Record & Practice
Kids pick fun prompts and record themselves speaking.
Project · TalkNinja
A place to practice.
A voice to build.
An AI-powered speech coaching app, presented at YAIS and Blue Ocean.
My work on TalkNinja brings together product strategy and AI development. I built it with Shreya Ved, with design and engineering mentorship.
YAIS 2026 · UC Berkeley / Blue Ocean
The project on one page.
I spent time shaping this poster to explain the project as a whole: its question, practice flow, system design, projected results, and limitations. Explore the full poster below.
See TalkNinja in Action
TalkNinja — Blue Ocean Competition 2026
Loads YouTube when played. Internet required.
AI Powered Speaking Coach
Help your kid become a confident speaker
TalkNinja is a fun speaking coach for kids. They practice, get instant feedback, and level up their skills-all in a safe, kid-friendly app.
Kids SafeParents Approved
Google Play ↗ App Store ↗
What makes TalkNinja special
A speaking coach that kids actually want to use
Instant Feedback
AI gives friendly tips on pace, clarity, and expression.
Smart challenges
Prompts adapt to your child's age and skill level.
Earn rewards
XP, badges, and streaks keep kids motivated.
See progress
Watch improvement over weeks and months.
Parent reports
Weekly updates sent straight to your inbox.
How it works
From shy to confident in 4 simple steps
1 · Pick a prompt
Fun topics like “explain your favorite game”
2 · Record yourself
Hit record and speak naturally - no pressure, just practice
3 · Get instant tips
AI feedback on pace, filler words and confidence
4 · Level Up
Earn XP, unlock badges, build streak
Beautiful, Playful Design
Built for kids, trusted by parents
Record Screen
Practice speaking with guided prompts and real-time visualization
Feedback Screen
Get instant AI analysis on clarity, pacing, and confidence
Progress Screen
Track your journey with detailed stats and achievements
Who it helps?
Building confidence for everyone
Kids · Ages 6–12
Shy children who want to speak up, express themselves better, and gain confidence in everyday conversations.
Build confidence · Fun, interactive practice · Instant feedback
Parents · Stay Informed
Busy parents who want to support their child's communication skills with a safe, educational tool.
Track progress · Weekly reports · Privacy-first design
Educators · Schools & Tutors
Teachers looking for innovative ways to help students improve their verbal communication skills.
Curriculum ready · Easy onboarding · Progress tracking
Product audience wording is preserved here. The YAIS poster below describes a middle- and high-school audience.
Behind the practice session.
The question
Can AI deliver real-time, personalized speaking feedback that improves student performance without a human coach?
System design
The poster connects the app to AWS Node.js Lambda, Deepgram speech-to-text, MongoDB, an agentic workflow, social logins, Lightsail, S3, and Cognito.
Tools used
Codex · Figma · Claude · GitHub · Firebase
Analysis & limitations
- Audio-only: eye contact, posture, and gesture cannot be scored yet.
- Accent gaps: the poster identifies lower Deepgram transcription accuracy for non-native English speakers.
- No live data at the time of the poster: benchmarks were extrapolated from published research, not measured TalkNinja results.
Projected results, not demonstrated outcomes
The poster includes a 22% filler-word reduction, a 19% presentation-confidence increase, and a 14% retention increase drawn from external studies. They are not results from a TalkNinja user trial. The original citations remain in the poster.
Future work
Video analysis, live AI debates, and expansion for schools and debate clubs. The poster also records discussions about a pilot with an Indian NGO serving 100+ underserved youth; this was a proposed partnership, not a completed deployment.
People behind the project
Atharv Ved and Shreya Ved are credited on the poster. Mentors: Amber Ved (engineering) and Sanjhal Jain (design).