Interfaces should be strongly visual, avoiding text as much as possible and reducing cognitive load. [7]
Content-specific metaphors are useful in helping children navigate interfaces [7,28]
Instructions should be presented in an age-appropriate format [10]
Instructions should be easy to comprehend and remember [10]
-Interfaces should be strongly visual, avoiding text as much as possible and reducing cognitive load. [7]
-Content-specific metaphors are useful in helping children navigate interfaces [7,28]
-Instructions should be presented in an age-appropriate format [10]
-Instructions should be easy to comprehend and remember [10]
##### Feedback and Guidance
Children are impatient and need immediate feedback showing that their action have had some effect, otherwise they will repeat the action until some outcome is perceived [25,28]
Interfaces should provide scaffolding and guidance to help children remember how to accomplish tasks [4]
Activities should allow for expanding complexity, and should support children as they move from one level to the next in use of the product [10,26].
Icons should be visually meaningful to children [10]
Rollover audio, animation, and highlighting should be used to indicate where to find functionality [10]
The interface should provide indication of the current state of the system, whether it is busy processing or waiting for input from the user [10]
Interfaces should track and display children’s exploration of environments if it is important for them to remember where they have previously visited [31]
-Children are impatient and need immediate feedback showing that their action have had some effect, otherwise they will repeat the action until some outcome is perceived [25,28]
-Interfaces should provide scaffolding and guidance to help children remember how to accomplish tasks [4]
-Activities should allow for expanding complexity, and should support children as they move from one level to the next in use of the product [10,26].
-Icons should be visually meaningful to children [10]
-Rollover audio, animation, and highlighting should be used to indicate where to find functionality [10]
-The interface should provide indication of the current state of the system, whether it is busy processing or waiting for input from the user [10]
-Interfaces should track and display children’s exploration of environments if it is important for them to remember where they have previously visited [31]
##### Mental Development
Children’s interfaces need to take into account the fact that children may not yet understand abstract concepts [7]
Children’s interfaces should not make use of extensive menus and sub-menus as children may not yet have the ability to categorize or have the content knowledge required to navigate efficiently [7]
Children are accustomed to direct manipulation interfaces, their actions should map directly to the actions on the screen. If other styles are used, expect that most users will require training and that some will be unable to grasp how the interaction works [15,21]
-Children’s interfaces need to take into account the fact that children may not yet understand abstract concepts [7]
-Children’s interfaces should not make use of extensive menus and sub-menus as children may not yet have the ability to categorize or have the content knowledge required to navigate efficiently [7]
-Children are accustomed to direct manipulation interfaces, their actions should map directly to the actions on the screen. If other styles are used, expect that most users will require training and that some will be unable to grasp how the interaction works [15,21]
##### Imagination
Care should be taken when using metaphors for interfaces as
children readily immerse themselves in the environment. While
this leads to more intuitive interactions; it may also lead to expectations that exceed the bounds of the interface [4,22,31]
-Care should be taken when using metaphors for interfaces as
children readily immerse themselves in the environment. While
this leads to more intuitive interactions; it may also lead to expectations that exceed the bounds of the interface [4,22,31]
#### Physical Development
##### Motor Skills
Make mouse interactions as simple as possible. One-click interfaces are easier than dragging or double clicking [7]
Make all mouse buttons have the same functionality [7,11]
Touch screens are good for young children who have difficulty using a mouse [7]
Young children have difficulty targeting small objects on the screen. Items should be large enough and distanced from each other to compensate for some inaccuracy in targeting [7,11,28]
Dragging movements are difficult for young children. Dragging should be accomplished by clicking on the object to attach it to the pointer, then clicking again to drop it in the desired location [10,13,28]
Interfaces should not require children to hold down mouse buttons for extended periods of time, especially if simultaneous mouse movement is necessary [13]
Using a mouse, continuous unidirectional motion on the screen is easiest for children when a “click-go-click-stop” interface is used, where children click the mouse to start the motion and click again once they want to stop [13]
Marquee selection should be accomplished by drawing an initial selection area on the screen then allowing users to shape it to the desired size by “pushing out” the edges of the area, rather than the
traditional method of choosing one corner of the rectangle and dragging to its opposite corner [1]
- Make mouse interactions as simple as possible. One-click interfaces are easier than dragging or double clicking [7]
- Make all mouse buttons have the same functionality [7,11]
