Before designing the MVP, we started with a few basic principles. Some came from our own thinking about the product, and others from Nielsen Norman Group’s research with teenagers aged 13–17.
They helped shape early decisions around content, interactions, performance, branding and visual direction.
Speed is part of the experience
One of the clearest patterns was patience — or the lack of it.
Slow loading, broken interactions and unnecessary complexity can quickly end a session. Teenagers often give up faster than adults when something doesn’t work as expected, which makes performance part of the experience rather than something to optimise later.
Heavy media, animation and complex interactions all come with a cost. If an effect makes the experience slower or less predictable, it probably isn’t worth it.
Attention is already limited
Pop-ups were one of the things teenagers disliked most. They are already dealing with notifications, messages, other apps and people around them, so additional interruptions inside the product can quickly become frustrating. The same goes for autoplay, unnecessary overlays and interactions that exist mainly for effect — custom cursors, random click effects on landing pages, or motion that has little to do with the task.
NN/g found that interactive features worked better when they gave teenagers something meaningful to do — quizzes, games, voting, creating or sharing — rather than simply adding more movement to the screen.
Keep content clear and easy to scan
Dense content is harder to follow, especially with limited attention. Short paragraphs, clear hierarchy, white space and visual cues make information easier to scan and easier to return to after an interruption.
For educational products, reducing text shouldn’t mean simplifying the subject itself. Complex or serious topics can stay complex — they just need to be broken into smaller, easier-to-process pieces.
One finding I didn’t expect was typography. Teenagers disliked tiny text too, despite having no problem seeing it. They move quickly and are easily distracted, so small type made content harder to follow.
Keep it familiar
Growing up with technology doesn’t make every interaction intuitive.
Teenagers use technology constantly, but that doesn’t mean they automatically understand unfamiliar interface patterns. There are some very practical examples: larger click areas help, drag-and-drop can be frustrating on trackpads, precision interactions are harder on touchscreens, and unfamiliar controls can easily be misunderstood.
Branding teenagers without designing “for teenagers”
There’s an easy shortcut when designing for younger audiences: bright colours, playful illustrations, rounded everything, emojis, gradients and whatever currently looks “Gen Z”. But the research suggested something more nuanced.
They wanted products to feel interesting, creative and visually attractive, but reacted negatively when interfaces became too colourful, cluttered or childish (problems with rainbow-like palettes, childish fonts, cartoon-like graphics and excessive effects).
That contradiction was probably more useful than any specific visual trend: interesting, but not childish; expressive, but not chaotic.
For our art direction, we explored three directions around that idea: Y2K and early-web references, pixel art, and a more raw editorial style.
All three could feel digital and expressive without requiring the interface itself to become experimental. The final direction borrowed pieces from each — pixels, glitches, strong typography, texture and high contrast — while keeping the product layer underneath relatively simple.
Less obvious things
Teenagers are fine with scrolling. They don’t necessarily want everything to be social. They care about privacy and want control over what they share. They may use technology constantly but still struggle with search, unfamiliar interactions and complicated instructions. And they don’t need every educational experience to look like a game.
A few more patterns stood out:
- Autoplay video is better avoided, and sound should stay under the user’s control.
- Scrolling is fine, while tiny pagination controls can create more friction.
- Images should explain or support the content, not simply decorate it.
- Instructions should appear when they’re needed, preferably as part of the interaction.
- Privacy needs an explanation: when asking for personal information or permissions, explain why.
- Sharing shouldn’t be forced. Teenagers want control over what they share and where.
- Abrupt redesigns can be frustrating. Familiarity matters because people build efficiency around interfaces they already know.
Maybe the most useful principle was also the simplest: teenagers aren’t a completely different kind of user.
They still want things to load quickly, make sense, look good and let them get where they’re going without unnecessary work. The difference is that some usability problems — waiting, clutter, confusing interactions, too much text — can make them leave much faster.
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