The Beginning of an Exciting Partnership
Some projects just feel right from the start. When the Brady UX team first connected with Storytime AI, the synergy was undeniable. The shared mission of making literacy more engaging and accessible through AI-driven storytelling sparked immediate excitement. As a team that believes in the power of design to shape experiences, working on a product that brings custom, beautifully illustrated, AI-powered stories to children worldwide felt like an opportunity to create something truly impactful.
The idea behind Storytime AI is simple but revolutionary: personalize the reading experience by allowing children to see themselves reflected in the stories they read. Books and videos tailored to different cultures, languages, and experiences help make storytelling more inclusive, immersive, and fun.
Defining the Approach
With excitement comes responsibility, and our team knew we needed a structured approach to tackle this project efficiently. After rounds of brainstorming and design discussions, we landed on a solution that would keep the platform functional, intuitive, and scalable. Rather than overcomplicating the experience with unnecessary screens, we decided to focus on five core pages:
Home/Dashboard – The central hub for users.
Library – A collection of books and videos.
Video – A dedicated section for AI-generated video stories.
Discover – A place to explore new and recommended content.
Create a Story – A multi-step experience where users can generate their own stories (currently spanning 3-4 screens, with plans to refine further).
To streamline the experience, all secondary actions—such as settings, notifications, and pop-up interactions—were structured as overlays, ensuring a cleaner, more focused design.
Internal Brainstorming and Direction
Throughout the development phase, our team engaged in lively discussions, debating the best way to balance functionality with efficiency. One critical conversation revolved around hover states for desktop users, an addition that could improve UX but would also extend the project timeline. Ultimately, we decided to introduce a few hover states in key areas—just enough to showcase our vision without overextending our workload.
A major breakthrough was the idea of treating all interactions as overlays rather than separate pages. By doing so, we preserved consistency across devices and minimized redundant work, making sure the design remained adaptable across mobile, tablet, and desktop.
Community Engagement & Industry Excitement
We shared our enthusiasm publicly, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. A LinkedIn post about our collaboration quickly gained traction, with industry professionals and fellow designers chiming in with their excitement:
Robbin Lee, Director of Partnerships at UpSurge Baltimore, called the project "awesome."
Atlas Khan, an AI and custom software expert, described it as a "cool idea."
Brian Carlson, CEO & Co-Founder of Storytime AI, shared his enthusiasm, saying he couldn't wait to see what we built together.
Kara Redman, a brand strategist, described the partnership as a "collab from heaven."
These reactions solidified what we already knew: this project has the potential to make a meaningful difference.
Looking Ahead
Brady UX is fully committed to delivering an exceptional experience for Storytime AI. While our immediate goal is to complete the initial design sprint efficiently, we’re already thinking about future enhancements—features that can elevate the product even further.
For now, we’re heads down, designing and refining. But the passion behind this project is strong, and we can’t wait to share more updates soon. If you’re as excited as we are about the intersection of AI, design, and education, let’s connect. Because at the end of the day, every great story is worth telling—and every child deserves to see themselves in the stories they love.
Stay tuned for more!
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