My Kids Designed the Pause Screen

For the people who see the pause screen most

When I started building Pausii, I focused on what parents need: a big pause button, quick timers, every device in one place. Then it hit me. I'd be the one tapping pause, but my twin daughters would be the ones on the other side of it.

What a kid sees when their game suddenly stops is half the design. If it feels like a punishment, you get the meltdown and the "that's not fair!" So I asked them to help design it. They had opinions. Lots of them. And they were mostly right. When kids help shape the rules, they understand them, and they're far more willing to live with them.

From a red screen to "Taking a break"

My first pause screen was plain red (what was I thinking? 🤦), with no countdown. My kids weren't enthused. It told them their app was paused, and nothing else.

So we redesigned it together, sitting side by side at my laptop. Now they see one of their buddies on the color they picked, with the words "Taking a break" and when their apps come back. There's one simple Got it button. No scolding. As my kids pointed out, a screen that looks like an error makes you think something is broken.

Each kid picks their own color (Sky, Mint, Lilac, Peach or Night) and a few friendly buddies. When I suggested we could put big cats in the app, one of my daughters didn't hesitate: "Yes, let's definitely do that." A giant cat is still one of their favorite parts.

Their name, and only the right apps

My daughters notice anything that treats them like the same person, so each kid names their own device. No more "Device 1" and "Device 2."

They also pointed out that pausing everything doesn't work at homework time. So parents choose exactly which apps pause, using Apple's own Screen Time picker. Games stop, homework tools stay open. When kids see the pause is about the game and not about them, the arguing mostly stops.

A heads-up, both ways

Kids don't mind screen time ending. They mind it ending without warning.

So I can drag the pause button to a time, like 5 or 15 minutes, and my kids get a heads-up: "Break starts in 5 minutes. Time to wrap up." They save their game and tell their friends they're heading to dinner. The "one more minute" fight mostly disappears, because they already got their minutes. They even choose their own reminders.

It works in reverse, too. A countdown shows when their apps come back, so nobody has to keep asking. Everyone is looking at the same clock, which turns out to be most of what fairness means to a kid.

What my kids taught me

I've spent more than 20 years studying how people use mobile devices. My best design reviewers turned out to be two kids huddled around my laptop.

Kids don't mind limits nearly as much as they mind surprises. Tell them what's happening, give them a heads-up and show them when it ends. Try asking your kids what they'd want to see when it's time to stop. You might be surprised how reasonable they are. Mine were.

Pause games. Resume life.