Importance of Children as A Core User in Experience Design
By Sugar Dashdavaa | Mar 2023
This paper discusses the impact of technology on children's cognitive abilities, motor skills, and their ability to interact with advanced technologies and the exploration of early stages of interaction between children and smart devices.
Exploring the Early Stages of Interaction Between Children and Technology and Its Importance of Children as A Core User in Experience Design
Exploring the Early Stages of Interaction Between Children and Technology and Its Importance of Children as A Core User in Experience Design
Technology has advanced, and children's interaction with technology has increased dramatically over the last decade. In contrast to the 2000s, when children spent the majority of their time in the playground or participating in social activities, children in the last decade began interacting with technology, beginning with smart tablets, smart phones, and video game consoles. These interactions are not limited to free time, as most institutions now require students to perform basic tasks on smart devices, and children interact with technology on a daily basis.
Technology has advanced, and children's interaction with technology has increased dramatically over the last decade. In contrast to the 2000s, when children spent the majority of their time in the playground or participating in social activities, children in the last decade began interacting with technology, beginning with smart tablets, smart phones, and video game consoles. These interactions are not limited to free time, as most institutions now require students to perform basic tasks on smart devices, and children interact with technology on a daily basis.
Literature Review
Literature Review
Modern generation is becoming rich with advanced technologies and gadgets and there is no denying that most, if not all, people are using smart devices for their everyday life. Smart devices and other technologies have already become a necessity to the majority of the people, including children as they are getting exposed to technology at a very early age. While technology is not a necessity for children, they are interacting with smart devices, video games on a daily basis. It is not clear whether children are using devices that are designed specifically for children or adults whose cognitive abilities are much more developed compared to children.
Rounding et al. (2013) conducted a Fitts Law study on an interactive white board on both adults and children regarding the performance of natural gestures, cognitive abilities and motor skills by having several clickable buttons respectively for children and adults. In this study, Rounding et al. (2013) stated that children have limited attention spans and exposures to standard user interfaces. Children’s cognitive abilities are very much different compared to adults, as they are less capable of interacting with not only keyboard and mouse, but more natural interactions such as gestures, voice, and tabs (Rahman et al., 2017). This shows that technology has advanced to the point where it offers a wide variety of options for user interaction, demonstrating how well designers and researchers are understanding their target audience.
However, children are being overlooked by both researchers and designers as they prioritize adults and elders more when delivering their products for use (Rahman et al., 2017). It is understandable that creators pay more attention to users with more cognitive and motor abilities, which is scarce for children. Nonetheless, there are factors and courses of actions where it constructs children’s ability to perceive and interact with traditional user experience.
Modern generation is becoming rich with advanced technologies and gadgets and there is no denying that most, if not all, people are using smart devices for their everyday life. Smart devices and other technologies have already become a necessity to the majority of the people, including children as they are getting exposed to technology at a very early age. While technology is not a necessity for children, they are interacting with smart devices, video games on a daily basis. It is not clear whether children are using devices that are designed specifically for children or adults whose cognitive abilities are much more developed compared to children.
Rounding et al. (2013) conducted a Fitts Law study on an interactive white board on both adults and children regarding the performance of natural gestures, cognitive abilities and motor skills by having several clickable buttons respectively for children and adults. In this study, Rounding et al. (2013) stated that children have limited attention spans and exposures to standard user interfaces. Children’s cognitive abilities are very much different compared to adults, as they are less capable of interacting with not only keyboard and mouse, but more natural interactions such as gestures, voice, and tabs (Rahman et al., 2017). This shows that technology has advanced to the point where it offers a wide variety of options for user interaction, demonstrating how well designers and researchers are understanding their target audience.
However, children are being overlooked by both researchers and designers as they prioritize adults and elders more when delivering their products for use (Rahman et al., 2017). It is understandable that creators pay more attention to users with more cognitive and motor abilities, which is scarce for children. Nonetheless, there are factors and courses of actions where it constructs children’s ability to perceive and interact with traditional user experience.
When it comes to children’s cognitive growth, there are several traditional ways where children start practicing simple cognitive skills such as drawing, painting, reading, and looking at pictures. For example, kindergarten sets the environment with bright and colorful decorations, and most importantly they frequently use picture books for their academic setting. Picture books play a crucial role when it comes to children’s visual perception, as they are rich with different varieties of graphic designs, typography, and colors. Menegazzi et al. (2018) mentions that the visual aspect of the children’s book provides different structures for comprehending literary narratives based on the relationship between text, compositions, and images.
