Criteria for children's web portals: A comparison of two studies

The article compares the findings from two design studies that investigated design criteria for children's Web portals. In the first study, conducted in 2000, four focus groups, comprising students aged 10 to 13 years evaluated four children's portals (Ask Jeeves for Kids; KidsClick!; Lycos Zone; and Yahooligans!). In the second study, conducted in 2003, an intergenerational team -including students aged 11 and 12 years and three of the authors - designed, over 13 sessions, a prototype children's Web portal. The verbatim discussions from the first study and the verbatim discussions, exit interviews, portal drawings, and prototype portal from the second study are analysed to identify portal design criteria under the following broad categories: portal objectives, visual design, information architecture, personalization, interactivity, and multilingualism. In many instances, the findings from the first study were confirmed by the second study. Divergences between the two studies, when they did occur, were explained by the time lapse between the studies - students in the second study had been exposed longer to the Web - and by methodological differences that gave students in the second study more scope to discuss design and formulate criteria. Overall, both studies confirmed the capability of young Web users to analyse Web portals intended for children and offer insights for improving them.