An intuitive and child-friendly app for RiksTV
Working on creating a child-friendly iOS app offered a different user testing process and many fun experiences!
Text: Writbeat – Translation: Maria Vole
RiksTV wanted to gather its content aimed at children in a separate app so that children can navigate the content on their own and find the TV series and movies they love. To do this, they needed an application that kids of different ages, including kindergarteners, would be able to use and navigate without their parents’ help.
“Andreas and others from the team conducted user testing in a kindergarten to learn about how young children navigate and use applications,” says Birgitte Seim-Haugen, head of RiksTV.
A product tailored for children
Cameras were used in the user testing so that Seim-Haugen and the others involved in the project could observe how the children used the app. When it comes to user testing, the normal process is to interview people about how they experienced the service or product, but since this app was to be used by young children, it was more relevant to observe how the children interacted with the application.
“There were a number of “aha-experiences” and we learned a lot about how young children use products and services. The children very rarely went back and forth in the service, they always wanted to "move on" and dive deep into the various universes that existed in the app,” says Seim-Haugen.
Since children at this age can’t read, it was very important to find another intuitive way for children to use the app. It was necessary to find a new way of navigating that was not based on text or speech – but rather shapes and color.
“Andreas and the team created a navigation based on familiar characters from the world of film and comics that the children would recognize and be able to understand. It was very intuitive for children who could not read.”
A safe application for children
In addition to creating an iOS application that was straightforward and child-friendly, it was also important that the app was safe to use for young children. Therefore, Andreas included a parental control that ensures that the children only have access to content that’s suitable for them.
“It was important that the children themselves could operate the app in a safe way since it’s well-known that children like to use iOS apps on tablets and the like. These devices are easier to use for small children who are not used to using remote controls and TV screens, so it was crucial that the app was safe to use for children,” says Seim-Haugen.
Seim-Haugen believes they received a great product that was tailored for children, and the app has therefore been an important part of the national package for RiksTV for many years.
“I think Andreas delivered very well. He was our only iOS developer and was very independent and professionally confident. At the same time, he worked well with the rest of the team and was a team player,” concludes Seim-Haugen.