GoKawiilCraig Hickman recounts how he named and developed Kid Pix
In a first-person account, Kid Pix creator Craig Hickman explains how he settled on the name 'Kid Pix,' favoring three-letter words that echoed his family's naming pattern and worked well visually and phonetically. He describes testing the software directly on his son and preschoolers to refine its interface, and notes that Broderbund later tried unsuccessfully to rename the product before a hired naming consultant advised against changing it.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account illustrates an early, informal approach to user testing—relying on young children's reactions rather than formal research—that shaped a product later sold worldwide. It also shows how naming decisions in software, often treated as marketing afterthoughts, can become central to a product's identity and resist corporate attempts at rebranding.
- Hickman chose 'Kid Pix' for its simplicity, sound, and multiple meanings tied to pictures and pixels.
- He refined the software's interface by observing his son and preschool children using it firsthand.
- Broderbund's attempt to rename the product failed, with a paid naming consultant endorsing the original name.
Source: red-green-blue.com, 2026-10-12
Published there as: “The Origin Story of Kid Pix”
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