Interaction Design I:

Love Him or Hate Him- Barney spells Interactivity

http://www.barney.com/usa/jukebox.html

In exploring websites for children’s’ games, I was most impressed with the interaction design of Barney’s website. I felt the site facilitated age-appropriate interaction and provided excellent feedback for users.

Have you ever been to a two-year old’s birthday party? These days, chances are Barney will make a cameo, engaging the kids in song-and-dance frenzy for about two hours of non-stop activity. Parents can always count on Barney to get the kids moving and never disappoint.

I was curious to see how Barney’s virtual Dance-along jukebox compared to the dance parties I attended. The interactivity the site provided made me like it even better than Barney in the flesh!

Let’s compare the level of interactivity the site affords to Schedroff’s Interactivity Spectra which states that interactive experiences promote each of the following: Feedback, Control, Productivity, Creativity, Communications and Adaptivity.

Feedback: The site provides explanatory feedback at every stage using both symbols and audio. Arrows point to buttons that should be clicked along with an audio explanation. If a song is loading, Barney tells you “Your song will be ready in a minute,” along with a loading message. If you click the “?” button, Barney explains how to use all the buttons necessary to create your dance and customize your experience. There are no dead links or heavy-duty songs to load which create a delayed response in the application.

Control: The user is able to choose her character, the stage background, and the dance moves the character performs. The user is also able to choose the song to be performed.

Productivity and Adaptivity: The site includes a section of “More Features: With a Little Help from a Grownup”. In this section, kids can choreograph a dance, play it back and even send the recording to a friend.

Communications: This is my favorite feature of the site. The site is designed for kids to get up off their chairs and dance with Barney like they do at these birthday parties. Designers made the dance moves easy-to-follow and fun, at times requiring a prop like a blanket. Kids can choreograph a dance and play it back to practice it. I can see kids performing these dances together in groups, facilitating social interactivity as well.

All in all, Barney’s Dance-along Jukebox is a well-designed, age-appropriate site that will keep your kids moving until the next birthday party.