What are the best practices for testing mobile apps with children?

1 Define your goals and audience

Before you start testing your app with children, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach. What are the main features, functions, and benefits of your app? What are the age range, gender, location, culture, and interests of your target users? How will your app fit into their lives, needs, and motivations? These questions will help you define your testing goals and criteria, as well as select the appropriate sample size, recruitment method, and testing location for your children participants.

2 Choose your testing method and tools

When testing your mobile app with children, there are several methods and tools you can use, depending on your goals, budget, and timeline. Usability testing is one of the most common approaches, which involves observing and interviewing children as they use your app in a controlled or natural setting. You can also use various tools to record and analyze the data, such as screen capture, eye tracking, audio and video recording, and surveys. Beta testing is another popular method, which involves distributing your app to a selected group of children and asking them to use it for a certain period of time. Additionally, A/B testing is another option that involves creating two or more versions of your app or a specific feature and randomly assigning them to different groups of children. Platforms like TestFlight, Google Play Beta Testing, Firebase App Distribution, Firebase Remote Config, Optimizely, or Google Optimize can help you manage and monitor the process as well as analyze the outcomes.

3 Prepare your testing materials and consent forms

Prior to conducting testing sessions with children, you must prepare your testing materials and consent forms. Your testing materials should include a script or guide that outlines the tasks, questions, and scenarios to present to the children, a prototype or version of your app that is ready and functional for testing, a device or simulator that can run your app and has enough battery life and storage space, as well as a backup plan in case of technical issues or unexpected situations. The consent forms should have a clear and simple explanation of the purpose, duration, and procedure of the testing session, a statement of the risks and benefits of participating in the testing session, a request for permission and signature from the child and their parent or guardian, a declaration of the confidentiality and anonymity of the data collected, as well as an option for them to withdraw from the testing session at any time.

5 Analyze and report your testing results

After conducting your testing sessions with children, you need to analyze and report your testing results. This should include a description of your testing method, tools, materials, and participants, as well as a summary of your testing goals and criteria. Additionally, present your testing data with screenshots, videos, transcripts, surveys, and metrics. Discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your app. Provide a list of recommendations for improvements, changes, or additions. Lastly, reflect on the challenges, lessons, and insights gained from testing with children. Testing mobile apps with children can be a rewarding and insightful process; however, it requires careful planning, execution, and evaluation to ensure that it is ethical and effective. By following these best practices you can improve the design and user experience based on their feedback and preferences.