ABSTRACT
This paper explores the use of participants as research collaborators in the domain of contextual user research. In participatory- and co-design, users participate increasingly early in the design process. When conducting user research in order to gain contextual knowledge about the lives, experiences and wishes of users, collaborators can be of help in setting up, conducting research and analyzing the data. A case study was conducted to investigate if and how children are able to perform as research collaborators. Children conducted interviews with other participants, and in doing increased their knowledge about people close to them, and about themselves. The gained insights were personal and the used personas proved to be a valuable tool. In the role of researcher, the children discovered similarities and differences between themselves and others. Besides gaining valuable insights from their participants, they accessed and shared their own experiences, so while listening to others, the children got sensitized themselves. In other words, the current study found that next to gathering more data, "super-sources" are created when children become research collaborators.
- Beyer, H., and Holzblatt, K., Contextual Design: Defining Customer Centered Systems, San Francisco, Moran Kaufman, 1998. Google ScholarDigital Library
- DiCicco-Bloom, B., and Crabtree, B. F., The qualitative research interview, Medical Education, 40(2006), 314--321.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Druin, A., Cooperative Inquiry: Developing New Technologies for Children with Children, CHI 99, 1999. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Druin, A., The Role of Children in the Design of New Technology, Behaviour & Information Technology, 21, 1(2002), 1--25.Google Scholar
- Gaver, W., Dunne, T., and Pacenti, E., Cultural Probes. Interactions, 6, 1(1999), 21--29. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Lewin, K., Action Research and Minority Problems, Journal of Social Issues, 2 (1946), 35--46.Google ScholarCross Ref
- McTaggart, R., Principles for Participatory Action Research, Adult Education Quarterly, 41, 3(1991), 168--187.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Moraveij, N., et al, Comicboarding: Using Comics as Proxies for Participatory Design with Children, CHI'07, 2007. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Pries, J. F. F., van Boeijen, A., and van der Lugt, R., Deep inside friendly territory, ServDes, 2012.Google Scholar
- Read, J. C., and MacFarlane, S., Using the Fun Toolkit and other Survey methods to Gather Opinions in Child Computer Interaction, IDC'06, 2006. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Read, J. C., and Bekker, M. M., The Nature of Child Computer Interaction, British HCI, 2011. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Read, J., et al, An Investigation of Participatory Design with Children - Informant, Balanced and Facilitated Design, Interaction design and Children, 2002, 53--64.Google Scholar
- Singh, A., Collaborative Videoing - A Reflective Account, IASDR, 2011.Google Scholar
- Sleeswijk Visser, F., Stappers, P., van der Lugt, R., and Sanders, E. B. N. Contextmapping: experiences from practice. Codesign, 1, 2 (2005), 119--149.Google Scholar
- Van der Lugt, R., Involving users as Co-researchers, CHI-NED 2007.Google Scholar
- Wright, P., and McCarthy, J., Empathy and Experience in HCI, CHI'08, 2008. Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- Design research by proxy: using children as researchers to gain contextual knowledge about user experience.
Recommendations
Examining Adult-Child Interactions in Intergenerational Participatory Design
CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsPrior studies have focused on child interactions in participatory design (PD) with adults and children, but less is known about what specific adult-child interactions constitute a partnership. In this study, we unpack what constitutes an "equal ...
Children as coresearchers: more than just a roleplay
IDC '14: Proceedings of the 2014 conference on Interaction design and childrenCoresearch is a method that engages participants in contextual user research by giving them the role of researcher. This method aids to capture their input in the fuzzy front end of the design process. A previous study [5] showed that children can act ...
Teen as research-apprentice: A restorative justice approach for centering adolescents as the authority of their own online safety
AbstractWe engaged with 21 teens to plan an intergenerational participatory design program called Teenovate for creating teen-centered online safety interventions. Socio-technical solutions for adolescent online safety mostly take on parent-...
Comments