Safe, simple registration for children, teens, and parents across CartoonNetwork.com.

The framework changed registration from a one-off product requirement into a reusable operational system — creating shared account patterns for Cartoon Network properties and reducing the need for each property to solve registration logic from scratch.

Cartoon Network supported multiple digital experiences with different audiences, business goals, and registration needs. Without a shared model, each property could handle age screening, parent consent, activation, and account recovery differently. The team needed a system that protected children, supported parents, and gave product teams a consistent baseline for future launches.

I designed the registration approach as a reusable framework instead of a single sign-up screen. The brief called for a framework approach from the start: build COPPA compliance, age gating, parental consent, and error handling into the design system itself, so every property could launch with the right patterns without additional compliance design work per launch. I mapped the age-based paths, defined the required decision points, and created templates that could be adapted across Cartoon Network properties.

A shared registration framework reduced inconsistency and gave teams a safer foundation. It also helped the business support multiple properties without creating a new compliance-sensitive flow for every launch.

The framework separated registration paths by user type and compliance requirement — creating distinct flows for children under 13, teens, and parents so the system could handle age, consent, activation, and account responsibilities correctly.

A single registration flow could not serve every audience safely. Children, teens, and parents had different needs, responsibilities, and legal requirements. If the experience treated them the same, it would either overcomplicate registration for some users or fail to provide the right consent path for others.

Working with a researcher who brought prior CN audience research, I conducted user interviews across the three registration user types to map their distinct needs, mental models, and compliance touchpoints. I mapped the registration model around audience type and decision points, then defined what each user needed to see, enter, confirm, or receive.

The team could design around real account responsibilities instead of forcing every user through the same flow. That created a more understandable experience for children and parents while giving teams a clearer implementation model.

The template system made compliance-sensitive account steps easier to reuse across products — standardizing parent email collection, child account activation, account messaging, and error states as shared components that reduced the risk of inconsistent implementation.

Account flows are fragile when rebuilt property by property. Each new implementation increases the chance of missing a consent step, unclear messaging, or inconsistent recovery path. The team needed templates that could carry the required logic while still allowing each property to feel branded and age-appropriate.

The wireframes document every step of the registration system, from template structure through account creation, profile setup, EULA and parental notification, to login and password error states. Each step was designed as a reusable template component that could be assembled differently per property while guaranteeing consistent compliance outcomes. I also documented the logic behind the templates so teams understood when a specific message, consent step, or account state was required.

Templates made the framework more durable. Teams could reuse tested account patterns instead of rebuilding sensitive flows, which helped maintain consistency across properties and supported the full account lifecycle beyond just sign-up.