Starwriter App
The Challenge
Designing a Research-Driven Tool for Real-World Classrooms
Backpack partnered with Magpie Literacy and early childhood education expert, Dr. Nell Duke, to create Starwriter, a web-based handwriting app for Pre-K through 1st grade.
Grounded in Dr. Duke's research-backed learning system, Starwriter teaches writing through short, efficient sessions that group letters by kinesthetic movement rather than alphabetical order. By introducing simpler letterforms first and reducing stylus lift, the program accelerates students’ handwriting mastery.
But to succeed in a real-world classroom environment, Starwriter needed to:
- Translate a sophisticated instructional method into a tool that very young children could use independently
- Accommodate classrooms with limited tech resources
- Maintain cultural and visual inclusivity
- Closely follow the research-based learning process that differentiates Starwriter from other handwriting programs
What We Did
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Research
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Prototyping & Usability Testing
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Strategy
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Product Ideation
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Design
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Wireframes
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UX Design
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UI Design
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Illustration & Animation
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Accessibility Compliance
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Written for New Writers
With a focus on first-time writers, we started with the fundamentals: designing a teaching solution that balanced engagement with simplicity. To that end, we focused on pre-writing videos and a demonstration of how to properly pick up and grip a stylus.
From there, rewards are built into the lessons–you can unlock new pen colors as you progress through the program. As students learn how to write, they get to play games simultaneously (like chasing a star across the screen to spell out letters).
Customization and gamification are the key to keeping students engaged. Built into the experience are fun custom songs in the background, letters that resolve into a starscape, and a colorful, intuitive UI. The name itself, Starwriter, is derived from the visual style we created.
Students Can Practice Creating Basic Shapes Before Trying Letters
Meeting Students at Their Level
As a part of the Starwriter development process, we participated in an observational study at an elementary school in Brooklyn, monitoring how several different classrooms responded to the program.
User feedback is crucial to every project Backpack takes on, and this part of the design process allowed us to pinpoint improvements that would help students – in our first iteration of the spacing activity, we found that students were still struggling with the letter formation, and as a result, weren’t getting to practice letter placement and spacing. From that, we created a new activity where students moved a written letter to complete a word with the correct amount of spacing.
Approach
Blending Pedagogy, Play, and Classroom Insight
We built Starwriter from the ground up, immersing ourselves in Nell Duke's research. The experience balances simplicity for first-time writers with engaging interactions such as pre-writing videos, stylus-grip demonstrations, unlock-able pen colors, and mini-games that reinforce letter formation.
To refine the product, observational studies were conducted in classrooms as well as insights from the Teacher Council. This feedback informed updates to lesson structure, navigation, content clarity, and classroom usability. We also developed an educator portal where teachers can customize lessons and access resources.
Key solutions that elevate learning and accessibility:
- Gamified engagement through rewards, custom pen colors, animations, and playful mini-games
- Equitable access with a design that works even without active styluses
- Inclusive visuals featuring diverse skin tones and culturally relevant characters
- Research-aligned lessons emphasizing minimal stylus lift to reinforce proper letter formation
- Teacher-centered controls including a robust educator portal with custom letter sets and resources
- Evidence-based iteration informed by classroom observation and ongoing educator feedback
We conducted extensive research to design an app that balances simplicity with engaging interactions such as pre-writing videos, stylus-grip demonstrations, unlockable pen colors, and mini-games that reinforce letter formation.
For Educators
An educator portal within the program also allows for teachers to adjust the experience – along with resources and guides for using Starwriter, they can create custom sets of letters for students to practice.
We’re proud of the passionate team at Backpack that brought Starwriter to life, and love to see the results as we continue to improve and evolve the app.
The results & Why it matters
A Nationwide Rollout—and Growing Momentum—for a Tool that Shapes Lifelong Learning
Within three months, we delivered a classroom-ready demo that kicked off a year of iterative development. Starwriter has since been adopted in classrooms across New York, Michigan, North Carolina, Mississippi, California, and South Dakota, with more states joining. Teachers report stronger engagement, clearer letter formation, and an easier path to consistent handwriting practice.
Handwriting is a foundational skill that supports reading, fine motor development, and overall academic confidence. By combining research-based pedagogy, engaging design, and real classroom insight, Starwriter gives educators a tool that is accessible, inclusive, and effective.
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