Young children are accustomed to experimenting with their world via
touch (and putting things in their mouth of course) so the iPhone fits
into their normal mode of discovery. Adults by contrast have learned
other means of discovery that might fail them when they have only a
single button and a screen.
Brandon E. B. Ward wrote:
I've hesitated chiming in on this, because it's anecdotal, but Jeff's
friend is not the only one to have experienced children and the iPhone.
My 3 year old had unlocked (swipe to unlock) and was watching YouTube
videos and playing games on my iPhone the day I got it. She figured
out all the gestures on her own. Now, 2 years later, my now 2 year old
uses it like a pro, partly after watching me, partly after watching my
daughter.
They know how to:
Change settings
Surf the web
Send SMS and Email
Play various games
Call someone
Take Pictures (their favorite)
Basically, anything that doesn't require reading/writing - they figure
it out, and they figure it out quickly. Give a 3 year old any other
phone and tell me how fast they're confidently, and repeatedly
accomplishing their stated goals with those interfaces and software.
Could they have figured out 911 in ANY situation? No. But, I'm going
out on an anecdotal limb here, if a 3 year old can figure it out w/out
anyone showing them anything, and a 2 year old can get it by watching
someone a few times I'm gonna surmise that the device is pretty darn
easy to use. Just look at the number of kids' and small kids' apps in
the App Store - mom/dad's device has turned into a portable family
media station.
Now - there are probably a myriad of factors involved. I'm guessing
that since my kids have grown up in a world with computers, cell
phones, remote controls, plasm a TVs, DVD players etc., whereas I had
my first VHS at age 8, my first computer my freshman year of college
etc., I think my kids are gonna be ahead of the curve compared to me
when it comes to adopting and adapting new technologies. (My 5 year
old has her own iBook and knows its basics as well now so...)
I still come to the same conclusion - I did before, and beautifully
quoted by Nasir:
"There is nothing wrong with having to explain the principles of
operation.
It is wrong only when that same explanation has to be given ... over
and over again." -- Don Norman
However, in the case of my iPhone - the only thing I ever had to
explain to my kids in terms of usability is which button was the
'done' or 'back' button as they couldn't yet read. I'm a firm believer
that the iPhone platform is one of the easiest software/hardware
combinations ever invented. I'm also an admitted Apple fanboy - so
choose to believe if I'm biased or not.
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