Transcript
How to involve children
in the design process
July 2016
Monica FerraroUser Experience
Researcher
@londrareale@playhows
Design a mobile application
Target users: 4 – 6 years old
1. Understand current theory and practice on working with children as design partners
2. Understand current theory and practice on applying creativity techniques while designing technology with children
3. Design and develop a low-fidelity prototype of an iPad application
4. Create wireframes for the iPad application
5. Evaluate the wireframes of the iPad application
3
Objectives
Best practise working with children as design partner
Nesset, V., and Large, A. 2004. Children in the information technology design process: A review of theories and their applications. Library and Information Science Research, 26, 140–161.
Tester
ObservationPassive role
BrainstormingPost – it notes
Prototypes at end
INFORMANTTester or
Design partner
Active part in design
EQUALITY FROM THE BEGINNING
Cooperative Inquiry
“Cooperative Inquiry is a method of partnering to design technology for children with children”
Children are considered equal to adult designers, and directly contribute to ideas for the design of technology
Cooperative Inquiry
Druin, A. 2002. The Role of Children in the Design of New Technology. Behaviour and Information Technology, 21(1), pp. 1-25.
Use technology while adults observe
Test prototypes
Input on design sketches and low-fidelity prototypes
Equal stakeholders as adults in all design process
Cooperative Inquiry
• No single technique can give teams all the answers they are looking for
• A combinational of techniques has been developed and used
• These techniques do not give a magic formula for working with children, but an approach to gather data, generate ideas and developing prototypes
Techniques and methods
Bag of stuff Sticky noting
LayeredElaboration
Mixing ideas
Bag of stuff
• Divide in groups of 2 -3 children and 1 – 3 adults• Sit down on the floor• Use of large piece of paper to collaborate• Once the prototype is created, each group present
own idea• 1 adult take notes of ideas on a white board• Write down most popular, surprising, and most
repeated ideas• Group discuss which idea to take forward
Sticky notes
• Technique for critiquing existing technology• All adults and children use the technology• All write on sticky notes what they like, don’t like and
suggestions for changes• Each like, dislike and suggestion are written on a
different sticky note• They are all grouped in categories and sub-
categories• Outcome is an informal frequency analysis which
shows possible trends
Layered elaboration
• They start with a base design on which to elaborate or iterate
• They use sheets of clear acetate to add new ideas without ‘destroying’ the original design, or the work of others
• Between iterations they hold stand up meetings in which design partners quickly explain their ideas before the design is passed on to another group for further elaboration.
Mixing ideas The mixing ideas technique is a merging individual idea into bigger, collaborative ideas.
GOALS FOR CO-DESIGN COOPERATION INQUIRY TECHNIQUES1. Idea generation • Bag of stuff
• Sticky noting• Layered elaboration• Mixing ideas
2. Setting expectations • Wear informal clothes• Adults at the same level as children• No hand raising• Use of first names• There are not right or wrong answers
and ideas3. Reflecting as a group • Group presenting
• Adults debriefing
Techniques and methods
Best practise on creativity techniques
Parking spot I spy Join the pictures
Cups game Find the right way Find all letters
Observe how children move objects Observe how children match objects Observe how children match objects
Children’s attention is Observe how children join objects Observe how children move letters
Games session
Creativity technique to generate ideas
Design session
Design session
Design session
Design session - Mixing ideas
Design session - Playmobil - Lego
Design session - Carton board iPad
Design session
Techniques used
•To give them importance• Purpose of the session• What design is – What an application is• “Inventors of technology”
•To generate design ideas• Dressing up• Mixing ideas
•To build a low-fidelity prototype• Colour pens and paper• Lego and Playmobil• Stickers• Carton board iPad
Lessons learned
•Have clear goals in mind
•Be organised and open minded
•Make the children feel important
•Let them lead – think yourself as a student
•Open-ended and conversational questions
•Keep it moving
•Be honest – tell children you need their help
•Thank and reward the children
Why involve children in the design process?
Users…like everyone else!
“It is not easy for an adult to step into a child’s world, and likewise it is not easy for a child to step into an adult’s world.”
Prof Allison Druin
• To give them a voice in design
• To give them power
• To come up with more ideas that we never would think about without them
• Adults are experts in their own field – children are experts in being children!
Thank you
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