Principles and Guidelines for Developing Web Applications for Children: A Ghanaian Perspective

Abstract

Children, in Ghana, between the ages of 5 and 10 have a good amount of knowledge on the use of web applications and browsing for information on web sites. However, knowledge on how to develop web applications for these children is very limited. The process for establishing principles and guidelines for the development of web application for these children has been started, though, in countries like the United States of America. The aim of this dissertation is to start the process for establishing such principles and guidelines for Ghanaian children as well. By combining the study approaches used by a number of researchers discussed in this paper and analyzing the results, findings proved that the use of color and images should be minimal and the display of instructions should be visible and straight to the point. The facts mentioned above in addition to many others have been discovered. It is therefore essential that web developers, who seek to develop for Ghanaian children within the given age range, consider these during development.