By now many of you have probably already seen the embedded video above where a 2 and a half year old handles the new Apple iPad.
It’s fascinating to note how her frustrations match much of a full grown adult:
She had the same frustration as many adults, where touching the screen-edge with your thumb while holding the iPad blocks input to all home screen icons.
Notice also that she was confused by the splash page for FirstWords Animals, her favorite spelling game: Because the start button looked like a graphic, rather than a conventional button, she couldn’t figure out how to start the game.
I think this is extremely telling about us as humans, mobile technology, and hints on strategy for developing mobile products.
My 3 and a half year old is using the iPad just as well as the girl in the video. The only “catch” has been the gyroscope / accelerometer within the iPad for games such as Labyrinth 2 HD (which is beautiful by the way), but most grown adults can struggle with that as well.
But she’s growing up in an entirely different world; as one NYTimes contributor notes:
My 2-year-old daughter surprised me recently with two words: “Daddy’s book.” She was holding my Kindle electronic reader.
Here is a child only beginning to talk, revealing that the seeds of the next generation gap have already been planted. She has identified the Kindle as a substitute for words printed on physical pages. I own the device and am still not completely sold on the idea.
My daughter’s worldview and life will be shaped in very deliberate ways by technologies like the Kindle and the new magical high-tech gadgets coming out this year — Google’s Nexus One phone and Apple’s impending tablet among them. She’ll know nothing other than a world with digital books, Skype video chats with faraway relatives, and toddler-friendly video games on the iPhone.
She’ll see the world a lot differently from her parents.
Fascinating, if but a bit scary too. By the time she’s 20 it’s going to be a brave, new world of technology. I can guarantee that whatever we have today is going to look “lame” when my daughter is my age.
But one of the most poignant thoughts for me is how we’re developing products and how they are becoming even more intuitive and natural in terms of the human experience and physiology. Again, with the gyroscope, it’s natural for us to seek “balance” when we do things, like walking for instance – why not create apps that tag onto this most-natural response?
I’m excited to see where it’s all headed and the more intuitive the apps and tech the better because it’ll take less time, energy, resources for me to do what I need to do.
And hey, it’ll probably be more fun as well.
*Cheese.
Stephen Bateman says
That youtube video is crazy. Favorite part:
“L..I..O..N. LION, ROAR.” *little girl presses button to leave application, thoroughly uninterested*
Antoine RJ Wright says
I’ll only say that “we” need to embrace that the world view of tech of those younger than 5 will be drastically different than our own. There’s nothing to be afraid of, nor should we “protect” them from learning how to manage this. On our ends, its the passing of one generation to another. Build a solid foundation and they will grow up – understanding their present, while realizing the history that went into that gift.
dewde says
Great article, John.
peace | dewde
brett barner says
This is the future of computing, my friends. Just how we adopted to using PCs and Macs from Dos, these little ones’ “Dos” are Windows 7, Snow Leopard, and iPhone OS.
I fear that I’ll be that old person in the near future who calls their grandkid to walk them through hologram chat or whatever. haha
Travis Fish says
This is awesome. Great post.
Adam Shields says
My 2.5 year old niece talks about my kindle as Uncle Adam’s book.
Still trying to work with her on mouse use. But maybe I should just buy her an ipad instead. (Don’t know how that would go over with the wife.)