How Much is Too Much?: Understanding the Information Needs of Parents of Young Children

Abstract

While technologies exist that are designed for parents to monitor their toddlers and school-age children, the actual structure and underlying mechanisms of parents information needs have received only limited attention. A systematic understanding of these core components is crucial for designing appropriate solutions and reducing barriers to using this type of technology. Based on accumulated findings from a three-phase study, this paper (1) describes the structure of information that parents seek about their children, (2) explores parents' underlying motivations for seeking this information, (3) presents a classification of major uses of this information, and, (4) through a set of design recommendations, discusses the role that ubiquitous technology can play in addressing information needs and current obstacles to technologically mediated solutions.

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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • HCI theory, concepts and models

  • Interaction design

  • Ubiquitous and mobile computing