In this new world of digital natives ranging from tablet-tapping toddlers to tirelessly texting tweens, designing for the usability needs and content preferences of kids on websites and games can be very different depending on very narrow age groups. In designing and building content for kids, these age groups should be considered: young (3-5); mid-range (6-8); older (9-12). Smashing Ideas develops content for each of these groups, so we thought we’d provide a little more insight.

We recently did a full review of The Nielsen Norman Group study on children, “Usability of Websites for Children: Design Guidelines for Targeting Users Aged 3-12 Years,” by Raluca Budiu and Jakob Nielson. The study focused on separating design myths from usability facts as they relate to kids, and it reinforced much of what we’ve learned over the years, including the need to distinguish kids as being in very defined age groups; “…different needs range far beyond the obvious imperative to design differently for pre-readers, beginning readers and moderately skilled readers.”

We thought we’d share a few of what we considered some more interesting points as they relate to age groups:

• Kids today are much more experienced using technology than just seven years ago; the study showed that now only the youngest users (3-5) have problems scrolling and that kids in general have a better grasp of controls and computer UI standards.
• Just like adults, kids would rather have less content that is of a higher quality vs. a great deal of content that is lower quality.
• Feedback is critical, sites or games should always ensure the user receives quick and clear feedback.
• Mid to older ranged groups are reading even less online. As these age groups have become more accustomed to browsing, they’re less inclined to read the copy – always keep it brief, especially Help copy.
• Kids use the Web mainly for entertainment and games and interactive content remain the number one thing kids do online.

The study also reinforced some common mistakes we’ve seen online marketers make across age groups. Here’s just a few of the top don’t dos:

• Don’t assume all kids have the same computer processing capabilities. Kids are often using computers handed down by parents or siblings. Or they may be using school computers that tend to be older models.
• Don’t assume that a caregiver will be sitting next to the child when they are online. Parents often help their younger children gain access to a site, but once there, the parent tends to not remain involved.
• Don’t redefine standard conventions – it will only confuse the child. For example, kids know that the X in the top right corner will close the game they’re playing; moving this may only confuse them.
• Don’t bury access to content – although younger kids love minesweeping (or clicking randomly on pages); make sure the site buttons still look like buttons. If something on the site is clickable, make sure the child can find it no matter what the age-range.
• Don’t mix parent content with the kids’ content. Make sure to distinguish between the kids section and content geared towards parents.

So while there is no such thing as designing for all age groups, there are a few fundamentals that we have found across these very diverse age groups:

• Keep copy to a minimum
• Keep usability intuitive
• Make sure your site offers fun, entertaining interactive elements
• Make sure your users can find the content they’re looking for
• And by all means, offer fun, surprising, engaging visual effects and audio feedback