Kathryn Rotondo discusses best practices for designing apps for young children. She covers intuitive gestures like tapping and dragging versus less intuitive gestures like pinching and flicking. Rotondo also discusses interface elements like menus, buttons, scrolling, text levels, audio cues and feedback that are easy for children to understand. She provides resources for developers to ensure their apps are designed appropriately for young users.

1. So Easy a Child Could Do It
Designing Apps
for
Little Fingers
Kathryn Rotondo
kathrynrotondo.com
@krotondo

2. Hi.

3. tap? double tap? swipe? undo?
sound effects? animations?

4. Kids

5. Kids

6. w!
gro
!

8. Landscape
Orientation
Resting
Hand
Studio Proper Clumsy iPad Case

9. Most Intuitive
Gestures

10. Tap

11. Draw

12. Swipe

13. Drag

14. Least Intuitive
Gestures

15. Pinch
Zoom

16. ke
ha
S
ilt
T

17. MultiTouch

18. Flick
Fling

19. Double
Tap

20. Flow

21. “Hello, Super You!”
Superwhy
Greetings

22. Look over here!
Bobo Explores Light
Guides

23. Touch me!
Shapes & Puzzles
Intuitive Goal

24. copy me
LEGO DUPLO Zoo
Instructions

25. Distinct from
Background
Magic Stickers
Interactivity

26. blinky
The Three Little Pigs
Timeouts

27. smile
Casper Scare School
Wrong Answers

28. stickers
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Payouts

29. “ooh, aah!”
Toca Kitchen
Feedback

30. go anywhere
The Monster at the End of this Book… Starring Grover!
Menu

31. normal & boss levels
Spy Mouse HD
Continuity

32. home & replay
Toca Doctor
End of Play

33. Interface

34. side-to-side
LEGO App4+
Scrolling

35. swiping & button
Bad Piggies HD
Showing “More”

36. pictoral & standard
Pudding Monsters HD
Button Icons

37. Text

38. pictorial level menu
Sprinkle Junior
No Reading

39. sync with audio
Little Red Riding Hood
Highlighting

40. Zaner Bloser
Peekaboo Trick or Treat
Fonts

41. to the side
Make It Pop
Counters

42. Audio

43. instruction at end
The Monster at the End of this Book… Starring Grover!
Concise

44. turn page or wait?
Sid the Science Kid Read & Play
Interruptability

45. “O-O-O-O-O”
Endless Alphabet
Sound Effects

46. knock knock
Peeakaboo Trick or Treat
Activity Cues

47. ambiance
Interactive Alphabet
Background

48. For Grown-Ups

49. Toca Builders
Baby Gates

50. Toca Builders
Parent Tips

51. badge = trust
Moms with Apps Know What’s Inside Program
Be Transparent

52. showing > text
Interactive Alphabet
Help

53. Wee You Things
Register/Login

54. Resources
Sesame’s Best Practices Guide
for Children’s App Development
!
Moms with Apps Know What’s
Inside Program
!
Developer Exchange Facebook
Group
!
Apps Playground App Reviews
Gesture Illustrations by
Tomodachi

55. Questions?

56. Thanks!
Kathryn Rotondo
kathrynrotondo.com
motherboardpodcast.com
hello@kathrynrotondo.com
@krotondo