Slides from UX Scotland 2014 Tutorial: User Research and Testing with Children by Esther Stringer and Claudio Franco.
This session gave participants the toolkit and skills required when conducting user research and testing with children and young people (under the age of 18).
We begin with an overview of the guiding principles, best practices and standards for conducting research and testing with minors. Then go through practical examples and exercises of how to research and test throughout the stages of game design, as an example, with practical takeaways of tools and techniques that should be considered when designing research and testing projects with children.
An Introduction to games research with children, looking at the theory, best practice, ethics, and putting it into practice.
Presented at UX Scotland 2014 by Claudio Franco (Senior Research Manager at Dubit) and Esther Stringer (CEO of Border Crossing Media).
Whatsapp Diaries: User Research in a mobile, connected, bite-sized worldNeelam Shetye
The deck I used for my talk at UXIndia 2014, Bangalore.
The backstory:
Over the last few years that I have been doing user research, I have seen the practice of user research - more specifically, the methods, tools & techniques that we use - stay pretty much unchanged.
But then look at the way we consume, create and communicate now. It has undergone tremendous shifts. We have become more mobile and more connected than ever before. Our attention spans and consumption patterns are completely bite-sized. Given that user research is about knowing people, its but obvious that as people evolve, the practice should evolve too.
Through this talk, I wanted to explore how user research can evolve in order to best leverage these big 'shifts' and blend with people's everyday lives.
A lot of context is lost without the accompanying 'talk' per se. But I hope the slides give a decent idea. I would love to hear from you about how you have done user research differently, what has worked and what hasn't. Do drop me a line on pg.neelam@gmail.com
A Guide to User Research (for People Who Don't Like Talking to Other People)Stephanie Wills
Here are some methods and tips for user research noobs, care of someone who made the jump from academic to digital strategy. Much thanks to @mattypilz.
This is the second part of my fourth lecture at HITLab, Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand about user research. I am presenting the three levels of understanding user needs and the methods that correspond with investigating these needs. The idea is to show how different methods enable a designer to dig for different insights and how to conduct exemplary studies for each type of the method.
People for Research User Recruitment Bootcamp @ UX Cambridge 2014Emma Millington
People for Research's User Recruitment Bootcamp is a 45 minute induction to User Recruitment. We show you how to get started (writing a brief), screening participants, metamorphosis of a persona into a brief, mastering challenging segments, making sure your participants turn up and managing the curve balls which may come your way.
How to involve children in the design process, Monica Ferraro.uxbri
Monica's talk from http://uxbrighton.org.uk/UX-for-kids/ examines the different techniques used while working with children as design partners in the design of technology. Dressing up, mixing ideas, Playmobil and Lego are great tools for generating new design ideas. Colouring pens, stickers and cardboard mockups of devices are great tools to create low-fidelity prototypes.
Have you ever asked "WHY are we using an agile approach for content?" Want some help explaining the benefits of working with user needs, feedback and evidence? Need to handle the different types of people asking tricky questions along the way? This presentation is for you!
Originally presented at the #agilecontent meetup, 2 February 2015.
Little users; UX considerations for pre-school children - Amberlightuxbri
In their talk for http://uxbrighton.org.uk/UX-for-kids/, Filip Healy, Mansha Manohar and George Green from Aberlight plus Gemma Newell from the BBC, discuss some of the challenges of conducting user research with children under 4 and some of the design opportunities and principles that are important for this audience. In particular touchscreens have really lowered the entry level language and motor control skills required to interact with computer programs. On the one hand this provides great opportunities in early education and for busy parents to keep their children engaged, but on the other it raises some very serious ethical questions about what is an acceptable age to start encouraging children to interact with devices.
An Introduction to games research with children, looking at the theory, best practice, ethics, and putting it into practice.
Presented at UX Scotland 2014 by Claudio Franco (Senior Research Manager at Dubit) and Esther Stringer (CEO of Border Crossing Media).
Whatsapp Diaries: User Research in a mobile, connected, bite-sized worldNeelam Shetye
The deck I used for my talk at UXIndia 2014, Bangalore.
