UX for Children: Key Design Points to Attract Kids

When did you start using a mobile phone or smartphone?
In recent years, smartphones and tablets have rapidly become more common, and it is said that children are spending more time interacting with digital content from an early age (screen time).

According to guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2013, “children should limit TV and video game viewing time to no more than two hours per day, and children under the age of two should ideally avoid screen viewing altogether.”
However, the guidelines were revised in 2015 to state that “the issue is not the amount of time, but the quality of the content.”

With the unique characteristics of children in mind, which differ from those of adults, let’s think about what makes “high-quality” design for children.

Children learn and grow through play.
When creating content for children, creators have a responsibility to recognize that the experiences children gain from interacting with the content can directly influence their development.

This is where the concept of “UX (User Experience)” becomes important.
UX refers to “the experience users gain through a product or service.”

For example, when a child plays with an educational app designed to teach vegetable names, they may learn the names of vegetables through the app and even become able to eat vegetables they previously disliked.
Design and usability that appeal to children are important for making the app itself enjoyable, but the series of experiences and emotions centered around the content are also part of the UX.

Delivering a high-quality UX to children requires a deep understanding and careful consideration of the target audience.

From here, let’s take a look at some specific characteristics of children.

Children grow remarkably even within short periods of time.
According to the cognitive development theory of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, a pioneer in the field of education, children’s developmental stages can be divided into the following four phases.

Although there are individual differences in children’s development, by around the age of 12 they gradually acquire logical thinking skills and become able to recognize abstract concepts such as icons and symbols in much the same way as adults.

Children who are still developing are not as physically dexterous as adults.
Rather than requiring precise fingertip movements, it is important to design interactions that children can perform easily.

When we use apps in our daily lives, sounds may play or the screen color may change as warnings when errors or problems occur.
For adults, who use applications with specific goals in mind, these functions are important because they help point out mistakes.
On the other hand, children often enjoy the act of operating the app itself as a form of play, so they tend to prefer feedback for each individual action.
For example, when checking email, a sound playing every time a button is tapped or a character popping out on the screen may seem unnecessary to adults, but children often find these kinds of interactions enjoyable.

In content designed for children, the users are the children, but the purchasers are usually their parents or guardians.
Even if the content is attractive to children, parents may decide that they do not want their child to use it.
For this reason, it is important to consider the perspective of parents and guardians when planning and designing content.

Among the many educational apps available for children, here are three highly recommended apps.

Touch! Play Babyhttps://waochi.wao.ne.jp/asobaby/

Recommended Age: 0–3 years old

This app encourages children’s interest in everyday objects through changes in sound, color, and shape. It was selected as one of Google Play’s Best Apps of 2015.

Children can press phone buttons, cook a fried egg, or blow dandelion seeds, and all actions are designed so that even infants and toddlers can interact simply by touching the screen.

Looking at the screen design, the colors are bright and easy for children to recognize, while the background is kept simple so the touchable elements stand out clearly.
In addition, every action triggers changes such as sound effects or animated text, allowing even children who do not yet understand the app’s content to enjoy the act of touching and interacting itself.
When parents respond to these changes by saying things like “It changed!” or “Did you hear that sound?”, children feel a greater sense of achievement and can enjoy the experience together with their parents.

Mr. Shape (Mr. Shape’s Touch Cards)https://www.g-mark.org/gallery/winners/9d9c98c2-803d-11ed-862b-0242ac130002

Recommended Age: 4–6 years old

This app allows children to naturally learn about how things work, as well as names, colors, and shapes, by interacting with illustrated cards. It received the Good Design Award in 2013.

When looking at the top screen, you’ll notice that the buttons are moving.
Infants and toddlers often perceive on-screen items as flat rather than three-dimensional, but by adding movement, the buttons stand out from the background and encourage children to touch them.

Once you start playing by pressing the “Play” button, you’ll notice that there are no instructions explaining how to play or operate the app.
There are also no fixed procedures or steps, so even children who cannot yet read can start playing however they like.
In addition, the app is filled with surprising interactions that delight both adults and children—for example, a ukulele string may suddenly snap while being played, or a beetle may unexpectedly appear from inside a watermelon.

Toca Kitchen 2http://tocaboca.com/app/toca-kitchen-2/

Recommended Age: 5 years and older

This cooking app is released by Toca Boca, a company that has won numerous app awards chosen by parents in the United States. It was also selected as one of Google Play’s Best Apps of 2015.

One of the most interesting aspects of this app is that there are no fixed cooking rules or procedures.
After choosing one of three characters, the player is free to cook however they like.
They can fry ingredients from the refrigerator, blend them, or add unexpected seasoning combinations.
Depending on how the dish turns out, the character’s reaction when eating also changes, making players curious to see different reactions every time.

Looking at the app screen, even the non-interactive background elements (such as kitchen utensils on the wall, the clock, and the window) are designed with as much detail as the main interactive elements (ingredients, cooking tools, and characters).

Because this kind of lively design can feel visually complex for infants and toddlers—who tend to perceive all on-screen elements as equally flat—it is more suitable for children aged five and older, who are better able to distinguish the importance of elements even without special visual cues such as size differences, highlighted colors, or movement.

By around age five, children also tend to prefer playing in their own creative way rather than strictly following rules, which makes the app especially appealing since they can create imaginative and unconventional dishes freely.

What did you think?
Digital content can be both a form of play and a learning experience for children.
It is clear that creating content for children is not simply a matter of simplifying designs made for adults, but rather requires careful observation and understanding of children’s behavior.
We want to continue designing experiences that not only entertain children, but also thoughtfully consider their growth and development in order to deliver a high-quality UX.