The designers of the children’s book have to focus on what visuals, typography, compositions to portray on the book, similar to designing an experience for adults. In the study of children’s book effectiveness by Menegazzi et al. (2018), several children's books use calligraphic methods which provide text spontaneity and emotional aspects as if the author or the designer had participated directly in the creation.
While technology is accessible for most of the children in this computer dominant generation, there are still many countries and communities where children have less opportunity to interact with technologies that are frequently used today. In the example study of Khlaif et al. (2019) where they conducted an educational application testing on primary school students in Palestine, as Khlaif et al. (2019) briefly explained that Palestine is an unstable country with many restrictions on access to technology and their people in general. After the study, the results were surprisingly positive as Khlaif et al. (2019) stated children showed enthusiasm and excitement and were able to finish the task with ease, as the children who participated in the study showed eagerness to use the technology going forward. While there are countries with limitations on technology, children in those respective countries still have the ability to perform basic user experience tasks.
When it comes to children’s cognitive growth, there are several traditional ways where children start practicing simple cognitive skills such as drawing, painting, reading, and looking at pictures. For example, kindergarten sets the environment with bright and colorful decorations, and most importantly they frequently use picture books for their academic setting. Picture books play a crucial role when it comes to children’s visual perception, as they are rich with different varieties of graphic designs, typography, and colors. Menegazzi et al. (2018) mentions that the visual aspect of the children’s book provides different structures for comprehending literary narratives based on the relationship between text, compositions, and images.
The designers of the children’s book have to focus on what visuals, typography, compositions to portray on the book, similar to designing an experience for adults. In the study of children’s book effectiveness by Menegazzi et al. (2018), several children's books use calligraphic methods which provide text spontaneity and emotional aspects as if the author or the designer had participated directly in the creation.
While technology is accessible for most of the children in this computer dominant generation, there are still many countries and communities where children have less opportunity to interact with technologies that are frequently used today. In the example study of Khlaif et al. (2019) where they conducted an educational application testing on primary school students in Palestine, as Khlaif et al. (2019) briefly explained that Palestine is an unstable country with many restrictions on access to technology and their people in general. After the study, the results were surprisingly positive as Khlaif et al. (2019) stated children showed enthusiasm and excitement and were able to finish the task with ease, as the children who participated in the study showed eagerness to use the technology going forward. While there are countries with limitations on technology, children in those respective countries still have the ability to perform basic user experience tasks.
Smart devices and technology has become an integral part of everyday life in this generation, as the use of technology became frequently used after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (Kaur et al., 2021). Children in primary schools started interacting with tablets and computers more often to maintain their study as the academic institution shifted into a remote approach for almost 2 years. Many learning management softwares was required for children to do their homework. Not only children in primary school, as younger children spent most of their time at home interacting with mobile devices and tablets by watching videos, playing games to maintain social distance.
Children’s cognition and ability to process is based on Piaget's theory, providing 4 development stages; sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years), preoperational stage (2 - 7 years), concrete operational stage (7 - 11 years), and formal operational stage (12 years - adult) (Kaur et al., 2021). All 4 stages have different mental perceptions based on sensory curiosity, symbolic thinking, understanding concepts, and counterfactual thinking, respectfully. For example, children during the sensorimotor stage are not capable of interacting with any basic interfaces as their intuition and imagination is not strong enough. With the emergence of smart devices and technology being easily accessible in today’s generation, children around the age of two have already started interacting with tablets and mobile devices. For example, parents are now allowing children to interact with video streaming services and video game consoles at a very early stage.
Tolosana et al. ( 2022) provided a study where 75% of the children aged between 1 to 60 months have started interacting with tablets and mobile devices. While children during the sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years) are not capable of understanding the current mechanics of how mobile devices function, the pattern is getting closer to being broken as parents are being flexible regarding the younger children using smart devices. For children during the preoperational stage, Tolosana et al. ( 2022) stated that children around the age of 2-3 years can perform simple gestures such as scrolling, tapping, dragging and dropping, as well as rotation on screens using a one finger.
