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Times certainly are changing. Behaviour is changing too. We definitely live in a digital age where our comfort with digital technology is skewing to younger and younger users. A simple search of YouTube will reveal astounding videos of three year olds using the latest iPhone or iPad. Most recently, CNN wrote a piece about parents “passing back” their previous generation smart phones to their children. So what does this mean for educational software developers?

Sadly, I don’t think much – at least not yet. Yes, youth and children are using the iPhone/iPod Touch to play games for entertainment and learning. This demographic will undoubtedly continue to grow. But what of the other smart phones? I have yet to see a video of a three year old using an HTC Android to learn her ABC’s, let alone a Blackberry. Sure, it’s early in the game but it does call into question one of the main drivers of adoption ie. user-experience. If Apple continues to be the only game in town, can this really be good for educational software development? Hopefully the ensuing wave of tablets will shed light on this question and provide designers with better insight into best practices from a user-experience perspective.

Another BIG QUESTION is whether or not educational/edutainment apps are considered a) a simple enough distraction or b) a serious, valuable resource by parents? The answer to this question is critical for future development. If parents are merely “passing back” their smart phones because it’s easy, as opposed to believing it’s a powerful way for their children to learn, well then, we have a problem.

But I’ll leave the efficacy questions to organizations like the Cooney Center. I’d prefer to focus on the business side of educational software development in the app age. I believe there are two significant barriers to running a successful business creating educational apps.

1) The iTunes pricing model makes it very difficult to make money with an app – let alone an educational app. This is the story no developer wants to hear. Being in the Top 100 or even Top 50 is simply not enough. The rules of the long tail still apply e.g. hits make money; the long tail makes money for Apple (or any other app store). The HBR did a great study on the long tail, you should read it.

2) Distribution is still a challenge. One would think the barrier to entry into the educational software market is lower now than ever. After all, do we really need a sales force to convince a school district to buy an app? Probably not. But here’s a question – is a school district going to buy 99 cents times the number of students in their district worth of apps? Probably not.

Okay, so let’s look at the individual teacher and his discretionary funds. Can individual teacher/student downloads provide a big enough market for developers/designers to spend time/money creating the next great educational app? With the 99 cent pricing model, I doubt it. Marketing is expensive – even in this AdWords era. Let’s not forget that the App Store takes 30 cents off the top of every download. The remaining goes toward marketing and recouping your development costs. That’s a tough way to earn a living, especially one download at a time.

So what’s a well-meaning educational software designer to do? Honestly, I don’t know. The easy answer is to create a hit. Easier said than done. Clearly, the future success of educational software development in the app age is going to require a significant maturing of the app ecosystem – from distribution down through providing the consumer with a value proposition that resonates. Would I bet against this maturation process happening? Certainly not. However as a designer I move forward into the future cautiously with my eyes wide-open.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.