Design for Kids

by Debra Levin Gelman

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.

Genres: Design, Education, Technology, Nonfiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Emiliano Carrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy and concise read on everything about designing digital products for children. It really gave me the tools needed to understand how different it is to design apps for kids instead of adults and how to approach this task through play. I also think her approach gives you tools to design better products outside of the children realm. It just broadens your perspective because, with kids, you have to take down assumptions and go to basic design principles. It really makes you think outside the box.

It’s really interesting how humans’ cognitive and motor skills evolve so rapidly at an early age. This makes designing for a 3 yo so different to designing something for a 5 yo. This is the main insight I gain from this book.

[Ardavan Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pragmatic guide to understanding kids behaviour on digital products. The book is mostly based on Debra's qualitative research, but very much inspired by/built on Jean Piaget's developmental stage theory for intelligence development. Throughout the book, she outlines the factors that differentiate children's digital experiences from adults with real examples of games and products. There are tips to improve comprehension and usability and at the end of each chapter, she's included a case study to review the points.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, concise and easy read on a challenging subject.
The author makes a smart choice dividing sections based on motor-function development and other characteristics. This makes the information both easier to digest and apply.
Read this if you want to build better products kids.

[Mehran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Design for Kids" is an outstanding resource for anyone passionate about creating digital products for children. As a product designer with a keen interest in this field, I found the book to be incredibly useful and insightful.

[Adrian D'Alimonte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights and breakdowns of the various age groups.
Particularly liked the section on research methods.
Didn't see the need for gender specifics when it comes to gameplay.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Levin-Gelman offers a pragmatic guide to creating digital experiences for children under 12, while drawing on Jean Piaget’s theory on cognitive development for additional insight. The 0-2s have been omitted, as the author advocates that kids in this age group should not be exposed to screen time. The book is largely based on the author’s own observations and experiences whilst working on children’s apps and sites.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary of how kids learn and interact with technology, and what that means when you're designing for them. A lot of the book will be familiar if you know your Piaget, but there are a lot of useful checklists of things to watch out for (some of them counterintuitive) when you design software for kids.