The best bit of this video is where she hands it to her father and asks him to try. I'm guessing, but that gesture wouldn't have come quite so naturally on a traditional computer.
A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
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Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#22It's amazing how fast she grasps the concept of the UI. Either she has some experience with an iPhone, or we have gotten to a point where interface design has become so intuitive that 3-year olds grasp software immediately. I think the first is the case, but impressive nonetheless ;-)
A friend told me his kids now try to use iphone hand motions on other screens they encounter and are surprised when they don't work. Same age group.
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#23Stray observations:
1. kids are awesome
2. she only got frustrated once, and that was when she couldn't get back to the home screen. With the hint "press the button; the big button" she felt in control (and happy).
3. By this point I'm thinking how I would simulate her investigative behavior in software. It's not systematic, but it's oh so efficient.
4. the confidence with which she dragged the letters to the "learn a word" app. First hesitantly, a moment later she fully expected the scrabble block under her finger to move along. You can spot the difference because she stopped checking whether the letter would follow her finger, she knew it would.
5. Confusion when she put her left hand on the edge of the iPad. This is where the immersion breaks and she needed a hint to get back on track. In fairness, most adults who try an iPhone for the first time make the same mistake, if you can even call it that.
6. The confidence with which the dad goes "Yup", knowing that she can't possibly do any damage to the device.
7. How she immediately goes into "piano mode" when a keyboard app appears on screen.
8 . It surprises me that she makes the same mistakes most adults do when trying a iPhone/iPad for the first time.
So much for my stray observations. Fascinating stuff.
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#24The physical home button for bailing out when problems or boredom strike certainly works well for her.
And for me!
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#25She has the attention span of a 2.5 ye -- oh.
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#26Could this become a usability test? Take your app or device and observe the interaction; positive and negative to improve overall UX. Similar to the drunken user test.W ould the results be valid for business functions where the child does not have or understand the need or problem being solved?
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#27Now try giving that 2.5 year old a Netbook with Windows on it and see how well that works.
Exactly. So many people miss the fundamental UI shift that's happening here. We don't want a desktop in another form factor.
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#28Now try giving that 2.5 year old a Netbook with Windows on it and see how well that works.
Now try giving that 2.5 year old a violin and see how well that works.
Now try giving that 2.5 year old a graphing calculator and see how well that works.
Now try giving that 2.5 year old a drum kit and see how well that works.
Now try giving that 2.5 year old canvas with a palette of oil paints and see how well that works.
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#29Now try giving that 2.5 year old a Netbook with Windows on it and see how well that works.
Now try giving that 2.5 year old a violin and see how well that works. Now try giving that 2.5 year old a graphing calculator and see how well that works. Now try giving that 2.5 year old a drum kit and see how well that works. Now try giving that 2.5 year old canvas with a palette of oil paints and see how well that works.
Those are great examples. Regular PCs are like giving people drum kits because it satisfies all the "requirements".
The iPad is like giving you maracas, a tambourine, or bongo drums. Same functionality? No. Vastly more fun for beginners? Yes.
Re: A 2.5 Year-Old Has A First Encounter with An iPad
#30Now try giving that 2.5 year old a Netbook with Windows on it and see how well that works.
Now try giving that 2.5 year old a violin and see how well that works. Now try giving that 2.5 year old a graphing calculator and see how well that works. Now try giving that 2.5 year old a drum kit and see how well that works. Now try giving that 2.5 year old canvas with a palette of oil paints and see how well that works.
A good list of things which require skill to use. Is the iPad the closest we've gotten to a computer which does not require skill to use? Other examples?