Web Design Experts » Web-design-and-development » Building Web Sites For Children - Learn and Play

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Building Web Sites For Children - Learn and Play

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To build a successful web site, which will attract people, serve its intended purpose and abide by WWW guidelines on the quality of the structure of the site (e.g. HTML and CSS) has become a whole lot easier to do. The advent of WYSIWYGs (what you see is what you get) web site building software such as Apple\'s iWeb application and its ongoing development is paving the way for the amateur to delve into the world of web site design.

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To build a successful web site, which will attract people, serve its intended purpose and abide by WWW guidelines on the quality of the structure of the site (e.g. HTML and CSS) has become a whole lot easier to do. The advent of WYSIWYGs (what you see is what you get) web site building software such as Apple's iWeb application and its ongoing development is paving the way for the amateur to delve into the world of web site design. However it is not just about building a site and making it look pretty. It has to compete with other web sites and stand out from the rest.

There are a number of guidelines for creating web sites from using correct HTML and CSS language to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). They are mostly only guidelines and not everyone uses them correctly. Common guidelines associated with building a web site are in abundance, but are there any for displaying and presenting the content that goes on the web site (web copy)? The sporadic designs in today's web sites have content delivered in a number of ways, from following print based column layouts to fancy animated transitions. But has anyone considered the audience when making the decision to present the web copy in a certain way? Has anyone considered how the sites audience will understand what they are seeing and how they take in information?

In the UK, children and teenagers make up 24% of the population of active Internet users with a theme of 'Fun and Friends' making up their preferred reason for using the web. In fact this figure in probably much more. Sites like Bebo, Nickelodeon and Miniclip are just some popular sites, all offering social networking, however game oriented web sites such as Miniclip come out top according to a 2006 survey. [Nielsen//NetRatings 2006]

These websites are specifically designed for children and teenagers but apart from the usual colour, layout and character themes that these sites adopt, could there be other ways to attract children not only to interact with a site but to also learn from it?

Children have a very different learning style than adults which means if you build a site for an adult audience, it may put off younger audiences that are stimulated by an experience that they consciously prefer. Children like to 'do' things and are stimulated by practical and visual experiences. This applies to young teenagers too but mostly to children.

Building a web site that is engaging for children is one of the most important factors that needs to be considered. Would a child be excited by a web site that contains just text? Probably not unless they are a child genius! There are surprisingly far too many educational related web sites for children which have simply not taken into consideration how the information on the site will be received by its audience. To educate children is very similar to that method used in the classroom and at home. Practical and visual experiences.

if you are building a web site aimed at children it makes sense to consider the way the content is displayed and the use of interactive elements to keep their interest. One method to present educational content to children is to use games. Children like games and if you can design one that is both entertaining and engaging with an educational purpose then you have a winner. The key is to build the game around what you want your audience to learn.

Using games with an educational theme is just one method to engage with children and attract their attention. If your sole purpose is to educate children then this may help you to achieve it. In terms of a marketing point of view, using games to attract your audience is very very useful.

Article Source: Web Design Experts

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