Human Computer Interface for Children: Investigation into Software Design Factors

The number of children who have interactions with computing devices is likely to increase significantly as humanity moves into the ubiquitous computing age. Not only are these interactions likely to be a part of the exploration of the world in which these children will live, but these interactions are also likely to be educational because they will assist the children to develop their cognitive abilities. Because children are not likely to explore a computing device out of a desire to use the device in order to accomplish a task as most adults will, the existing methodologies for the design of HCI interfaces for adults such as the GOMS methodology cannot be readily applied to a design for children. This paper takes a look at the software design factors associated with the design of Human Computer Interfaces for Children.