of U.S. students read below

grade level

powered practice sessions

15min

daily live tutoring per student

1:1

personalized instruction model

66%

of U.S. students read below

grade level

15min

daily live tutoring per student

powered practice sessions

1:1

personalized instruction model

66%

of U.S. students read below

grade level

15min

daily live tutoring per student

powered practice sessions

1:1

personalized instruction model

The Solution

Meet Ember—Your Friendly

Reading Companion

Meet Ember—Your Friendly

Reading Companion

Meet Ember—Your Friendly

Reading Companion

We created Ember, an AI-powered reading practice app featuring a warm, encouraging flame

character that guides students through personalized practice based on the Science of Reading

methodology.

We created Ember, an AI-powered reading practice app featuring a warm, encouraging flame character that guides students through personalized practice based on the Science of Reading methodology.

Voice-First Interaction

Students practice reading aloud with real-

time speech recognition that listens,

evaluates, and provides instant feedback.

Students practice reading aloud with real-time speech recognition that listens,

evaluates, and provides instant feedback.

Students practice reading aloud with real-time speech recognition that listens,

evaluates, and provides instant feedback.

Adaptive Learning

Practice sessions target concepts students

struggled with during tutoring or preview

upcoming lessons to maximize preparation.

Practice sessions target concepts students struggled with during tutoring or preview upcoming lessons to maximize preparation.

Encouraging Feedback

Ember celebrates successes and gently

encourages retries, keeping young learners

motivated and confident.

The Experience

A Journey Through Ember

From welcoming students back to celebrating their victories, every interaction is

designed to build confidence and reinforce learning.

Students are greeted by name, creating a warm, familiar experience

Simple, step-by-step guidance helps students get started independently

Educators can track progress and customize practice content

The microphone button invites students to read words aloud

Visual feedback shows the app is listening to the student's response

"Ready to fire it up once more?" — encouraging retries without shame

Students see their streak grow as they master new concepts

"Whoa, you're on fire!" — positive reinforcement builds confidence

Our Process

How We Built Ember

Discovery & Research

Deep dive into the Science of Reading

methodology, understanding how Ignite's

tutors work, and identifying the gap

between daily sessions.

Deep dive into the Science of Reading

methodology, understanding how Ignite's

tutors work, and identifying the gap

between daily sessions.

Deep dive into the Science of Reading

methodology, understanding how Ignite's

tutors work, and identifying the gap

between daily sessions.

AI-Accelerated Prototyping

Leveraged Figma Make and Gemini Canvas to rapidly prototype and iterate on designs, dramatically compressing the design-to-development cycle.

Voice AI Integration

Implemented speech recognition

technology tuned for children's voices, with

tolerance for accents, hesitations, and

varying reading speeds.

Implemented speech recognition

technology tuned for children's voices, with

tolerance for accents, hesitations, and

varying reading speeds.

Implemented speech recognition

technology tuned for children's voices, with

tolerance for accents, hesitations, and

varying reading speeds.

AI-Accelerated Prototyping

Leveraged Figma Make and Gemini Canvas to rapidly prototype and iterate on designs, dramatically compressing the design-to-development cycle.

Feedback System Design

Developed an encouraging feedback loop

that celebrates success without over-

praising and handles mistakes without

discouraging young readers.

Developed an encouraging feedback loop

that celebrates success without over-

praising and handles mistakes without

discouraging young readers.

Developed an encouraging feedback loop

that celebrates success without over-

praising and handles mistakes without

discouraging young readers.

Testing & Refinement

Iterative testing with students and tutors to

refine the experience, adjust difficulty

curves, and ensure alignment with the

tutoring curriculum.

Iterative testing with students and tutors to

refine the experience, adjust difficulty

curves, and ensure alignment with the

tutoring curriculum.

Iterative testing with students and tutors to

refine the experience, adjust difficulty

curves, and ensure alignment with the

tutoring curriculum.

The Impact

Extending the Reach of Every Tutor

Practice time per student

without additional tutor hours

Practice time per student without additional tutor hours

100%

Alignment with Science of

Reading methodology

Alignment with Science of Reading methodology

High

Student engagement with

encouraging character

feedback

Student engagement with

encouraging character

feedback

Student engagement with

encouraging character

feedback

Instant

Real-time feedback and

progress tracking

Real-time feedback and

progress tracking

Real-time feedback and

progress tracking

Ember gives our students the extra practice they need between

tutoring sessions, in a way that's engaging and aligned with

everything we teach. It's like giving every student a friendly

reading buddy who's available whenever they need one.

Ember gives our students the extra practice they need between

tutoring sessions, in a way that's engaging and aligned with

everything we teach. It's like giving every student a friendly

reading buddy who's available whenever they need one.

Ember gives our students the extra practice they need between

tutoring sessions, in a way that's engaging and aligned with

everything we teach. It's like giving every student a friendly

reading buddy who's available whenever they need one.

Ignite Reading Team

Education Partner

Ember Case Study

Designed and developed to help solve the literacy crisis, one student at a time.