Improving a Childrens Website

[fantasticfacts]

Hi there,

I'm kinda new to this forum stuff but I think it would be a great way to get feedback from professionals like yourself.

I created a website called Fantastic Facts, which can be found at:

http://www.fantastic-facts.com

And I was wondering if I could get some feedback about the design of the site and how you reckon I could improve it.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Kind regards,

Taz

[KDLA]

You might give these publications a look:
Website Usability for Children, by Jakob Nielsen (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020414.html)
Usability of Websites for Teenagers, by Jakob Nielsen
(http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20050131.html)

As to my opinion, the Google ads need to go at the bottom. Having them "in view" will cause kids to get confused as to what is actual content vs. ads.

Also, I might be mistaken, but I think you're not supposed to ask kids their names or email addresses. (Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act, 1998: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm)

Citing your sources (both information AND images) is a must. Teachers will not recommend your site if citation information isn't present. With the overload of information available on the internet, teachers are spending more time instructing kids on how to delineate quality info. from crud.
You'll want to cite the images, too, with the source for the electronic version, such as "Library of Congress," "Wikipedia Commons," etc. (I'm assuming you've attained permission to use them.)

As to the search, you might change the "no results" wording. Most kids won't know what a "document" is in relation to the web. The same with "more general keywords." Provide instructions, instead. Also the hint that they've misspelled the word might be confusing. If you can add a function that suggests the word in question (if misspelled) that would be helpful.

KDLA

[fantasticfacts]

Thankyou KDLA for your feedback,

I had I look at the online publications you sent me and I felt it was very informative. Made me think about how I could make the website better suited for a child.

As for referencing the information, I did my utmost best to adapt it as much as possible in order to bypass having to write the refference for all the topics. Wasn't quite easy with the images because I am unable to change it. But I am happy to remove it if the original owner is able to let me know and contact me.

As for adding those search functions, I am unable to do so due to my lack of programming skills.

More suggestions would be great,

Thanks

Taz

[KDLA]

(If you don't have documented permission - unless in the public domain - usage of images from other websites is copyright infringment. I'd take them down, instead of waiting for the owners to find you.)

[go2doug]

IE7 is saying that there is an error in line 311 of the home page.

I think the "Ads by Google" in the right-hand column are a distraction that take away from the site's main content.

I like the site's color scheme and use of graphics. For children especially, less text and more visually-appealing graphics are key.