Brainstorming - Before gathering research, I stopped to think about how I could obtain user data. It was easier with my previous projects that were directed towards adults, but children at the start of this age group can't provide a survey. They could have an adult help them, but I believe this would create a lot of bias in answers. But before focusing on obtaining the data, I stopped to think about what kind of data I wanted to gain. Here's what I found important to my research:

1. What is their age range? Will the idea of this app be more appealing to children in Kindergarten or children in the fifth grade?

   
   

2. What is their level of technological understanding? Do children in today's technology-heavy era know how to navigate devices well? What types of functions are they able to work themselves without the help of others? While supervising children during screen time is important, I also know from experience that many parents dislike assisting their children frequently when they're playing games or using apps.

   
   

3. What is their favorite subject in school? Math? Vocabulary? Science? My vision of Maddi the Martian was to create an app based on astronomy. Although I do not want to stray away from that idea, I need to choose research over personal wants and make sure there is interest in the product I want to offer.

   
   

4. Have they learned anything about outer space yet? Will this be a completely new concept for the younger end of the age group?

   
   

5. Would they rather play a game or go on a story adventure? This is a question that I believe will also have an impact on parents allowing their children access to the app. There are thousands of games currently on the app store that are listed as 'educational', when in reality they're anything but. Being able to show snippets of the story and talk about the educational and interactive story gives parents a larger glimpse of the purpose; that I care just as much about learning as I do fun.

   
   

6. How much screen do they have or are allowed to have per day? This is a huge factor when it comes to creating content. Many parents like to keep screen time low, so making long games or stories with very few breaks will continue keeping children attached to their devices. I want to make sure I keep the games small and the stories in intervals, ensuring they're easy to put down and return to later at any time.

   
   

7. What kind of games do they enjoy the most? Puzzle? Adventure? Matching? Platformer? There are so many options to choose from, so I need to make sure I narrow some down.

   
   

8. How often do they make in-app purchases? Do they ask their parents for money frequently to make microtransactions? Are parents likely to remove their childrens' apps if they regularly ask for payments?

   
   

Competitor Research - I did Competitor Research on a number of other apps that had the goal of providing fun and education to children. Many had a lot of great qualities, but I did notice a few trends that I found were detrimental. Some of these apps had constant ads, and some of the ads were either inappropriate or unable to be closed. Both a child and a parent are less likely to continue playing on an app when it constantly needs restarted or is constantly stopping to advertise. I also noticed that many of them immediately offered more content behind paywalls. I believe that the concept of pushing microtransactions can be bad for a product if not done in the correct way, such as showing these options within two minutes of first downloading the app.