The backstory:
Over the last few years that I have been doing user research, I have seen the practice of user research - more specifically, the methods, tools & techniques that we use - stay pretty much unchanged.
But then look at the way we consume, create and communicate now. It has undergone tremendous shifts. We have become more mobile and more connected than ever before. Our attention spans and consumption patterns are completely bite-sized. Given that user research is about knowing people, its but obvious that as people evolve, the practice should evolve too.
Through this talk, I wanted to explore how user research can evolve in order to best leverage these big 'shifts' and blend with people's everyday lives.
A lot of context is lost without the accompanying 'talk' per se. But I hope the slides give a decent idea. I would love to hear from you about how you have done user research differently, what has worked and what hasn't. Do drop me a line on pg.neelam@gmail.com
A Guide to User Research (for People Who Don't Like Talking to Other People)Stephanie Wills
Here are some methods and tips for user research noobs, care of someone who made the jump from academic to digital strategy. Much thanks to @mattypilz.
This is the second part of my fourth lecture at HITLab, Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand about user research. I am presenting the three levels of understanding user needs and the methods that correspond with investigating these needs. The idea is to show how different methods enable a designer to dig for different insights and how to conduct exemplary studies for each type of the method.
People for Research User Recruitment Bootcamp @ UX Cambridge 2014Emma Millington
People for Research's User Recruitment Bootcamp is a 45 minute induction to User Recruitment. We show you how to get started (writing a brief), screening participants, metamorphosis of a persona into a brief, mastering challenging segments, making sure your participants turn up and managing the curve balls which may come your way.
How to involve children in the design process, Monica Ferraro.uxbri
Monica's talk from http://uxbrighton.org.uk/UX-for-kids/ examines the different techniques used while working with children as design partners in the design of technology. Dressing up, mixing ideas, Playmobil and Lego are great tools for generating new design ideas. Colouring pens, stickers and cardboard mockups of devices are great tools to create low-fidelity prototypes.
Have you ever asked "WHY are we using an agile approach for content?" Want some help explaining the benefits of working with user needs, feedback and evidence? Need to handle the different types of people asking tricky questions along the way? This presentation is for you!
Originally presented at the #agilecontent meetup, 2 February 2015.
Little users; UX considerations for pre-school children - Amberlightuxbri
In their talk for http://uxbrighton.org.uk/UX-for-kids/, Filip Healy, Mansha Manohar and George Green from Aberlight plus Gemma Newell from the BBC, discuss some of the challenges of conducting user research with children under 4 and some of the design opportunities and principles that are important for this audience. In particular touchscreens have really lowered the entry level language and motor control skills required to interact with computer programs. On the one hand this provides great opportunities in early education and for busy parents to keep their children engaged, but on the other it raises some very serious ethical questions about what is an acceptable age to start encouraging children to interact with devices.
Child-Centered Design is a mindset. Not rocket science.Sabina Idler
Why this talk?
The goal of this talk is to raise awareness for child-centered design and give a hands on guide on how to include children (0-12 years of age) in the design and development process of digital products that are designed for this very age group.
For whom?
When designing for adults, you can target them directly and sell them the advantages of user-centered design. When designing for kids things are slightly different. To be more precise, the users are slightly different. They are kids, and they deserve to be recognized as an autonomous target group. A target group that requires a different approach to design: Child-Centered Design (CCD). Now the thing is, children benefit from CCD, but neither do they care, nor do they have the decision-making power to buy stuff based on the quality of the design. Parents, teachers, and product managers on the other hand do. Are you in any way involved in the design or development process of digital products for kids? Then CCD offers you the perfect argument to sell your products to the right stakeholders.
Have you never thought about why and how designing for kids might be different than for adults? No worries, you are certainly not alone on this. But expanding ones horizont every now and then doesn’t hurt, does it? And after all, child-centered design is not rocket science.
What is the talk about?
