Design Review Match It Up 3

Here's our latest design review for a educational application for children 2-4 years old. It's called Match it up 3 and it's supposed to develop children's perception and cognitive skill by letting them look at several icon/ images and select one of them and draw it towards the center image. We have evaluated the application based in Nielsen's heuristics.

1. Visibility of system status

Sound feedback for actions, good visibility of system and states. However, some buttons like the return or back button, aren't clear with it's purpose. The return button is quite small and uses a triangular shape as a icon for return. This looks more likely to a Play button and not a Back button. Also, bad feedback for multitouch, why doesn't multitouch work? It could be confusing for a kid to understand that object sometimes can be moved but when something else is touched the other objects are locked. Kid often have bad skills and could easily touch several items or object at once and therefore lock other objects or the gameplay by mistake. The application should support multitouch or at least give feedback for why it isn't supported. We also thought that the application should provide more positive feedback when a task or a match is done correctly. It should be a feedback for every correct match, perhaps an animation or a sound or a text information also spoken up loud. Example "this is a sun, it has the color yellow". That would create a better meaning for the kids and also explain why their match is correct. Another feedback could be that the background color blinks in example a green color to indicate that the answer is correct.

2. Match between system and the real world

Concept about how to move things, push, pull works well and are familiar to a 2 yr old user. Touch applications are easy to understand, it follows the concept of moving things for a 2 yr. However, the images could be bigger and some of them doesn't even look like example money. The choice of images could have been better, more thought through. Sometimes the images are difficult two understand what they are representing and the "logical" match isn't that logical. The connections can be hard to understand. Further more there are no hints of what to do or what the task is, a simple demonstration would have been appreciated at least for the first-time user. Finally, we find the idea, since some of the pictures are difficult to understand and there is not any clear connection, somewhat limiting the children's imagination. It helps creating stereotypes and that isn't perhaps such a good idea?

3. User control and freedom

Information button and back-button are relatively small, perhaps to avoid kids using it by mistake to frequently or to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. If a user is doing wrong the system has an automatic slide function which slides the object back to its original place. This is good, friendly way of telling the user it was wrong, it supports trial-and-error, so that the user tries again. The return button looks the same in every state, so its consistent and familiar to the user but the choice of icon is perhaps not appropriate. Sound can be turned on/off by pushing the icon one or two times. The problem with children interaction style, mentioned above, is a problem and multi touched should be supported. The kids should be able to move several objects at the same time even if only one object is the correct or matching movement. Also that additional application can be bought by mistake in the information menu/presentation is bad. We think it should be in an additional window. It shouldn't be accessible for kids by mistake download additional games!

4. Consistency and standards

The game play is consisten for all states and familiar. One you have figured out what to do (it's easy to learn and it support trail and error) the game is very easy to play. You can't slide between windows or rooms, nothing happens when the iPad is shaken but the touch interaction is supported and follow conventions. Similar to other touch applications. The place of the return icon is correctly, according to conventions, in the left corner and help or information in the right corner. Information and sound icons are those that are most frequently used. As mentioned previously the consistency between matching objects sometimes aren't that clear and the game content is quite small.

5. Error prevention

Error prevention could be that navigation icons are relatively small compared to the other object in the interface so that they are not as inviting to use. Other function is the slide function that doesn't tell the user that he/she is wrong, just automatically adjust the problem by sliding back to original position. Sound feedback is also telling the user right or wrong in a friendly way. However, in help menu  information is presented with additional information about other similar games provided by the developer and a download link that automatically link the user to apple appstore where additional games can be downloaded very easy. This is most likely confusing for children and they will most likely have trouble going back to the game. Also they will probably by other games when trying to return or be tempted to do so. Not good. Also, in the presentation window or as the first view the game menu is presented with a hidden link in the bottom of the window. This wasn't discovered the first times the game was tried out but when discovered it is considered as bad. This hidden link automatically sends the user to the developers home page and there it can be difficult to go back to game state if the user is not familiar with Internet and computer usage. Hidden links are not recommended and especially not for kids, since they tap everywhere and without consideration. They most likely will not understand why their action transfers them to another web page.

6. Recognition rather than recall

The game is trial and error so there is no recall necessary. It is however a cognitive -and perception-learning-based game so it will demand some memory recall action and understanding of why a certain action is considered as correct. The game is similar to memory, in trying to remember what object that is related to the other. But it is in a good, learning way. If the user is linked to appstore will however demand that the user remembers how to go back or exit that state.

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

Efficiency isn't really something that is measured in applications for children and it isn't something that is striven for. The game could, however, be more exciting by adding additional levels or complexity based on cognitive skill and previous results. This game is very easy and might be boring if a user has done or finished all charts. The chart doesn't change when you have completed them and if you have completed all charts the game might be boring or fall out of interest. Also, it could make the user feel stupid or that he/she hasn't completed the chart after all since they are put back to square one.

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

The view is very easy over looking and use color in a interesting and conceptual way. One chart is about color matching and is fun to use but perhaps difficult to understand the conception of. It is probably the most difficult and most covering demanding, chart of the game. The objects are fun and nice graphics they could though been larger in size and more similar in type, some pictures are 3d and some are 2D.

9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Children apps shouldn't have room for much error, so it is difficult to find errors. Sometimes a object is accepted and sometimes not. It is important to draw the figure in a normal pass and inside the white square otherwise they are not accepted even if they are correct. The white square is good as a perimeter where correct answers are accepted and it help the user understand where to draw it (since it is not the same color as the background) it is also good the application has a automatic slide so if the object is correct and the user drops it within the perimeter the object is automatically drawn into the center. However it is confusing that the right object might not be accepted if you push it to quickly towards the perimeter. It is nice and friendly that the user is awarded with applause and a smile if all objects are correct and the chart is finished.

10. Help and documentation

As mentioned above the documentation is good. However it is written and most likely not understandable by kids in the target age. They will need help to understand. One thing to develop is perhaps to support auditory information, instructions by sound. The information is not however directed towards the children, it seems more directed to parents or buyers. The design is easy though and trial and error is supported so kids (perhaps?!) won't have problems using the app. Also, a bad thing about the design is that information or written help, is mixed with opportunities to by additional games. It probably shouldn't be mixed in the same place.