For years, kids were fascinated with TV.
This large box, full of lights, colors and sounds was enough to grab their attention, giving parents some time to relax.
Then, came tablets and smartphones. They're more interactive and offer no barriers to (especially junk) entertainment. All you have to do is to open YouTube and cartoons will autoplay forever.
In late 2015, Amazon's Alexa came to our homes.
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And, as you may expect, it quickly got children's attention.
Friend of the Family When you go through Facebook groups dedicated to Alexa, you'll quickly come across posts describing how kids interact with it.
Ever since we got Alexa, my son started looking up facts more often. Just out of curiosity, things like "how far away is Mars?".
The voice-based user interface is in many ways easier for kids to use than the internet.
Researchers studying the topic of emotional relationships with technology found that kids and teens see Alexa as "a friend of the family" rather than an electronic device .
Alexa Kids Edition Amazon is well aware of how much children love Alexa.kids-friendly edition of Echo Dot is available.
It's features the Alexa they know and like, it comes in bright and beautiful colors and it offers a special kids-friendly software that will save parents a lot of nerves. They will have full control over what Alexa apps can be installed, there's no in-app purchases and it rewards children for being polite.
And speaking of Alexa apps (or "skills" as Amazon calls them) - what can we build for children?
Designing Alexa Products for Children Due to how it's built, interactions with Alexa are a lot different than using a smartphone or watching TV.
Interacting with Alexa is more... social. Just like in conversations with other people, they have to talk to Alexa and Alexa replies.
But that's just the beginning. For children, learning is a huge part of every day and Alexa offers a lot of opportunities for that.
"Alexa, tell me a story" Children love listening to stories.
While TV and YouTube may tell stories with attractive visuals, there's one thing that they're missing.
That's where Alexa shows its potential.
It can allow kids to ask questions about what happened or for more details about their favorite characters.
And then, there was a wizard... How should we call him? Maybe Merlin?
Just like sitting with grandma by the fireplace.
"Did you brush your teeth?" Building good habits is especially important in young children's lives.
Alexa offers a lot of ways to help parents with that.
Did you brush your teeth before going to bed?
It's getting late. Time to go to sleep.
It can also bring a bit of gamification on top of that.
"Let's play counting" Learning alphabet, counting, spelling or basic math is a huge moment in every child's life.
Alexa and its voice user interface brings such kind of education even further - it can hear what the children are saying.
This simple difference can make such games more effective and more engaging.
"What was Harry Potter's middle name" Children love quiz games.
They let the show off with what they know.
Trivia games fit just perfectly into Alexa.
Opportunities for the Ed-Tech and Publishing Companies Imagine SpongeBob waking your child up in the morning.
Alexa brings a lot of new possibilities for companies that build children products.
They can let kids interact with their products and characters through Alexa's interface.
Voice is the Future Kids fell in love with Alexa, just like their parents.
This is the moment when ed-tech and publishing companies can join the growing platform and let kids to interact with their products and characters using voice. After all, voice is the future.
Are you thinking about building an Alexa skill for your brand?Come and say hello! .
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