First, the talk will briefly cover the popular concept of user-centered design and the question “Why is it that user centered design has ignored children for so long?” It will be discussed how the concept has evolved and why it is now time to reconsider the definition of the user. We can no longer ignore children as an autonomous target group for digital media.
Next, children will be introduced as new target group for interactive media. The target group will be discussed regarding their age, media habits and the key differences from adult users.
Then, the concept of child-centered design will be introduced and discussed step by step. This includes the common phases of user-centered design process, enriched by those aspects that differ for young target groups. Different age groups will be discussed by their physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities. Based on the question answer process, it will be illustrated which research methods are suitable for which age groups - and which are not.
Last but not least, the benefits of child-centered design will be discussed. Besides children, other stakeholders like parents, teachers, and product managers will also be considered. Here it is especially interesting to point out their role and discuss how they can benefit from a child-centered design approach.
Interested in Child-Centered Design? Then follow me on Twitter @SabinaIdler or visit our website at uxkids.com.
The aim of this first session was to identify the diversity of problems around the world and the research challenges that result. In particular, contributors discussed the particular barriers to, and opportunities faced by, children in engaging with digital technologies in their country or region, also identifying areas where more research is needed.
Living at home longer - a 2025 vision for elderly careLivework Studio
In 2014, the Authority of Elderly Care in Oslo decided to use service design methodology to put the future user at the centre when developing a strategic roadmap for its services in 2025.
There is now a longer presentation on guerrilla usability testing here: http://www.slideshare.net/LilyDart/guerrilla-testingwordcamp
When you're tight on time and budget guerrilla testing can be a quick and cheap alternative to lab usability testing to gather some insights for improvement. Traditionally used for transactional services, this presentation covers some tips on focusing on more copy-led websites and services.
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How to be a digital nomad - Amy Wagner, Agile Cambridge 2016Amy Wagner
There's a growing list of organisations choosing to operate with fully distributed teams, spawning an ever-increasing community of digital nomads.
These are citizens of the world who are re-shaping what it means to be part of a team, an office and even a country.
This presentation is a case study exploring Amy's own experiences of location-independent living/working, plus experiences of 3 other people she met along the way.
Designers are leaders - applying design skills to leadership, and leadership ...Lily Dart
The users experience of the services and products we build is harder to quantify than it once was. Just a few years ago, the best we could expect was some printed marketing materials and a desktop-focused website. Now that experience is made up of a collaboration of responsive websites, apps, emails, push messaging, and interactive experiences across a multitude of interfaces and devices.
Design is no longer just the remit of designers. Everything from server infrastructure to the colours in the branding can effect the user experience. So what does this new world look like for those of us who make design decisions every day? How can we ensure that dedication to a quality experience is shared by our coworkers, our organisations, and our clients?
Talk performed at SyncDevelop(HER) Norwich 22/15
The quick start guide to guerrilla usability testingLily Dart
When you're tight on time and budget guerrilla testing can be a quick and cheap alternative to lab usability testing to gather insights for improvement on your website or app. It also empowers us to design for real people, over client opinions.
This presentation covers all of the key considerations when preparing for and running guerrilla usability testing sessions.
This talk was delivered at WordCamp London 2015
Design is no longer just the remit of designers. Everything from server infrastructure, to API design, to button interactions, to the colours in the branding can effect the user experience of the things we design and build. But when everyone on the project is making design decisions all the time, how can we ensure that they they’re the right decisions, and that when those decisions are made, everyone else is onboard?
Lily will be talking about the qualities we need make design decisions successful, and what can happen when we struggle to motivate the people we work with to buy-in to the same approach.
Personas Bootcamp - Where Product Meets User NeedsMauricio Perez
A one-night UX / CX Bootcamp presentation about Personas in Sydney, Australia for General Assembly students. Topics include:
• Why personas are a powerful tool for product development
• Types of field research methods
• How to analyze the data collected
• Create personas and scenarios
• How to use personas effectively
Child-Centered Design is a mindset. Not rocket science.Sabina Idler
Why this talk?
