Digital Kids on
Branding, Privacy
and Technology Bias
FITC Toronto 2015
@andrewsmyk
#digitalkids #FITCTO
Andrew SmykSheridan College
Program Coordinator
#digitalkids #FITCTO
FITC Toronto 2015
@andrewsmyk
“People two, three or four years apart
are having completely different
experiences with technology,”
Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tocaboca/5523596357/ @andrewsmyk
10 - 6 - 4
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13 - 8 - 6
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the research
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the research
64 interviews
12 birthday parties
3 girls soccer teams
2 girls hockey teams
4 class room visits
6 online surveys
Updated Nov 2014
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historical view
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the research
the research
technology clusters
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We preselect the technology
we give to kids
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Kids select the technology
with the lowest level of
abstraction
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the research
“They have their own brand new one.”- Goldstone
“My daughter had her own iPad since
she was 1 years old.”- gary2kool
“Kids hand me down went to the
grandparents.”- themiss
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children ages 3 to 5 years old,
know which logo and products
correspond with which brand.
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variation
iPad Only
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A/B with Web Sites
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Two versions of a site created
(desktop vs. responsive)
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90%abandon rate
content
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content
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technology
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Technology is neither good nor bad;
nor is it neutral. Kranzberg’s six laws of technology.
kids
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“This is my iPad.”
“Why is there a phone in your camera?”
•Folding Chalk Board+
•Face Time
Technology associations
phone = camera, Kindle = book
“digital” is disappearing
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“download” is disappearing
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“play” terminology is changing
If it looks like a button, it better be a button.
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the research
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28478778@N05/5728485497/
Kids prefer eReaders over
traditional print books
Except when reading is done
with a parent
Adapting Technologies to
their needs
Kids 2 to 6 are task focused,
not necessarily goal focused.
analog and digital
worlds
“The movement between digital and traditional analog
tools as means of expression and creation comes
naturally to kids. Their movement is seamless and
effortless; we’ve lost this skill as adults.”
- Andrew Smyk
www.andrewsmyk.com/research/kids-and-robots/
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adults vs. children
branding
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name some search engines?
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the internet
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There are other search
engines.
“Really? Why?”
genericTM
privacy
16 girls
16 iPods
16 girls
16 iPods
16 girls
16 iPods
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16 girls
16 iPods
Within the peer group,
there was no privacy
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http://bit.ly/digitalfirstkids
Design Considerations for Little FingersDesigning UI and UX for Children
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Thank You!
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