As younger children are now slowly interacting with advanced technologies whether it's required for learning or for gaming and streaming, some softwares and devices are still primarily designed for humans with higher cognitive abilities. The advancement in technology being implemented everywhere for completing a certain task in this generation sets the environment for children to be able to interact with advanced technologies to some degree. Iversen et al. (2008) introduced a BRIDGE method; a practice-based approach to Children-Computer Interaction (CCI) to provide concrete techniques to include children as one of the core users when designing a product. The BRIDGE method illustrates on understanding children’s practice regarding their cognitive abilities and choosing appropriate functions for both adults and children and to let children practice interacting with technologies that are initially designed for adults (Iversen et al., 2008).
As the younger generation starts using advanced technologies and devices, their cognitive abilities have the potential to adapt to certain functions and interfaces as their practice can eventually bring positive results in the future. Iivari et al. (2020) encourages the younger generation to manage and master digital technology for a richer future. It is critical that children are exposed to digital technology and learn how to interact responsibly and productively with digital technology. Parents and educators must play an important role in guiding children's interaction with computers and ensuring that technology is used in ways that benefit their development and future success.
Smart devices and technology has become an integral part of everyday life in this generation, as the use of technology became frequently used after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (Kaur et al., 2021). Children in primary schools started interacting with tablets and computers more often to maintain their study as the academic institution shifted into a remote approach for almost 2 years. Many learning management softwares was required for children to do their homework. Not only children in primary school, as younger children spent most of their time at home interacting with mobile devices and tablets by watching videos, playing games to maintain social distance.
Children’s cognition and ability to process is based on Piaget's theory, providing 4 development stages; sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years), preoperational stage (2 - 7 years), concrete operational stage (7 - 11 years), and formal operational stage (12 years - adult) (Kaur et al., 2021). All 4 stages have different mental perceptions based on sensory curiosity, symbolic thinking, understanding concepts, and counterfactual thinking, respectfully. For example, children during the sensorimotor stage are not capable of interacting with any basic interfaces as their intuition and imagination is not strong enough. With the emergence of smart devices and technology being easily accessible in today’s generation, children around the age of two have already started interacting with tablets and mobile devices. For example, parents are now allowing children to interact with video streaming services and video game consoles at a very early stage.
Tolosana et al. ( 2022) provided a study where 75% of the children aged between 1 to 60 months have started interacting with tablets and mobile devices. While children during the sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years) are not capable of understanding the current mechanics of how mobile devices function, the pattern is getting closer to being broken as parents are being flexible regarding the younger children using smart devices. For children during the preoperational stage, Tolosana et al. ( 2022) stated that children around the age of 2-3 years can perform simple gestures such as scrolling, tapping, dragging and dropping, as well as rotation on screens using a one finger.
As younger children are now slowly interacting with advanced technologies whether it's required for learning or for gaming and streaming, some softwares and devices are still primarily designed for humans with higher cognitive abilities. The advancement in technology being implemented everywhere for completing a certain task in this generation sets the environment for children to be able to interact with advanced technologies to some degree. Iversen et al. (2008) introduced a BRIDGE method; a practice-based approach to Children-Computer Interaction (CCI) to provide concrete techniques to include children as one of the core users when designing a product. The BRIDGE method illustrates on understanding children’s practice regarding their cognitive abilities and choosing appropriate functions for both adults and children and to let children practice interacting with technologies that are initially designed for adults (Iversen et al., 2008).
As the younger generation starts using advanced technologies and devices, their cognitive abilities have the potential to adapt to certain functions and interfaces as their practice can eventually bring positive results in the future. Iivari et al. (2020) encourages the younger generation to manage and master digital technology for a richer future. It is critical that children are exposed to digital technology and learn how to interact responsibly and productively with digital technology. Parents and educators must play an important role in guiding children's interaction with computers and ensuring that technology is used in ways that benefit their development and future success.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Modern generation is becoming dependent on smart devices and technology, and this has a significant impact on the development of children. While technology offers a wide range of opportunities for user interaction, children's cognitive abilities and motor skills differ from adults, and designers and researchers must take this into account when designing products for the younger generation. Traditional cognitive growth methods, such as reading picture books, are crucial for children's visual and cognitive development, and those who lack access to technology can still perform basic user experience tasks. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has increased the use of technology for both educational and informal purposes, as interaction between children and technology greatly accelerated. Therefore, it is necessary to involve children as one of the core users when it comes to designers and researchers.