The goal of this talk is to raise awareness for child-centered design and give a hands on guide on how to include children (0-12 years of age) in the design and development process of digital products that are designed for this very age group.
For whom?
When designing for adults, you can target them directly and sell them the advantages of user-centered design. When designing for kids things are slightly different. To be more precise, the users are slightly different. They are kids, and they deserve to be recognized as an autonomous target group. A target group that requires a different approach to design: Child-Centered Design (CCD). Now the thing is, children benefit from CCD, but neither do they care, nor do they have the decision-making power to buy stuff based on the quality of the design. Parents, teachers, and product managers on the other hand do. Are you in any way involved in the design or development process of digital products for kids? Then CCD offers you the perfect argument to sell your products to the right stakeholders.
Have you never thought about why and how designing for kids might be different than for adults? No worries, you are certainly not alone on this. But expanding ones horizont every now and then doesn’t hurt, does it? And after all, child-centered design is not rocket science.
What is the talk about?
First, the talk will briefly cover the popular concept of user-centered design and the question “Why is it that user centered design has ignored children for so long?” It will be discussed how the concept has evolved and why it is now time to reconsider the definition of the user. We can no longer ignore children as an autonomous target group for digital media.
Next, children will be introduced as new target group for interactive media. The target group will be discussed regarding their age, media habits and the key differences from adult users.
Then, the concept of child-centered design will be introduced and discussed step by step. This includes the common phases of user-centered design process, enriched by those aspects that differ for young target groups. Different age groups will be discussed by their physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities. Based on the question answer process, it will be illustrated which research methods are suitable for which age groups - and which are not.
Last but not least, the benefits of child-centered design will be discussed. Besides children, other stakeholders like parents, teachers, and product managers will also be considered. Here it is especially interesting to point out their role and discuss how they can benefit from a child-centered design approach.
Interested in Child-Centered Design? Then follow me on Twitter @SabinaIdler or visit our website at uxkids.com.
The aim of this first session was to identify the diversity of problems around the world and the research challenges that result. In particular, contributors discussed the particular barriers to, and opportunities faced by, children in engaging with digital technologies in their country or region, also identifying areas where more research is needed.
Living at home longer - a 2025 vision for elderly careLivework Studio
In 2014, the Authority of Elderly Care in Oslo decided to use service design methodology to put the future user at the centre when developing a strategic roadmap for its services in 2025.
There is now a longer presentation on guerrilla usability testing here: http://www.slideshare.net/LilyDart/guerrilla-testingwordcamp
When you're tight on time and budget guerrilla testing can be a quick and cheap alternative to lab usability testing to gather some insights for improvement. Traditionally used for transactional services, this presentation covers some tips on focusing on more copy-led websites and services.
Designing for the user experience (National Housing Federation - IT in Housin...Lily Dart
How do we design and deliver effective digital services for our residents? This talk discusses the core principles of user focused design, iterative development of new services, and measuring and evaluating our services for success.
How to be a digital nomad - Amy Wagner, Agile Cambridge 2016Amy Wagner
There's a growing list of organisations choosing to operate with fully distributed teams, spawning an ever-increasing community of digital nomads.
These are citizens of the world who are re-shaping what it means to be part of a team, an office and even a country.
This presentation is a case study exploring Amy's own experiences of location-independent living/working, plus experiences of 3 other people she met along the way.
Designers are leaders - applying design skills to leadership, and leadership ...Lily Dart
The users experience of the services and products we build is harder to quantify than it once was. Just a few years ago, the best we could expect was some printed marketing materials and a desktop-focused website. Now that experience is made up of a collaboration of responsive websites, apps, emails, push messaging, and interactive experiences across a multitude of interfaces and devices.
Design is no longer just the remit of designers. Everything from server infrastructure to the colours in the branding can effect the user experience. So what does this new world look like for those of us who make design decisions every day? How can we ensure that dedication to a quality experience is shared by our coworkers, our organisations, and our clients?
