Why children love tablet PC's - A recent study found that amongst 6 - 12 year old children, tablet PC's are the 'most wanted' electronic gift in the US. Another study showed more that 5 million tablet PC's have been sold in the UK since they became available in April 2010.
A recent study found that amongst 6 - 12 year old children, tablet PC's
are the 'most wanted' electronic gift in the US. Another study showed
more that 5 million tablet PC's have been sold in the UK since they
became available in April 2010.
While these figures do not directly indicate the adoption of tablet PC's
by children, it does show that tablet PC's are increasingly entering
into the mainstream. The increasing adoption of tablet PC's is part of a
wider trend. Between the ages of 8 to 18 years old, children now spend
300% more time using a computer than 10 years ago.
All of the above studies, alongside plenty of anecdotal evidence,
strongly suggest that tablet PC's are entering the mainstream and will
become a part of an increasing number of children's lives.
If we accept that children seem to love tablet PC's, it may be
interesting to consider 'why'? Trying to answer this question is not
only interesting for its own sake - it may also help us to identify how
to better design for children on tablet PC's. Tablet PC's are available
with following operating systems:
Google Android Tablet/Google Android Tablet PC, Windows CE tablet pc, Chrome tablet pc.
Psychology - behind tablet PC's
Although no-one can say that they fully understand the psychological
attraction of tablet PC's for children, there do seem to be some factors
of tablet PC's ' design which accord well with children's general
preferences. Amongst these are:
Control
Children like to be able to feel that they are in control over their
environment and experiences. Tablet PC's offer easy interaction and
immediate feedback and this makes it user friendly.
Variety
Children typically have rather short attention spans. A tablet P.C is a
device that can offer a wealth of features, games and experiences. This
diversity of content may well help keep children interested in tablet
PC's.
Repetition
Most parents will tell you that children love watching the same film
over and over again. Or perhaps they like singing the same song over and
over again. Tablet PC's are capable of offering a large degree of
repetition and predictability for children.
Interactivity
Most Children prefer the activity of 'play' to the more passive
experience of consumption (hence their often singing along to certain
cartoons and films). The tablet P.C offers children the opportunity to
do both.
Touch - children love touching tablet PC's
Tablet PC's fulfilling a very basic human pleasure - that associated
with touch. We have observed many adults habitually touching their
tablet PC's during usability testing sessions, even when they are not
actually interacting with its functionality. We would suggest at least
two major reasons why children love to touch tablet PC's:
Simplicity of interaction
Tablet PC's have simple method of interaction. The user does not have to
learn how to use any complicated devices - such as a keyboard and mouse
- that require significant hand/eye coordination. All users have to do
is touch the relevant part of the screen. We would suggest that this
makes tablets PC's more accessible (and attractive) to many children.
It seems an obvious statement, but their use of 'touch' is a defining
characteristic of tablet PC's which many children seem to find immensely
attractive. As such, any consideration of the
tablet PC usability for children should take this into account.
Usability tips for children and tablet PC's
We would recommend that the factors which make tablet PC's attractive to
children are emphasized when designing for children on tablet PC's. In
our experience, this increases children's engagement and enjoyment of a
tablet PC experience. Here are some factors that we would recommend
designers consider when creating experiences for children on tablet
PC's:
We recommend that tablet PC experiences designed for children should
encourage regular touch-interactions. Tablet PC's' interaction model is
their defining characteristic and seems particularly attractive to
children.
We also recommend that children's tablet PC experiences should offer
user control over levels of difficulty and repetition. They should also
offer a wide variety of experiences, in order to keep children engaged
and prevent them becoming bored.
Disclaimer: Dime-Co.Com is an online information article and video article network. All articles, video articles, comments, and other features herein are for informational purposes only and are provided "as is" without warranties, representations or guarantees of any kind. The views and opinions expressed in an article, comments, links or blogs are the author's own, and not necessarily those of dime-co.com's owners. For full disclaimer, please read our TOS.