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PBS Kids is an entertainment website geared towards young children via their parents. The design is organic and bright and the site's navigation is very easy to follow. There's lots to see and do on this site, but the quantity is not overwhelming and it is very organized.
At the top, the navigation is simple and includes "TV Times," "Search," and "Help." If you click on the TV Times link, it brings you to a new page where you can plug in where you live. There is a big arrow pointing back in the header to take you back to the main page. Other than that, there is no main navigation bar, though there are links at the bottom if you prefer to navigate that way. If you continue through the prompts to see the program listings, you will notice that the site leads you through the process very painlessly. I think this is meant so that kids can learn to use the internet with their parents because of the way it is set up.
Back on the main PBS Kids website, there are a few characters in circles. Each of these characters, as well as the ones in the wheel, can be clicked on and that will take you to the character or TV show's sub-site where there are different games and activities. There are a few little fish
that swim around in the blue section of the home page, presumably to keep a child's interest, which is an interesting use of Flash. If you go after a fish with your cursor, it swims away. Sound is also a feature of this site, which means that this site can be aimed at pre-readers. Additionally on the PBS Kids home page, there are four colored links for games, music, and coloring. "Coloring" features printables and online coloring specifically from a featured group of characters from the PBS Kids shows. In other words, when you go to "Coloring," and you might click on one of the four categories, you might be directed to the "Coloring" section of Barney's website. The "Music" link features music videos, karaoke, and other show-specific music offerings. The "Games" link features show-specific games.
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The only bad thing is that when you are on a subpage, there are only three links instead of the original four (video is missing). Again, there are four featured games, but the circles underneath contain characters from all the PBS Kids shows and if you click on a character, a list of their specific games will come up. The only bad thing about this, is if you click on Buster, Buster has a lot of games, so they go down the page in a disorganized, unfriendly, and unattractive manner like something went wrong in the layout process. Frankly, I'm surprised that this kind of thing wouldn't have been caught, given the need for simplicity and ease of use throughout this website. At the bottom of the PBS Kids home page, there is a link to "All Shows" a small banner ad for PBS Kids Island, and a changing features list from PBS Kids (games and activities) and other PBS partners, like PBS Parents and PBS Teachers.
Overall, I think the PBS Kids website is quite friendly in both design layout and usability. I think it is a great source of clean, interactive learning and fun for kids that can also help teach them how to use the internet. However, in my personal opinion (call me old-fashioned), kids this young should not be using the internet yet.
this best sight ever
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