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Designing Icons on User Interfaces for 4-6 year Old Children

Authors:
Shan Yan

Keywords: icon design; children; cognitive development.

Abstract:
A new generation of children, called “digital natives”, live in a world where technology is forever being used in their daily lives. Digital media, such as games and applications, are increasingly being designed with kids in mind. However, interface and icon design for kids are not just a matter of simplification or scaling-up buttons. Children should not be dumbed down during the design process. Given that children’s cognitive abilities vary at different ages, it’s imperative to avoid assumption of an icon or image will be targeting all ages. Designing for a 4-year-old may not be age appropriate for a 7-year-old. This paper discusses how to design icons for children from 4 to 6, on user interfaces, by investigating cognitive development theory and applying the concept of user-centered design into children-centered design. Along with that, it will compare different user interfaces on different media platforms like applications, games, and websites for kids. With the children’s unique characteristics at different ages in mind, designers can address age-appropriate design to those characteristics.

Pages: 246 to 253

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2017

Publication date: March 19, 2017

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4138

ISBN: 978-1-61208-538-8

Location: Nice, France

Dates: from March 19, 2017 to March 23, 2017