I was browsing the internet just a couple of days ago and I came across this really interesting blog (and YouTube video) about what children can teach us grown ups about UX design. Pretty captivating title huh? So I made a promise to myself to share that blog on this little space here whenever I got the chance to do so. And without wasting any more time, I'll jump right on it.
If you’re lacking time to spend a half hour watching the episode then don’t worry, here’s a summary. {The blog is originally posted by Bryony Watson who is an Online Marketing intern at Usabillia}
Sabina Idler (founder of UXkids) studied Information Design at University where she developed skills in user centered design. This led her to another course Youth and Media, which inspired her to start creating a more positive user experience for children using digital devices.
Why focus on kids?
There is an increasing demand for digital devices for children, especially in schools to provide an engaging form of education. Currently UXkids are one of only a few companies specializing in testing with children.
How is usability testing different with children?
Sabina has worked with children between the ages of 4 and 12. The rate of development between these ages is huge so when testing a device with children it can be very useful to categorize children per age group and figure out how they respond to the different aspects of the questions.
Toddlers can be very difficult to work with due to their inability to have a structured conversation so researching for devices aimed at this age group is mainly done through observation. This involves recording how they respond to pictures, colors and buttons then combining this with what you learn from talking to teachers and parents. Older kids have greater cognitive, social and physical development, making it easier for them to respond with answers and opinions that contain greater detail.
What techniques/theories do you use?
The Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is very useful for UX studies with children. Read the original blog here on more about this technique.
What are the main issues when getting feedback from children?
- Children are notorious for having short attention spans, which means sessions and questions have to be brief and triggers have to be offered to keep it fun and engaging.
- Children sometimes have an answer but are afraid it is not what the adult wants to hear or worried their friends would answer differently.
- Many kids lack self confidence and may be too afraid to say they don’t understand
However, some characteristics that are natural for kids and therefore considered when doing research with kids – also play a role during research with adults, such as:
- Limited memory
- Social desirability
- Uncertainty
How does UX design differ for children?
The main differences with using an interface design is based on the different goals users have. Adults have intrinsic motivations e.g. accessing their bank account, booking a vacation. whereas children are mainly motivated by entertainment.
Children have no prior experience with software, so it is important for user interfaces to be intuitive and fun. Kids love exploring a website of app if they can keep going forward. As soon as the get stuck they return to the beginning and try again. Ideally, they never need to go back.
Also, it is important that the software is easy to learn. Once kids have found something they like, they will remember the click path rather than understanding the underlying content structure. Visual cues are important. This means that consistency throughout your app or website is key to avoiding confusion i.e. a certain icon should always lead to the same content, or the same sound should be activated when completing a section. However, this is also relative to age as colors and sounds can be great instigators for children under six, but older kids can quickly find these interactions annoying.
Having studied both adults and children, are there any unexpected traits that the two share?
Kids are very curious and never worry that they could break anything. Also kids never doubt themselves. If media doesn’t work as expected, if they can’t find something, if all options are not clear in an instance kids will leave and look for a better alternative.
They don’t have the cognitive ability to understand ‘complex’ interfaces. They don’t look for efficient ways but stick to what works. (Again, big difference in age) .Kids nowadays see media as a given thing that just needs to work. There is little patience.
What do you think kids taught you about UX design?
“Whenever you design something for children you really narrow it down, you really try to pause and think about their abilities, their cognitive abilities, their physical abilities and you allow for them to have limitations with all of these. You really consider there is a limitation in the amount of information I can offer…you always keep it simple, simple, simple. Whenever you design something for kids you can be pretty sure it works for adults’.
If you would like to know anymore on this subject the YouTube Video will be checked for comments or you can ask Sabina or UXkids directly on twitter. Follow them on Google+, Twitter and Facebook or subscribe to their emails.
I hope you enjoyed this discussion and found this piece as insightful as I did and now you can go forth and design for kids!
Have a wonderful afternoon!
#HappyDays
No comments:
Post a Comment