Talk performed at SyncDevelop(HER) Norwich 22/15
The quick start guide to guerrilla usability testingLily Dart
When you're tight on time and budget guerrilla testing can be a quick and cheap alternative to lab usability testing to gather insights for improvement on your website or app. It also empowers us to design for real people, over client opinions.
This presentation covers all of the key considerations when preparing for and running guerrilla usability testing sessions.
This talk was delivered at WordCamp London 2015
Design is no longer just the remit of designers. Everything from server infrastructure, to API design, to button interactions, to the colours in the branding can effect the user experience of the things we design and build. But when everyone on the project is making design decisions all the time, how can we ensure that they they’re the right decisions, and that when those decisions are made, everyone else is onboard?
Lily will be talking about the qualities we need make design decisions successful, and what can happen when we struggle to motivate the people we work with to buy-in to the same approach.
Personas Bootcamp - Where Product Meets User NeedsMauricio Perez
A one-night UX / CX Bootcamp presentation about Personas in Sydney, Australia for General Assembly students. Topics include:
• Why personas are a powerful tool for product development
• Types of field research methods
• How to analyze the data collected
• Create personas and scenarios
• How to use personas effectively
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These solutions not only have the potential to make an immediate impact, but are critical in designing the range of broader technical solutions the ChildStory program will deliver.
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UX Scotland 2014: User Research and Testing with Children
1. User Research and Testing with
Children
UX Scotland 2014 Tutorial
Claudio Franco
@dubit
@clauzdifranco
Esther Stringer
@BCM_Tweets
@EstherBCM
2. Introduction: Dubit & Border Crossing Media
Senior Research Manager - Games and Media
Dubit, digital entertainment studio based in Leeds
Ongoing Professional Doctorate (PhD)
Digital books, storytelling and audience involvement
Managing Director –
Border Crossing Media, User Specialists
MMRS
User research, analytics, facilitator and trainer
UX Scotland 2014
3. Agenda
UX Scotland 2014
● Introduction to games research with Children
● In Theory:
o General Principles
o Best Practices
● In Practice:
o Game Production Tools and Techniques
o Set-up your own user research test
● In Other Sectors (if time):
o Education
5. ● What is game design?
● What are the different stages of game design / production?
● How can research and testing help throughout different stages of game design /
production?
● What de-risking strategies can be used through player involvement?
UX Scotland 2014
Introduction: Research for Game Design
6. “In the broadest sense, game design refers to the idea behind a game. But it's come to
mean a whole lot more than that.
In large immersive games, game design refers to the central theme or point, as well as
the story and plot and the characters' back-stories.
In smaller games and in games in which there are no significant characters or plot (for
example, in a racing game), game design refers to how one plays the game. What are
the rules? How is the game scored? How does the level of difficulty change with play?
What makes the game fun or challenging?”
Source: http://www.gamecareerguide.com
UX Scotland 2014
Introduction: Game Design
7. ● Game design - ‘evolutionary’ process
● Inspiration / conventions from previous titles, genres and stories
● Developer creativity is essential
● Research can “de-risk” design and production
● Audience Involvement - children as potential players
o fine-tune ideas
o find usability issues
o understand what’s most enjoyable through play-testing and
observation
o tap into their creativity
● Often termed a LEAN or ITERATIVE approach
o LOOPS: insight > design > build > test > design > build > test...
UX Scotland 2014
Introduction: Games Research
9. Main resources for guiding principles:
www.mrs.org.uk www.coppa.org
UX Scotland 2014
Guiding Principles, Standards and Best Practice
10. Purpose of the Code:
1. To support all those engaged in market, social or opinion research in maintaining professional
standards.
2. To reassure the general public and other interested parties that research is carried out in a
professional and ethical manner.
Full Code is available at www.mrs.org.uk
• Largest research society World-Wide
• Members in >60 countries around the World
• Supports best practice by setting and enforcing standards
UX Scotland 2014
The MRS Code of Conduct
11. 1. Ensure that participation in their activities is based on voluntary informed consent.
