Polaread began with the big idea of ‘Empower’, focusing on how technology can enhance people's abilities and independence. Our goal was to improve the reading experience for individuals with dyslexia by providing tools that support their unique needs.
Before jumping into solutions, we first discussed who our users would be and what challenges they face. We decided to focus on university students aged 18-24 who need to read a large volume of academic and research papers. After extensive discussions and research, we formulated our initial challenge:
Empowering the reading experience of university students with dyslexia.
As we progressed and gathered more insights, we refined our challenge to address a specific solution:
Empowering the reading experience of university students with dyslexia by automatically applying color highlights and font customization to PDF files.
We chose this challenge because reading is an essential skill in academic life, yet it can be overwhelming for individuals with dyslexia. By developing a tool that enhances focus and comprehension, we aimed to create a meaningful impact.
To ensure our solution effectively addresses user needs, we conducted thorough investigations to understand the problem better.
Our first step was understanding the difficulties individuals with dyslexia face while reading. Dyslexia affects a person's ability to process written words, making reading a slow and exhausting task. Studies show that using color overlays and text formatting adjustments can improve reading fluency and comprehension.
We then engaged with stakeholders, including:
To gain deeper insights, we conducted a structured investigation that included: