App Design • Interaction design
Tinybop–
States of Matter
At Tinybop, we designed States of Matter as a hands-on science lab where kids could experiment with solids, liquids, and gases—changing temperatures, adding materials, and watching their particles respond.
CHALLENGE
One scene, many experiments
How do you make something kids can’t see feel understandable?
We wanted kids to make changes themselves rather than watch separate lessons about melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation.
01 / APP STRUCTURE
One scene, many experiments
How do you make something kids can’t see feel understandable?
Unlike most Tinybop apps, States of Matter takes place in a single laboratory.
Kids could swap containers, add materials, and change conditions without leaving the scene. Keeping everything together made cause and effect easier to follow.
02 / INTERACTION DESIGN
Two ways of seeing matter
As materials heated and cooled, the particle model responded alongside the main scene—speeding up, spreading out, clustering, or changing state.
The same controls worked across different substances, letting kids compare their behavior without learning a new interaction each time.
03 / VISUAL LANGUAGE
Designing how matter looks and behaves
We explored opacity, texture, color, motion, density, and shape to make different substances recognizable.
Those visual differences needed to hold up as materials changed states, while still feeling part of the same world.
04 / ILLUSTRATION
Everything began with one imperfect circle
One imperfect circle became the basis for the illustration system throughout the app.
That slight imperfection gave everything a tactile, handmade quality that contrasted with the more technical simulation underneath.
outcome
Three types of matter, one app
States of Matter launched as part of Tinybop’s Explorer’s Library and was designed for a global audience across multiple platforms.
timeline
2019
Role
Lead Designer
Platforms & Distribution
iOS · Tinybop Schools
TECHNICAL CONTEXT
Unity-based development
focus
Product Design
UX/UI
Illustration
Creative Direction
recognition
American Library Association
ALSC Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media — Honor
Collaborators
Robert Blackwood, Engineering
Raul Gutierrez, Product
Eden Wall, Education
Beckie Choe, Motion graphics