OVERVIEW
Being a young businesswoman and mother, I came across the idea of working together with a highly motivated and capable team to create and bring to life a children's app. The app is targeted towards children of pre-school through to primary school age and who are already searching for IT-based media with a look towards appealing fairytales. For me it was important that the media and how it is worked through was tailored to children of this age group and that the child can have fun while being led through a learning experience. In the first few years of life it is very important to be guided into this correctly. Learning should be fun, only then will learning be a success.
My project - the interactive e-learning app "The Adventures of the Three Little Pigs" - is perfectly suitable for young children from the age of one year and upwards. Along with encountering the qualities of a children’s book, children are inspired to independently explore events within the app and to communicate with the app using diverse features. The result is a fun and playful learning experience. The story itself is split up into several scenes, each of which promotes the learning of particular compentences. As well as telling the story, the app poses questions and quizzes, and requires games to be completed - the complexity of which is determined by the age of the child.
Using my app, the idea that young children should not be using such media is set aside and the child's learning needs and development are approached and promoted using a modern and effective solution.
The app has been created based on the following:
Multilingual app
The app has been produced in three languages; English, German and Russian. This allows the app to find an international following as well as enabling children to start gaining experience in another language.
Progress through experience
Each scene contains and requires different steps for completion and which your child needs to complete to find the solution. The app has also been created with the aim of enabling and encouraging parents and friends to accompany the child through the scenes.
Inclusion of interaction
The app contains numerous game sequences and puzzles which are suited to children who at this age are learning such assignment skills. The child must, for example, build pigs' houses by dragging the individual pieces into the correct place using their finger.
Entertaining animations
The app contains hundreds of animations which bring a smile - or a laugh - to the child's face building interest and a fun atmosphere. These animations are initiated by the children themeselves and can be replayed as often as desired.
Read aloud, hear, see
The app can be worked through in three different manners. It can be used just like a normal audio book, with moving animations (cartoon) or as an interactive and video-supported audio book.
Real-time mode
While the story is being told the corresponding words are highlighted in colour, as is more commonly known from karaoke. This enables the child to visually recognise which words are being used and gain his/her first experiences with written words or letters.
Appealing flat design
Flat design focuses on the reduction of unnecessary or distracting components leaving clear contours and coloured areas, and a clear combination of diverse objects, ensuring the child is not overwhelmed and can build a close relationship with the "heroes".
Interactive special effects
The app contains features which allow the child to influence the sequence of events by using interaction. For example, the child can help the wolf to blow down the houses by blowing into the microphone themselves.
Social media
We want parents to be involved in the app too. They can share their child's progress directly from the app via social media such as Facebook, keeping them involved in their child's learning.
