Children with dyslexia experience persistent difficulties in reading due to deficits in phonological processing and impaired grapheme–phoneme mapping. With the growing integration of digital tools in education, mobile applications and game-based platforms present new opportunities for individualized and engaging reading interventions. However, the success of these tools relies on their alignment with evidence-based principles from reading science, cognitive psychology, and instructional design.

This paper introduces a structured, evidence-informed framework—the first of its kind—for designing digital reading interventions tailored specifically to the needs of children with dyslexia. Based on a synthesis of interdisciplinary research, we propose twelve key design guidelines that address core cognitive and instructional challenges faced by dyslexic learners. These include emphasizing phoneme–grapheme correspondence, using pseudowords to promote decoding, avoiding visual cues that encourage guessing, providing immediate corrective feedback, applying multisensory learning strategies, scaffolding instruction, minimizing cognitive load, incorporating oral reading and speech recognition, adjusting difficulty levels adaptively, accounting for age-related profiles of dyslexia, prioritizing oral phonological awareness, and offering frequent and varied practice opportunities.

Beyond outlining design principles, we highlight the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between developers, educators, and researchers. Advances in artificial intelligence, speech recognition, and user modeling enable adaptive, real-time feedback and personalization—features that, when combined with strong pedagogical foundations, can significantly enhance intervention effectiveness.

This article makes an original contribution by offering the first comprehensive, empirically grounded blueprint for app designers and educators seeking to support children with dyslexia. It stresses that technology alone is not sufficient; effective tools must be grounded in the cognitive and linguistic realities of the learners they aim to serve. By bridging research and design, our framework supports the development of digital interventions that are accessible, engaging, and instructionally impactful.

Keywords: Dyslexia, Reading intervention, Educational technology, Game-based learning, App design, Adaptive instruction.