Speak EZ

Speak EZ Educational App For Non Verbal Kids

Inspiration

SpeakEZ was created to help non-verbal children communicate with the world around them.

As a parent and technologist, I’ve seen the daily frustration of children unable to speak. Many existing tools are too complex, costly, or unappealing. I wanted to build something simple, fast, and meaningful—a tool that empowers children and is easy for parents and educators to adopt.

What We Built

SpeakEZ is a web app designed for non-verbal and minimally-verbal children. It uses visual icons and text-to-speech to give children a voice.

Key features:

Visual icon-based communication (e.g. food, feelings, actions)
Browser-native text-to-speech
Customisable interface
Works offline

It’s mobile-friendly, responsive, and designed to be accessible for children with speech and learning needs.

How We Built It

Frontend: React + Tailwind CSS
Backend: Supabase (auth + storage)
Speech: Web Speech API
Hosting: Netlify + GitHub CI/CD
Accessibility: WCAG guidelines — keyboard nav, screen reader support, high-contrast theme

Challenges

Simplicity vs flexibility — making it powerful but not overwhelming
Cross-device speech issues — ensuring consistent audio on mobile and desktop
Hackathon time constraints — focusing only on features that matter most

Lessons Learned

Less is more — core functionality beats feature creep
Real feedback matters — insights from educators and parents helped refine our direction
Constraints drive clarity — focusing only on what helps the child speak made decisions easier