In a recent article on useit.com Hoa Loranger (from NN/Group) published a summary of a study about: Teenage Usability: Designing Teen-Targeted Websites. Interesting reading and something of a myth buster (again - there was a previous study showing many of the same findings).
I have two kids at home (currently aged 10 and 12). It is with great fascination and also some trepidation that I watch their ways with computers. They have no fear (as opposed to my parents (the other day my father "destroyed the Internet" :-)). And they also have no clue! It is so fascinating to talk to them about this computer usage - the have absolutely no idea about the concept of the Internet (servers running software and linked with cables). It's just there for them to enjoy. And the best part of it - they don't care. I talked to them about this, and during the talk I realised that to them it is a part of life just as the telephone, TV and radio have been for me. I don't remember how old I was when I first started wondering about the workings of a phone.
But here's the thing: They are morons. Writing a document in a Word-processing they never format using styles (so they're not that different from the majority of users). They have no clue how to get an Internet connection. They don't know how to update their system (or the reason why this is a good idea). I do realise, though, that my kids are not as computer-savvy as some of their class mates (who on the other hand are distinctly unhealthy to look at).
So in conclusion: All of us trying to make computers easier to use, can rest assured that we will not loose our jobs anytime soon. Rather - we need more of us to help all those hapless children get on in the world,
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