Yeah, WaniKani’s radicals are more mnemonic components than actual radicals, and they even use the same one to represent any similar variants, even if they’re actually different (for example, both ⺭ and ⻂are treated as the same radical by WaniKani). You’re free to call the radicals whatever you want, but then you’d also have to come up with your own mnemonics later on (though many people do that anyway).
Here is a list I made a while back of WaniKani’s radical names versus the “official” radical names.
If she still wants to talk to the guy who made WaniKani, she can e-mail hello@wanikani.com 