- Touch screens are good for young children who have difficulty using a mouse [7]
- Young children have difficulty targeting small objects on the screen. Items should be large enough and distanced from each other to compensate for some inaccuracy in targeting [7,11,28]
- Dragging movements are difficult for young children. Dragging should be accomplished by clicking on the object to attach it to the pointer, then clicking again to drop it in the desired location [10,13,28]
- Interfaces should not require children to hold down mouse buttons for extended periods of time, especially if simultaneous mouse movement is necessary [13]
- Using a mouse, continuous unidirectional motion on the screen is easiest for children when a “click-go-click-stop” interface is used, where children click the mouse to start the motion and click again once they want to stop [13]
- Marquee selection should be accomplished by drawing an initial selection area on the screen then allowing users to shape it to the desired size by “pushing out” the edges of the area, rather than the
traditional method of choosing one corner of the rectangle and dragging to its opposite corner [1]
##### Tangibility
Children like tangible interfaces because they enjoy being able to physically touch and manipulate the devices [6,9,24]
Direct manipulatives allow children to explore and actively participate in the discovery process [9,19,24,36]
Physical props and having large input devices encourages collaboration [27]
Superficial changes to the design can produce very different physical interactions. Different interfaces emphasize different actions [27]
- Children like tangible interfaces because they enjoy being able to physically touch and manipulate the devices [6,9,24]
- Direct manipulatives allow children to explore and actively participate in the discovery process [9,19,24,36]
- Physical props and having large input devices encourages collaboration [27]
- Superficial changes to the design can produce very different physical interactions. Different interfaces emphasize different actions [27]
#### Social/Emotional Development
-#### Social/Emotional Development
##### Motivation and Engagement
Technologies should give children the ability to define their experiences and be in control of the interaction [8,10,25]
Entertainment click-ons are an effective tool for engaging children. Multiple response click-ons are most popular while humorous and multimedia click-ons are most enjoyable [33]
Providing occasional entertaining diversions keep children engaged and motivated during learning tasks [33]
Animated pedagogical agents are useful for learning environments; even those who do not provide any advice or interaction are perceived positively [17]
Expressive, domain-specific agents are useful due to pedagogical benefits and positive affective impact [17]
On-screen character interventions should be supportive rather than distracting [10]
Activities should be inherently interesting and challenging so children will want to do them for their own sake [10]
Supportive reward structures that take into account children’s developmental level and context of use help keep children engaged [10,20]
-Technologies should give children the ability to define their experiences and be in control of the interaction [8,10,25]
-Entertainment click-ons are an effective tool for engaging children. Multiple response click-ons are most popular while humorous and multimedia click-ons are most enjoyable [33]
-Providing occasional entertaining diversions keep children engaged and motivated during learning tasks [33]
-Animated pedagogical agents are useful for learning environments; even those who do not provide any advice or interaction are perceived positively [17]
-Expressive, domain-specific agents are useful due to pedagogical benefits and positive affective impact [17]
-On-screen character interventions should be supportive rather than distracting [10]
Activities should be inherently interesting and challenging so children will want to do them for their own sake [10]
-Supportive reward structures that take into account children’s developmental level and context of use help keep children engaged [10,20]
##### Social Interaction
Children’s technology should facilitate social interactions between children [8,16]
Children’s technology should account for children’s beliefs about computers and interact in a socially consistent manner [2,18,32,34,35]
-Children’s technology should facilitate social interactions between children [8,16]
-Children’s technology should account for children’s beliefs about computers and interact in a socially consistent manner [2,18,32,34,35]
##### Collaboration
Giving children each their own mouse when collaborating encourages participation and cooperation. It also leads to greater user satisfaction [13,29,30,31]
Groupware interfaces should provide mutual awareness at all times [3]
Interfaces should support both “give” and “take” transfers of control to accommodate different interaction styles [13]
Single-Display Groupware is useful for children’s co-located collaboration as they naturally group to one computer even when they have the opportunity to use separate machines [14,29]
- Giving children each their own mouse when collaborating encourages participation and cooperation. It also leads to greater user satisfaction [13,29,30,31]
- Groupware interfaces should provide mutual awareness at all times [3]
- Interfaces should support both “give” and “take” transfers of control to accommodate different interaction styles [13]
- Single-Display Groupware is useful for children’s co-located collaboration as they naturally group to one computer even when they have the opportunity to use separate machines [14,29]