2. Be straightforward and honest in all their professional and business relationships
3. Be transparent as to the subject and purpose of data collection.
4. Respect the confidentiality of information collected in their professional activities.
5. Respect the rights and well-being of all individuals.
6. Ensure that respondents are not harmed or adversely affected by their professional
activities
7. Balance the needs of individuals, clients and their professional activities.
8. Exercise independent professional judgement in the design, conduct and reporting of
their professional activities.
9. Ensure that their professional activities are conducted by persons with appropriate
training, qualifications and experience.
10. Protect the reputation and integrity of the profession.
UX Scotland 2014
MRS Code of Conduct: 10 Guiding Principles
12. UX Scotland 2014
MRS Code of Conduct :Children
● Obtain the consent of a parent or Responsible Adult (loco parentis) when interviewing a child under 16.*
● When consent is required, ensure the adult is given sufficient information about the nature of the project to
enable them to provide informed consent.
● Consent from the adult must be recorded (name, relationship or role).
● For self-completion/postal surveys, ensure:
o When it is known (or ought reasonably to be known) that all or a majority of respondents are likely to
be under 16, these are addressed to the parent or Responsible Adult;and
o when it is known (or ought reasonably to be known) that all or a majority of Respondents are likely to
be under 16, that all questionnaires carry a note or notice explaining that consent
is required for all Children to participate.
*can be waived under special circumstances but only with prior approval from
MRS Market Research Standards Board
13. ● For projects administered with electronic communications, where it is known (or ought
reasonably to be known) ensure that Respondents are asked to give their age before any other
personal information is requested. Further, if the age given is under 16, the child must be
excluded from giving further personal information until the appropriate consent from a parent or
Responsible Adult has been obtained and verified.
● In all cases, members must ensure that a child has an opportunity to decline to take part, even
though a responsible adult has given permission for their participation. This remains the case if a
project takes place in school.
● Members must ensure that information about other individuals is not collected from a child
unless for the purposes of gaining permission from a responsible adult.
UX Scotland 2014
The MRS Code of Conduct: Children
14. Who is it for?
Anyone that operates a commercial website or an online services that is directed to children
under 13 that collects personal information from children or if you operate a general audience
website and have actual knowledge that you are collecting personal information from children.
Full Guidance: www.coppa.org
UX Scotland 2014
COPPA: The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998
• US Federal Law
• Effective from April 2000, Revised in 2008
• Applies to online collection of personal information from Children
under 13
15. UX Scotland 2014
COPPA: Privacy Policy
Must have link placed on the home page
Must make link clearly distinguishable from
other links
16. 1. Name and contact information of all operators collecting or
maintaining information.
2. The kinds of information being held and how the information
is being collected.
3. How the operator will use the information.
4. Whether the information is disclosed to 3rd parties and if so
who they are, what is it for, confidentiality agreements.
5. That the parent can opt to only consent for information to be
used by the operator and not 3rd parties.
6. The child is not asked to disclose more information than is
necessary for participation.
7. That the parent can review the child’s information, ask to
have it deleted and refuse further collection or use of
information and how to do this.
COPPA: Content of Privacy Policy:
UX Scotland 2014
17. Piaget’s Central Theory:
Children cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so.
UX Scotland 2014
Age-appropriate methods
18. Stage in Development Play patterns Needs Loves
● 0 – 2: Physical Beings,
dominated by senses
● 2 – 3: Increased use of
verbal representation
but speech is
egocentric
● 0 -2: Highly tactile –
manipulate objects
● 2 – 3: Symbolic
play/role play- using a
stick as a magic wand
● Security and safety
● Love from parent
● Colourful
● Simple
sounds/repetition
● Music
Impact on Research:
● Hard to research, but it is possible at around 18 months
● Make sure your test material is visual and physical element to it
● Be careful they are reacting to your test material and not to YOU!
