Measurement of the Impact on the Usability of an iPad Game Developed with a Design Guide Built by Children

Aim/Purpose: This research is a comparative test between two Human Computer Interaction (HCI) design approaches - Apple versus one informed by child users. Background: There are studies concerning the creation of graphical interfaces for kids, however, they do not involve them in the design process. On the other hand, operating systems such as Apple or Android impose their graphic guidelines designed only for a general outlook. Methodology: The research has a scope of exploratory nature, with a mixed approach. For the measurement of usability, tests were developed to determine the degree of efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction generated in two versions of the same game. Children between six and eight years of age were targeted for this test. Contribution: This research compares two design guides to determine which one is better to develop games for children. Findings: This study concluded that the design guide elaborated by children allowed the building a more efficient, effective, and satisfactory game because the total usability percentage was 89.84%. This percentage was much higher than that obtained using the generic Apple guide, where the percentage of total usability obtained was 78.72%. Recommendations for Practitioners: Using design guides to develop games for children helps to increase the level of usability for them. Recommendation for Researchers: These design guides can be used for other devices that have different operating systems as guidelines to develop games for children. Impact on Society: The future generations of game developers that focus on games for children can take into account the following guidelines to create games that children will enjoy more. Future Research: Perform usability tests with users of different ages, for example children, adolescents, and adults. It is also suggested to take into account mobile devices with Android operating system.