Initial Requirements

The pen must be designed around the target audience; children. The first thing that children in the age of 4-6 notice is how appealing an object is to them. So the first thing that must be taken into consideration is the physical design of the object. It must be as attractive to the children as possible. This means the use of bright colours, funny images and attractive design. If the object fails to get their attention from the first time they see it, they may neglect it and possibly never use it.

The final product must also be as user friendly as possible. It must not be difficult to use, as children will not have the patience and/or ability to lean how complicated products work. It must have as few buttons as possible as children may not remember what button is for, even if it’s labelled with descriptive labels and signs. The ideal number of buttons for this product must be just one. Also most of the communication must be done using voice recognition and speech synthesis, since children of that age group will find it difficult to read instructions from displays.

An LCD screen might also be used to display currently used words and/or display the letters that must be written down at any instance. The screen must act as a supplementary means of communication and not the primary one.

The motion sensing capabilities of the product must also be designed so as to distinguish between ambiguous motions. This is crucial as children that just start to learn how to write, have difficulties writing their first letters and even getting used to holding a pen or pencil.

The shape of the pen must also be designed around small hands. It must be as comfortable as possible for small children to hold and use. It must not be designed however around only left handers or right handers. Both types of users must be able to use the same product. This is one very important feature that must be taken into consideration before the actual design process takes place. Also it must feature a non-slip surface so that children with sweaty hands will not have any difficulties using it.

Safety issues must also be addressed before the design stage. The product must not in any way be dangerous to children. It must not feature any sharp edges that might hurt them. The tip of the pen can be made retractable, so it will be safe when it’s not used. Also no electrical parts must be exposed, to prevent short-circuits.