iPhone App Designed by 6 Year Old

220 Software has announced the release of Glow Magic: Doodle Animator 1.0 for the iPhone and iPod touch. With several successful sports apps in the App Store, 220 Software has been focused on the iPhone platform since early 2009.

"This time, I wanted to try something a little different" says 220 Software owner Fred Vandervelde. "So I decided to engage my daughter, and get a simple perspective on what constitutes a 'fun' app. Glow Magic: Doodle Animator is the result, and we both like it a lot."

Glow Magic allows users to create glowing artwork using 12 different neon colors, using a variety of drawing tools, like freehand lines, straight lines, rectangles, and circles. It also boasts an advanced mirroring tool, that allows users to create symmetrical drawings, just like the Autodesk Sketchbook app. "I realized early on that Brooke was having a hard time with symmetry in her doodles, so I added the mirror tool, and she loved it" says Vandervelde. "It's not the type of tool you expect to find in such a simple fun app, but it's key to having users enjoy themselves."

Glow Magic focuses on fun in the drawing experience, through the use of subtle animation. User's fingers give off subtle magic sparkles as they draw, and animations like falling snow, moving stars, and fireworks can be added for extra enjoyment. "The magic sparkles were actually her idea" says Vandervelde, "in the end, the concept really worked well.".


Users can also save their drawings to their photo albums, or email them directly to their friends. When asked about designing future apps with his daughter's input, Vandervelde had this to say - "Definitely - you can learn a lot about what works, what doesn't, and what might confuse a user by watching how a child interacts with your app. I definitely have a new appreciation for the simple perspective".

Pricing and Availability:
Glow Magic: Doodle Animator 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

Read More