KIDS TABLET AND KIDS MODE ARE A SAMSUNG’S ANSWER TO THE YOUNGER AUDIENCE.

Context

As tech scouting lead at Samsung I was working 90% of my time on hard-core tech i.e. imaging, natural language, sensors, but on a few occasions I was tasked with curating games and apps.

Early 2013, Samsung received many inquiries from telecom operators in the US & China to launch a dedicated tablet device for children aged between 2 ~7 yrs. I received a mandate from then- CTO on securing the most attractive content providers for kids tablet. & have contributed more than 50% of the application preloaded onto the tablet device.

The tablet device

The Kids Tablet has the look feel customised for children, brightly coloured with a handle grip and a number cover. The product has been launched and sold in Korea, the US, Asia and a few selected European markets. The device sales estimated around lower millions & was a slow starter. For Samsung, I don't think the sales volume justified the cost of producing a dedicated product for children, and eventually the device had become a one-off product.

Update: As of January 2017 I checked & I was pleasantly surprised that the kids tablet are being sold now in the UK, which wasn't the case when I left Samsung. And I am really happy that the product reviews are really good.

The UI skin - Kids Mode with Kallan & Co

We looked for ways to let children use their parents' phones safely & without parents' being concerned for children to mistakenly touch or buy anything online. Kids mode is a custom interface for child users for such usecases. Parents can let their children use the phone & play with the apps that are kids-friendly & safe. Kids Mode offer a range of customised applications such as ‘Kids Camera’ & ‘Kids Gallery’. As a simple preload application, it has been preloaded onto several signature Galaxy devices.

The look & feel of Kids Mode UI have been designed by a talented team of Finnish designers, Kallan & Co, whom I recommended to the UX team in Korean Headquarters.

Samsung Kids Mode - A Custom UI with child safety features

Contents preloaded

Hair Salon by Toca Boca

What I learned about kids market

I had so much fun throughout this project. I played games, I travelled to Scandic countries, what is not to like?
Hearing feedback from people how much their children enjoy Kids Mode is very rewarding experience, was a pure gift.

Having said that, I do think though we could have executed the product strategy in much more holistic way, incorporating all aspects of the product - hardware, software, marketing & pricing strategy.

Ergonomics:

The device is still too heavy & slippery in the little hands & the Android home buttons were too sensitive for children’s finger moves.

Product & feature branding:

The device is called 'Kids tablet' & The custom applications werenamed ‘Kids Camera’, ‘Kids Gallery’, etc - which were rather simplistic & not necessarily the most charming way to appeal to children. Who wants to be called 'kid' anyway? What we could have done is a brand partnership with famous toy brands or with a popular content provider. At least, we could have named them "My~" giving more ownership.