John Benson

Course CSG170

Team Project, Assignment #1

The focus of our project is creating an easy way for a child aged 2-8 years to be able to select and watch their favorite TV channels/programs, and their favorite DVDs. At this young age, children are not very adept at using remote controls, and selecting TV channels. First of all, they would have to remember the number of the TV channel which they want to watch. Then, they would have to punch in that number on the remote control. These are difficult tasks, especially for children in the lower part of the above age range. Also, the task of putting in a DVD, making sure the remote control is set to DVD instead of TV, and playing the DVD is a very challenging task (even for some adults).

This project entails creating a software application which a young child could use on a touch-screen device, or by using a mouse on the computer. The application would have a front page with large icon buttons containing pictures representing the child’s favorite movies and TV programs. When the child presses one of the buttons, the corresponding DVD or TV program appears on the screen. The child also would have the ability to press a stop button to stop the current program, and return to the main menu of large icon buttons. There would also be volume icons to allow the user to increase or decrease volume while watching a movie or program. The goal is for the child to be able to independently select and watch any of their favorite programs or DVDs, without any assistance from their parents. For the application to be effective, there needs to be a minimum of steps and functions for the child to execute. This is because of the limited amount of steps and functions that young children can be expected to remember.

This application has the feature that it can be used as an overlay on top of the television, cable, and DVD system. This overlay would show only the television programs and DVDs that parents want their children to watch. Thus, the application also serves as an effective control over what children are watching when parents are not around. Parents would be expected to create the front page screen with icons which kids see when they want to watch TV. In order to create the front page, parents would scroll through a list of TV programs, and select the ones they want to create icons for. Parents can also load DVDs into their DVD player. The application would allow them to create icons for any DVD they would like their children to watch.

When the parent is finished creating the icons for the front page, the application can then be put into “kid mode.” In “kid mode”, the application would sit there with its front page of icons, waiting for the child to select the program he/she wants to watch. Parents should be able to put the application back into “parent mode” to allow for editing of the front page to add or remove TV programs or DVDs from the menu. It should be made extremely difficult for children to be able to covert the application to “parent mode.” The application should make the process of creating and editing the front page as easy as possible for parents. If the user interface for parents is too difficult, the application will probably not be used.

Below are some preliminary pictures of what the application would look like in different modes:

“Kid Mode” -- Front Page