Design of digital technologies for children

Abstract

This chapter focuses on children aged around 5-11 insofar as this is the population most able to extract value from digital content while also being intrinsically different from older children in terms of their design needs. The need for technology designers to understand their intended users is well established in the fields of human-computer interaction and ergonomics. Language and reading abilities, and the ability to abstract and keep focused attention, vary substantially between different ages, meaning the use of text in interactive applications needs careful consideration. Child–Computer Interaction is the area of scientific investigation that concerns the phenomena surrounding the interaction between children and computational and communication technologies. User interface designers need to take into account children's diverse and developing abilities to perceive information presented on the interface and to operate input devices. Children may lack the cognitive and social skills required to carry out the evaluation procedures.