In this position statement we identify the challenges of in- tegrating User Centered Design (UCD) for children in an Agile Soft- ware Development (ASD) process. Especially, we point out problems and challenges our developer team is facing in a Free Open Source Software (FOSS) project.

1. Between Pragmatism and
Infeasibility:
Agile Usability for Children and Teens in a
Very Large Multi-Year FOSS Project
about Several Complex Mobile Apps and
Mobile Websites
Vienna, 07.06.2013 XP 2013 Workshop - Vesna Krnjic, Wolfgang Slany
XP 2013 - Agile and User Centered Design Integration Workshop
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2. Who are we?
• Austria, Graz University of
Technology
• Institute for Software
Technology
• Prof. Wolfgang Slany (head
of the institute)
• ~200 students all over the
world
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3. Vienna, 07.06.2013 XP 2013 Workshop - Vesna Krnjic 3

4. FOSS – Free Open Source
Software
164
developers, spent
118 years of effort
11099 commits
made by 162
contributors
representing
441514 lines of
code
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Project statistics from www.ohloh.net

5. Used Agile Methods
• Test-driven
development
• Kanban
– Tickets
– GitHub
• Pair Programming
• Weekly stand-up
meetings
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6. General problems with our
FOSS project
• Many people
• Developers change all the time
(volunteers)
• Developers are from all around the world
(e.g. Google Summer of Code 2013)
• No constant work
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7. What are we doing?
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https://github.com/Catrobat

8. Scratch
• Catrobat is
inspired by
Scratch
(programming
system developed
by the Lifelong
Kindergarten
Group at the MIT
Media Lab)
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http://scratch.mit.edu/

9. CATROBAT
• Visual programming language
• Set of creative tools for smartphones, tablets,
and mobile browsers
• Integrated development environment (IDE)
and interpreters for Android iOS, Windows
Phones and HTML5 browsers
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10. CATROBAT
• Main differences to Scratch
– Support and integration of multi-touch mobile
devices
– Use of gyroscopes, mobile device’s special
hardware (e.g. acceleration, compass,
inclination)
– No need for PC
– Availability on all major mobile platforms and
HTML5 capable browsers
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11. CATROBAT
• Main projects
– Pocket Code
• Formula Editor
– Pocket Paint
– Pocket Code Community Website
– Pocket Code for iOS
• About 30 sub-projects
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12. CATROBAT Sub-Project
• Windows Phone edition
• Tutorial game
• HTML5/JavaScript editor
• Lego Mindstorms sensors
• Physics engine based on Box2D
• Sony Xperia Play
• Tablet Integration
• Near Field Communication (NFC)
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13. CATROBAT Sub-Project
• Drag & Drop in pre-stage
• YouTube recording of stage
• Young kids version (age 3 to 7)
– Story telling only version
• Transcode Scratch programs into Catrobat
programs
• Musicdroid that allows to enter musical
notation by singing
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15. POCKET CODE
• Mobile
• Visual programming
system
• Aim is to enable
children and teenagers
to creatively develop
and share their own
software
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16. POCKET CODE
• Android App, allows
kids (from age of 8) to
create and execute
storytelling and music
animations, games,
• Highly user-interface
centric application
• “LEGO-Style”
programming
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17. POCKET PAINT
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18. POCKET PAINT
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• Paint Editor Android
App
• Allow setting part of
picture to transparent
• Integrated in
POCKET CODE
• Can be used on its
own
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19. Community Website
• Up and download
Catrobat programs
• Remixing and sharing
• GNU Affero General
Public License AGPLed
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20. iOS
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21. iOS POCKET CODE
• Execute existing
Catrobat programs on
iPhone
• Built-in downloader
• Not yet in Apple App
Store
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22. UX
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23. Vienna, 07.06.2013 XP 2013 Workshop - Vesna Krnjic 23
Personas

24. • Additional U for Usability relevant Story
– Usability Feedback from non-programmer
– (Now: Usability Feedback from Usability Team)
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25. Applied Usability Methods
• Mock-Up testing
• Observation
• Feedback
Questioner
• Heuristic
Evaluation
• Thinking Aloud
Tests
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26. UX Progress – before and after
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But…

27. UX Challenges
• Classical approach of Usability
• Lack of rapid prototyping
• Designs were too detailed, with more need
for mock-up’s
• Too much documentation and lack of
communication
• UX team always behind the programming
team
• Too long testing phases
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28. UX Challenges
• Complicated usability test setups and
methods
• Providing feedback on usability issues
took too long
• Children and teenagers are the end
users, but it is difficult to find appropriate
test persons on demand
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29. UX Challenges
• Permission from parents needed
• Constantly changing requirements even in
the late development phase
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30. Outlook
Better integration of Agile User Experience Design
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31. Between Pragmatism and
Infeasibility
Thank you for your Attention!
vesna@sbox.tugraz.at
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