● Need to be in their environment (at home, with mum nearby)
UX Scotland 2014
Under 3
19. Stage in Development Play patterns Needs Loves
● Learning social skills
● Pre-logical
● Black and white thinking
● Self centred /Impulsive
● Short attention spans
● Beginning to use language,
read and write
● Times of regression
● Emulatory
● Imaginative/dramatic play
● Girls: house, princesses,
fairies
● Boy: crash and bash
● Security and
safety
● Love from
parent
● Fun, safe, fantasy, empowerment
● Structure to story, social learning
● Animation with clear outlines
● Slapstick, silly action
● Sudden surprise – boo!
● High sensory
● Magical, everyday is filled with new
experiences
Impact on Research:
• Material must be visual
• Children can be creative – tap into their fantasy world
• Empower them/role play
• Interview them at their home or an environment they know well
• Still important to have an adult they know around to provide reassurance and help them chat
• Important to lay down ground rules in research context 3 - 6
20. Stage in Development Play patterns Needs Loves
● Fitting in stage, social
conformists – peers
important, group
orientated and love clubs
● Logical and reasoning skills
are developing –
reversibility and class
inclusion
● Push away from
“childhood” in order to
affirm new identity
● Impressionable
● Friendship based on play
interests and activities
● Boys and girls are likely to
play separately
● Imaginative play
diminishes considerably.
● Collecting: ownership/
uniqueness/responsibility
● Play ground hierarchy and
competition
● Autonomy –
pushing away
from parents
● Acceptance
● Success
● More concrete thinking
● Prefer ‘realistic’ heroes and
aspirations
● Social stress - Turn to properties
and people (best friend) that will
help them
● Understanding of abstract
(random) humour, slapstick
● Dark humour becomes appealing -
testing morals
● Puns, sarcasm, innuendo
Impact on Research:
• Language and memory skills have developed - but can still struggle with ‘difficult language’
• Older children are more capable but it’s still important to use appropriate language
• Memory can be limited – helps to have stimulus in front of them
• Best to talk to them with a friend (confidence, honesty, self esteem)
• Giving them pre-tasks prior to the focus group can prevent group effect
6 - 11
21. Stage in Development Play patterns Needs Loves
● Looking for an identity, a
desire for self expression
● Swinging between leaving
childhood and becoming
an adult
● Beginning to feel
interested in the opposite
sex
● Hormonal
● Group companionship
activities
● Life style magazines
● Concert and music
collecting
● Pets
● Friendship – peer
approval is essential
● Friendships are more
established
● Freedom and
independence
● Seek increased
power over their
own lives
● Need to connect to properties
within a realistic framework in
which to fantasise
● Can be self conscious, shy and
insecure
● Cognitive ability means they
can process complex humour
● Drawn to shows with a dark
side (gross, violent, taboo) –
outlet for their emotions
Impact on Research:
• Young people of this age are generally more capable of abstract thinking
• Can have in depth discussions about hypothetical issues (the what ifs)
• They appreciate being treated like adults, more likely to respond maturely/share ideas
• They’ve developed personal interests and tastes,
• It’s important to treat them as individuals and not to patronise or presume anything
• Don’t try too hard (this won’t look cool)
11 - 16
22. When only face to face will do:
● For children under 7
● When discussing certain topics
● When you need to observe their behaviour directly
● For some children with additional support needs
Practical Tips:
• Be aware of your influence and set the tone
• Think about the bigger picture
• Give them clear boundaries, tell them when they have over-stepped.
• Keep language simple and appropriate.
• Let them speak - 8 second rule
• Give them ownership of tasks – scribes etc.
• At least every 20 minutes give them a break or a different stimulus.
• Avoid Groupthink by assigning individual tasks and giving praise for individual thought.
• Try using creative techniques to enable children such as: drawing, cartoons, word association.
UX Scotland 2014
Face to face interviews and focus groups
23. • Be aware of your influence and set the tone by sharing information about yourself
• Think about the bigger picture – children’s backgrounds and situations will impact their
answers considerably until they start abstract thinking.
• Give them clear boundaries and tell them when they have over-stepped.
• Keep language simple and appropriate.
• Let them speak - 8 second rule
• Give them ownership of tasks – scribes etc.
• At least every 20 minutes give them a break or a different stimulus.
