Designing Digital Products for Kids: Deliver User Experiences That Delight Kids, Parents, and Teachers

Contents
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Why Design Apps for Kids?
	Business Opportunities
	Educational Value
	A Design Challenge
	Industry Insight: Interview with Björn Jeffery
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 2: Before You Start, Know the Industry
	Entertainment, Educational, Edutainment
	Types of App Experiences
		Educational
		Simulations
		Sandbox
		Content Library Apps
		Utilities, Wellness, and More
		Video Games for Kids
	Digital Toys Are Not Video Games
	Where to Find Ideas
		Within the Screen
		Real Life
		Observation
	Industry Insight: Interview with Gregg Spiridellis
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 3: Know Your Target Audience
	A Threefold Audience
		The Kids
		The Parents
		The Educators
	Cross-Platform Example: ClassDojo
	Industry Insight: Interview with Scott Emmons
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 4: Concept
	Which Technologies Should We Use?
		Mobile Apps
		Web Apps
		Progressive Web Apps
		So, What Should I Choose?
		Choosing the Right Device According to Kids’ Age
	Consider the SMART Board
		Designing for Interactive Boards
	Think Like a Kid
		Get Rid of Inhibitions
		Have Bad Ideas
		Slow Down and Get Bored
		Abandon Your Previous Knowledge
	What to Teach
		Full Program
		Reading
		Language Arts
		Math
		Coding
		You Can Teach Anything
	Passive vs. Active Learning
		Passive Learning
		Active Learning
		Which One Is Better?
	Industry Insight: Interview with Dr. Nina Neulight
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 5: Gamification
	Motivation
	Some Famous Examples
		Duolingo
		Nike Run Club
		Apple Watch’s Health Rings
		Swarm
		Epic Win
	Components
	Best Practices
		Balance
		Go Beyond “BPL”
		Tune It for Your Users
		Mind the Addictiveness
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 6: Safety Measures
	Store Requirements
	Advertising
	Parental Gates
	Social and Messaging Apps
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 7: Interaction Design
	Children and Adult Users: Key Differences
		Kids Develop Very Fast
		Kids Are in for the Journey
		Children Have Less Experience
	Cognitive Development
		Preoperational Stage
		Concrete Operational Stage
		Some Design Recommendations
			Have a Clear Goal for the Activity
			Instructions Should Be Designed to the Child’s Level of Understanding
			Help Kids to Complete Tasks by Using Existing Mental Models and Their Knowledge of the World
			Design Self-explanatory Interfaces to Reduce Cognitive Load and Prevent Errors
	Interactions: Consider Age and Device Peculiarities
		Use Touchscreens for Younger Kids
		Unintentional Touches
		Desktop-Based Designs
	Young Kids Can’t Read Yet. How to Solve It?
		Use Voice
		Use Telling Icons
		Use Animation to Guide Through the Experience
		Progressive Disclosure
	Kid-Friendly Navigation
		Affordances
		Information Architecture
		Menus
	Feedback
		Microinteractions
		Visual Feedback
		Animated Feedback
		Auditory Feedback
		Haptic Feedback
	Help Kids Focus
		Avoid Notifications and Pop-ups
		Use Animations and Easter Eggs Wisely
		One Thing at a Time
		Break Bigger Tasks into Smaller Chunks
		Rewards
		Set Breaks
	Screen Time, Ethical Approach to Design
		What Do Experts Advise?
	Industry Insight: Interview with Sean Herman
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 8: UI Design
	Flat or Skeuomorphic
	Color Palette
		Bold and Bright
		Color Harmonies
			Complementary
			Triadic
			Split Complementary
			Squared and Rectangular
			Analogous
			Monochromatic
		Suggested Harmonies
		Useful Tools
		Use of Colors for Kids vs. for Adults
		Gender Bias in Colors for Children
	Icons
		Abstraction in Icons
		Icon Design for Children
		Sometimes You Have to Follow the Standards
	Typography
		Serif vs. Sans Serif
		What Are the Characteristics of a Good Font Family for Children?
			Round Counters
			Taller X-Height
			Avoid Decorative Typefaces
			Pay Attention to the Font’s Weight and Balance
		What Are Some Good Typefaces Then?
		Font Size
		Leading
		Letter Case
	Buttons
		Fitts’ Law
		Touch Targets for Children
		Safe Space
		Buttons Styling
			Round Corners
			Shadow or Not?
		Avoid “Fake Buttons”
		Other Components
	Fundamentals of Character Design
		Define Its Personality, Name, and Story
		Decide Its Species
		Establish the Proportions
		Colors, Details, and Accessories
		Dynamic Poses
		Exaggerated Expressions
		Simplicity
		Inclusivity
	Age-Appropriate Styling
	Industry Insight: Interview with Chris Bishop
	Industry Insight: Interview with Chris O’Hara
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 9: User Testing with Kids
	Recruiting
	Environments
	Parents’ Presence
	Friendship Pairs
	The Prototype
	Asking the Questions
	Duration
	Feedback
	Getting the Answers
	Industry Insight: Interview with Martina Dell’Acqua
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 10: Market Your Product
	Business Models
		Paid Apps
		Freemium Apps
		Subscription
		In-app Purchases
		Advertising
	Certifications and Standards
		kidSAFE
			kidSAFE Certified Seal
			kidSAFE + COPPA Certified Seal
			kidSAFE Listed Seal
		TRUSTe Kids Privacy
		Privo
		ESRB
	Teachers As Ambassadors
	More Marketing Tips
		Intellectual Property
		Specialized Blogs and Publications
		Parenting Groups on Social Networks
		Awards
	Industry Insight: Interview with Catriona Wallis
	Industry Insight: Interview with Raffi Frensley
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 11: Beyond the Screen
	Augmented Reality
		QuiverVision
		Geo AR Games
		Math Ninja AR
	Real Toys + Digital Toys
		Osmo
		PlayShifu
		Pigzbe
	Chapter Recap
Chapter 12: Conclusion
Index