Blog

This month, we were pleased to be invited by netmag to take part in their website build- off – a section of the magazine in which three web designers are challenged to tackle the same brief.

The topic of challenge was to design a website aimed at children. Not a promotional site for a product, but rather an educational one that looks at how children use the web differently. Needless to say, the brief was right up our street having worked on a number of websites for children’s brands including CBBC’s Tracy Beaker, Cbeebies Poetry Pie and Nickelodeon.

Featured in issue 202, the site has one clear mission – to inspire kids to pick up and learn a musical instrument.

21st century kids feed on diet of non-stop TV music talent shows – we wanted to build on this appetite but get them off the couch – to empower and encourage participation – to draw out a new generation of musical creativity beyond the realms of manufactured plastic pop.

Childhood is clearly the best place to start learning an instrument. This said, it’s a fact that music lessons don’t always appeal or are too costly for some families which is why we thought the web would be the perfect environment to reach all and offer a fully immersive musical journey, spurred on by fun, discovery and learning.

Jammin is our solution – aimed at 7-11 year olds and clearly filling a gap in the market. The appealing central character / avatar puts the target kids in the driving seat – they control the pace of their own learning, gaining points, new skills and abilities as they cycle through a revolving musical world. The avatar device helps kids form a relationship with an on-screen persona, promoting connection and memorable interaction, ensuring return visits.

Papervision 3D is the rendering engine of choice to seamlessly power the rotation and subsequent pop up layers. Over-sized, easy to find navigational elements and simple calls to action help the kids understand immediately what’s happening and what they need to do to progress, irrespective of their technical web experience.

The overall aesthetic and non-linear nature of the architecture lends itself to the concept of exploration, wrapped up in bold, dynamic and engaging execution.

Some more about the site’s features:

Challenge & reward: Kids love a challenge and being rewarded for their efforts. Completing the online tutorials earns the user musical notes at the top of the screen and indicates progress. Each note unlocks new areas, games and downloadable content.
Steaming video & audio: Streaming video and audio tutorials support the sites core functional to inform, educate and aid musical learning. Educational benefit packaged as a interactive gaming experience.
Customisable: Kids want to ‘own’ their little piece of the web and customization is key. The user can choose male or female character, enter their own unique name, change the avatar’s clothing and build up multiple facets to the on-screen persona.
Click to discover: Playful interaction using animation, video and sound are key to engage, differentiate functionality and motivate exploration. Click on any instrument to uncover new content. Find out its history, learn from famous musicians and test your knowledge.
Get Connected: Integrating age-appropriate social media tools to share content and contribute is important for this audience, for many it represents their first online social experience. It’ll help build a community of friends and fellow musicians increasing engagement, participation and site stickiness.