2011 World Usability Day - Eric Myers - Highlights for Children

Faster Horses: Designing User Interfaces for Children

Eric G. MyersDirector, Interactive Media & Marketing

Highlights for Children

Can read (probably)

Has reasonable mouse skills

Is familiar with web heuristics

Ignores advertising

Adults

8 years old

4 years old

Can readCannot read

Decent mouse skillsPoor mouse skills

Has trouble distinguishing ads from content

Kids

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

― Henry Ford

“A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

-Steve Jobs as quoted in BusinessWeek (25 May 1998)

“I want something else!”

- Jason Myers as quoted at dinnertime every night from 2007-2010

Fitts' Law: The time to acquire a target is

a function of the distance to and size of the target.

Continuous Partial Attention:The process of paying simultaneous attention to a number of sources of

incoming information, but at a superficial level.

- Linda Stone

Inattentional Blindness:Not perceiving things in plain sight due to

focus on a task or engagement with another activity.

Wes RuvalcabaLance King

Ashley ChangSam Hetrick

Andy BennettAndy Anaya

James Jeansonne

The Talent

http://www.puzzlemaniakids.com/

http://www.highlightskids.com

ThinkLike an Inventor

TestLike a Scientist

PlayLike a Child

3 Final Thoughts

Q & A

Eric G. Myers

eric.myers@highlights.com@RobotsNoFollow