Kids are growing up in a world filled with ubiquitous mobile devices and access to the world’s knowledge literally at their finger tips. We are seeing students who are mobile and connected. Tech-savvy kids are growing up to be tech-savvy college bound teens who are connected, social and will bring with them a new paradigm of gesture bias and interaction preferences with technologies, media and privacy. This cohort will break down the traditional ideas of branding, marketing and personal privacy and continue in their dependence on online information and social media. How will this bias for gesture/touch over mouse/keyboard influence the adoption of technology? How will the consumption of content change? How will we adapt and change to meet the new expectations of the digital kids?

1. Digital Kids on
Branding, Privacy
and Technology Bias
Girl Geeks Toronto 2015
@andrewsmyk
#digitalkids #digitalfirstkids

2. Andrew Smyk
Sheridan College
Program Coordinator
#digitalkids #digitalfirstkids
Girl Geeks Toronto 2015
@andrewsmyk

3. “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/

4. 10 - 6 - 3

5. 13 - 8 - 6

6. the research

7. the research

9. 64 interviews
12 birthday parties
3 girls soccer teams
2 girls hockey teams
4 class room visits
6 online surveys
Updated Nov 2014

10. the research

11. historical view

12. the research

13. the research

15. technology clusters

18. We preselect the technology
we give to kids

19. Kids select the technology
with the lowest level of
abstraction

23. the research

24. “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

25. methods

26. A/B Testing

27. A/B with Tablets

28. 3 iPads
(I & II, Mini)
4 Android Tablets
(Nexus 7, Thrive, Galaxy Tab)

29. same apps installed

31. outcome

32. children ages 3 to 5 years old,
know which logo and products
correspond with which brand.

33. variation

34. iPad Only

35. A/B with Web Sites

36. Two versions of a site created
(desktop vs. responsive)

39. 90%
abandon rate

41. content

42. content

43. technology

44. Technology is neither good nor bad;
nor is it neutral. Kranzberg’s six laws of technology.

46. “This is my iPad.”

47. Hands on. Minds on. Authentic.

48. kids

49. “Why is there a phone in your camera?”

50. •Folding Chalk Board
+
•Face Time

51. •Folding Chalk Board
+
•Face Time

52. Technology associations
phone = camera, Kindle = book

53. “digital” is disappearing

54. “download” is disappearing

55. “play” terminology is changing

56. If it looks like a button, it better be a button.

58. the research
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28478778@N05/5728485497/

59. Kids prefer eReaders over
traditional print books

60. Except when reading is done
with a parent

62. Adapting Technologies to
their needs

63. Kids 2 to 6 are task focused,
not necessarily goal focused.

64. analog and digital
worlds

65. “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/

67. Prototyping

68. Collaborative drawing

69. Final Version

70. adults vs. children

73. branding

74. name some search engines?

75. Google
the internet

76. There are other search
engines.

77. “Really? Why?”

82. genericTM

83. privacy

84. 16 girls
16 iPods

85. 16 girls
16 iPods

86. 16 girls
16 iPods

87. 16 girls
16 iPods

88. Within the peer group,
there was no privacy

89. bias

91. Touch over type
adaptive/responsive content
mobile over desktop
Google SEO

92. - Josh Clark (@globalmoxie)
“Every Desktop Design Has
To Go Finger-Friendly"

93. http://bit.ly/digitalfirstkids
Design Considerations for Little Fingers
Designing UI and UX for Children

94. my details
• twitter: @andrewsmyk
• blog: andrewsmyk.com/research
• Feel free to tweet, write, etc.
• Kids twitter:
– @i_am_oriana
– @iamruslan

95. Thank You!