Modern generation is becoming dependent on smart devices and technology, and this has a significant impact on the development of children. While technology offers a wide range of opportunities for user interaction, children's cognitive abilities and motor skills differ from adults, and designers and researchers must take this into account when designing products for the younger generation. Traditional cognitive growth methods, such as reading picture books, are crucial for children's visual and cognitive development, and those who lack access to technology can still perform basic user experience tasks. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has increased the use of technology for both educational and informal purposes, as interaction between children and technology greatly accelerated. Therefore, it is necessary to involve children as one of the core users when it comes to designers and researchers.
References
References
Rahman, Ali, N. M., & Mohd, M. (2017). Natural User Interface for Children: From Requirement to Design. In Advances in Visual Informatics (pp. 612–624). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70010-6_57
Kaur, Kalid, K. S., & Sugathan, S. K. (2021). A User Experience Model for Designing Educational Mobile Application. In Advances in Visual Informatics (pp. 139–150). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90235-3_12
Khlaif, Itmazi, J., Farid, S., Shaqour, A. Z., & Kouraïchi, B. (2019). Exploring children experience with educational mobile technology. Research in Learning Technology, 27, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v27.2242
Menegazzi, & Eliane Santana Dias Debus. (2018). Children’s Literature Design: A research of contemporary picture books. Calidoscópio (São Leopoldo, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil), 16(2), 273–. https://doi.org/10.4013/cld.2018.162.09
Iversen, & Brodersen, C. (2008). Building a BRIDGE between children and users: a socio-cultural approach to child–computer interaction. Cognition, Technology & Work, 10(2), 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-007-0064-1
ROUNDING, TEE, K., XIAOMIN WU, CHENG GUO, & TSE, E. (2013). Evaluating interfaces with children : Child Computer Interaction. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 17(8), 1663–1666.
Tolosana, Ruiz-Garcia, J. C., Vera-Rodriguez, R., Herreros-Rodriguez, J., Romero-Tapiador, S., Morales, A., & Fierrez, J. (2022). Child-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices: Recent Works, New Dataset, and Age Detection. IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing, 10(4), 1–1. https://doi.org/10.1109/TETC.2022.3150836
Iivari. (2020). Empowering children to make and shape our digital futures – from adults creating technologies to children transforming cultures. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 37(5), 279–293. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-03-2020-0023
Rahman, Ali, N. M., & Mohd, M. (2017). Natural User Interface for Children: From Requirement to Design. In Advances in Visual Informatics (pp. 612–624). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70010-6_57
Kaur, Kalid, K. S., & Sugathan, S. K. (2021). A User Experience Model for Designing Educational Mobile Application. In Advances in Visual Informatics (pp. 139–150). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90235-3_12
Khlaif, Itmazi, J., Farid, S., Shaqour, A. Z., & Kouraïchi, B. (2019). Exploring children experience with educational mobile technology. Research in Learning Technology, 27, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v27.2242
Menegazzi, & Eliane Santana Dias Debus. (2018). Children’s Literature Design: A research of contemporary picture books. Calidoscópio (São Leopoldo, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil), 16(2), 273–. https://doi.org/10.4013/cld.2018.162.09
Iversen, & Brodersen, C. (2008). Building a BRIDGE between children and users: a socio-cultural approach to child–computer interaction. Cognition, Technology & Work, 10(2), 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-007-0064-1
ROUNDING, TEE, K., XIAOMIN WU, CHENG GUO, & TSE, E. (2013). Evaluating interfaces with children : Child Computer Interaction. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 17(8), 1663–1666.
Tolosana, Ruiz-Garcia, J. C., Vera-Rodriguez, R., Herreros-Rodriguez, J., Romero-Tapiador, S., Morales, A., & Fierrez, J. (2022). Child-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices: Recent Works, New Dataset, and Age Detection. IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computing, 10(4), 1–1. https://doi.org/10.1109/TETC.2022.3150836
Iivari. (2020). Empowering children to make and shape our digital futures – from adults creating technologies to children transforming cultures. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 37(5), 279–293. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-03-2020-0023