Developing An App For Kids: Is It Worth It?

Out of all the demographics an app designer could develop a mobile offering for, why target kids? Kids simply are not old enough to work, and therefore do not have income to spend on apps. What’s more, they may not even own a mobile device to use the app on. With all that said, kids are still one of the largest target markets for app designers. Why? Parents need something to occupy the ever-excitable minds of their children while cooking dinner or driving to soccer practice. Without a doubt, teens, pre-teens and younger ages make up a significant market segment for apps, leaving you to decide whether developing an app specifically designed for them is really worth it. 

Why Wouldn’t It Be?

Like any app, one designed for kids takes a substantial investment, and extensive planning in order to create and design a marketing plan that is appropriate for the demographic. More specifically, this means adding animations and colorful interfaces to your app’s design. It also means using age-appropriate vocabulary and simplified terminology when adding text content to your app. In terms of figuring out whether developing an app designed for kids is worth it, the only way it wouldn’t be, is if you failed to accomplish these things. In other words, designing a kid’s app should not be done half-heartedly; otherwise it will likely be lost in the proverbial No Man’s Land where apps without a clear target market end up. There have been numerous examples of apps that have tried to target kids, only to fail at appealing to the young demographic, wasting time and money.    

Why Kids Are So Hard To Target Market

If you look at apps currently on the market geared toward kids, you will see a number of both well-done and poorly executed examples. One well-crafted kids app is Barefoot Atlas World. The app is designed to be both educational and entertaining while used on smartphones, iPods, and tablets. More specifically, the app introduces the traditional learning aspects of a print atlas with advanced mobile technology in a fun and appealing experience for kids. What Barefoot Atlas World makes look easy is the ability to target the often tough to gauge pre-teen demographic.

How To Appeal Your App To Kids

The key to designing an app that is appealing to kids is to create a fun and exciting option that is age-appropriate and also involves some sort of gamification. In addition, you should also consider that it will be the parents that are going to buy your app, not their children. For such reason, you should ensure it meets even the strictest parental control guidelines and an educational angle. In other words, if you can appeal your app to the excitable nature of kids and the educational aspirations of their parents, then you will increase your app’s potential for success by that much more. After all, a parent is more likely to buy their kid an app that teaches world geography in an interactive way, over a game with zero educational value.

Conclusion

If you are considering designing an app targeting children, you should most definitely consider the appropriateness of your app’s design, as well as the involvement of parents when buying the app. If you can accomplish that in a fun and interactive gaming app, then you may just have the next best selling kids app on your hands.