• Avoid Groupthink by assigning individual tasks and giving praise for individual thought.
• Try using creative techniques to enable children to give a free answer such as:
Cartoons and image strips Draw their answers Word Association
Z
UX Scotland 2014
Best Practice Tips for Face to Face
24. Discussion Guides:
• Start with simple easy questions – favourite things, family friends
• Keep discussion open without too many questions
• Write them out exactly who you will say them
• Children like to be involved as part of the process so explain it to them
• Make sure there is enough time for them to complete the tasks
• Have lots of activities and keep flexible!
Trouble
Shooting:
Best Practice Tips for Face to Face
They all stop talking Change it up (subject/environment)
One wants to go to the toilet If under 11 take them all (if alone)
They say they are bored Find out why and then change it up!
They get distracted and go off topic Let them go (within the boundaries set)
They start whispering Give them a look, then take them out of the room
One doesn’t speak Let them be scribe, ask direct but easy questions
25. 1. Digital Ethnography
● Study of online communities and human-technology interactions through the use of qualitative research
methods
● Lurkers and watchers in forums and games
● Monitoring and aggregating information about human behaviour, interactions and networking
● Utilise other techniques such as surveys, analytics reviews, heuristic evaluation, guerrilla research
2. Blogging/Panels
● Children keep online blogs and/or diaries
● Can be used to track specific behaviour or tasks
● Can be used to track general behaviour
3. Clickroom:
● Virtual focus group tool
● Creates an interactive environment that engages and excites participants!
UX Scotland 2014
Digital Options
29. Core stages and approaches
● Early Design:
o Concept Testing
● Later Design:
o “Paper” prototyping
● Production:
o Play testing
Z
UX Scotland 2014
Tools and Techniques
30.
31.
32.
33. ● Where to conduct research: home or kid-friendly space
● How to dress
● Give them a role: kids as game designers
● Don’t overdo it – trying to be cool
● Refreshments – yes, some… (crunch, crunch, crunch!)
● Encouraging participation in groups
● Body language
● Accumulating feedback and ideas validation (from group to group)
Top Tips
UX Scotland 2014
34. UX Scotland 2014
Your turn……
• You are researching a new game about Clyde’s Adventures getting ready for the Common Wealth Games for 8
year olds.
• You are asked to discover:
- What games are they currently playing and why
- Why they like to play games they do
- What they don’t like about the games they play
- What they sports they like
- What they think that Clyde does for his morning routine
• Using the worksheet being handed round and what we have learnt today about child appropriate minutes design a
research plan – 5 minutes
• When the time is up – share you plan with your neighbour
35. Overview of research
Environment
(where, what time of day)
Who will be present
( # participants, others)
Who to get permission
from how
Data Collection
Technique
Boundaries to set Shopping list
Key Topic Guide
Questions
Activities /
Techniques
36. Stage in Development Play patterns Needs Loves
● Fitting in stage, social
conformists – peers
important, group
orientated and love clubs
● Logical and reasoning skills
are developing –
reversibility and class
inclusion
● Push away from
“childhood” in order to
affirm new identity
● Impressionable
● Friendship based on play
interests and activities
● Boys and girls are likely to
play separately
● Imaginative play
diminishes considerably.
● Collecting: ownership/
uniqueness/responsibility
● Play ground hierarchy and
competition
● Autonomy –
pushing away
from parents
● Acceptance
● Success
● More concrete thinking
● Prefer ‘realistic’ heroes and
aspirations
● Social stress - Turn to properties
and people (best friend) that will
help them
● Understanding of abstract
(random) humour, slapstick
● Dark humour becomes appealing -
testing morals
● Puns, sarcasm, innuendo
Impact on Research:
• Language and memory skills have developed - but can still struggle with ‘difficult language’
• Older children are more capable but it’s still important to use appropriate language
• Memory can be limited – helps to have stimulus in front of them
• Best to talk to them with a friend (confidence, honesty, self esteem)
• Giving them pre-tasks prior to the focus group can prevent group effect
6 - 11