CMC 2017 - Research 7 - Audience Insights Inspire the Sky Kids App

In a world where digital dominates but kids have an ever-expanding app store of choice, come and hear principles for successfully designing a digital product for kids.

Presented by Pete Maginn, The Pineapple Lounge and Lloyd Mason, Sky

Sky has always been at the forefront of innovative broadcasting, and the Sky Kids app is no exception. Offering high-quality, popular and age-appropriate programming was key, but the challenge was ensuring the platform was interactive, fun and easy to use while providing parents with peace of mind. The Pineapple Lounge got on board ahead of launch and embarked on a unique research process with a philosophy that a constant, rotational dialogue with the target audience – 3–9 year olds – was central to the app’s success.

The research has generated two strands of insight, both of which have been instrumental in the app’s development:

• Tactical, granular level of detail on kids’ navigation and user experience based on age and developmental stage, their ability to read and follow instructions to swipe and explore content.
• More general, behavioural and observational insights that have been accumulated along the way and helped to inform further ideas and designs – all the time grounded in child-centric insight. For example, their desire for and expectation of personalisation – including their own name on their home screen and personalisation of the Sky Buddy avatar within the app.

The research reveals some integral principles for successfully designing a digital product for kids.