Design for Kids
Digital Products for Playing and Learning
Emotion. Ego. Impatience. Stubbornness. Characteristics like these make creating sites and apps for kids a daunting proposition. However, with a bit of knowledge, you can design experiences that help children think, play, and learn. With Design for Kids, you’ll learn how to create digital products for today’s connected generation.
Emotion. Ego. Impatience. Stubbornness. Characteristics like these make creating sites and apps for kids a daunting proposition. However, with a bit of knowledge, you can design experiences that help children think, play, and learn. With Design for Kids, you’ll learn how to create digital products for today’s connected generation.
Testimonials
Designing new tech for kids is an important, complex, messy mission that Debra Gelman explains with candor and brilliance. Her consideration of who children are and how we must design for and with them is a must read. More people need to understand that excellent technologies for children are not just born, but hard work, real time, and careful planning need to happen. It is all spelled out so well in this book.
Dr. Allison Druin, Chief Futurist, University of Maryland Division of Research, Co-Director Future of Information Alliance
As someone intensely interested in patterns of human behavior and technology, I am so thrilled that Debra wrote this book! Learning, play, Piaget, differences by age and gender—Design for Kidscovers it all. And whether you’re designing for children or adults, read this book; you will be inspired by all the examples and Debra’s thoughtful reflections on this challenging design space.
Stephen P. Anderson, author of Seductive Interaction Design and creator of the Mental Notes card deck
During my work as a UX researcher and consultant in kids’ media, I often wished a book like this existed. Debra has done an excellent job at bridging the gap between theory and practice. This book is a must read for anyone who shares her vision of creating accessible, engaging and child-friendly media.
Sabina Idler, Founder of UXkids
If you want to master interface design, then you need to learn to design for kids first. There is no better place to begin learning those skills than with Design For Kids. Debra brings her considerable knowledge and experience to bear in a book that teaches, informs, and enlightens the reader with practical examples of the best work online today.
Jason CranfordTeague, GeekDad.com, Core Contributor
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Kids and Design
Chapter 2: Playing and Learning
Chapter 3: Development and Cognition
Chapter 4: Kids 2-4: Little People, Big Expectations
Chapter 5: Kids 4-6: The “Muddy Middle”
Chapter 6: Kids 6-8: The Big Kids
Chapter 7: Kids 8-10: The “Cool” Factor
Chapter 8: Kids 10-12: Growing Up
>Chapter 9: Design Research
Chapter 10: An App for All Ages
Chapter 11: Putting It All Together
FAQ
These common questions about designing for kids and their short answers are taken from Debra Levin Gelman’s book Design for Kids: Digital Products for Playing and Learning. You can find longer answers to each in your copy of the book, either printed or digital version.
- How is designing for kids different from designing for adults? How is it similar?
Similar to designing for adults, designing for kids requires a strong understanding of your users and what they need and want. However, what differentiates designing for a child audience and an adult one is that children change really quickly. In just six months, a 2-year-old experiences significant cognitive, motor, and technical growth, while an adult’s skills in these areas remain pretty stable. It’s important to keep these changes in mind as you develop sites and games that can grow with your audience.Also, while adults usually have a clear end goal in mind when they use an interface, kids are in it for the journey. Just using a computer or an iPad is a treat for them. It’s all part of the adventure. You’ll still have requirements to follow and goals to achieve, but for the most part you can have a little more fun with the details.
Chapter 2 provides more information about these similarities and differences and what they mean when designing for different audiences.
