http://pixelpoppin.com/kidpix/
Craig Hickman has some great UI principles he used when developing the first version of Kid Pix. Its interesting to note that these were developed as a result of observations of how his three year old son interacted with MacPaint.
Kid Pix was one of the first computer programs I used in my life and heavily influences how I think about software today. That is, I believe software should be easy to navigate, fun to use, open ended, and extensible. Whether its native programs or a web application, the prime directives that guided Hickman in the creation of Kid Pix are all inspiration for me and in some capacity, the criteria by which I judge software and web apps today.
The guiding principle when building software for people and by extension a user interface is understanding people. Kid Pix was so successful because it sought to make painting on a computer fun. Despite being widespread in elementary school computer labs across America, you didn’t have to a kid to enjoy playing with it. I think that a large aspect of Kid Pix success was derived from its simplicity and focus on the user. This quote from Hickman sums it up:
Users are very smart and can tell quickly when someone is trying to cover up a lame program with flashy graphics. A poor program gets dull very soon no matter how trendy the interface is.
