User-centered design of wearable computers with construction kits for children (eBook)

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Engineering - Computer Engineering, grade: 1,0, University of Siegen, language: English, abstract: Addressing children’s needs and interests is crucial when designing and developing computational devices for this user group. Different approaches to include children in the design process, such as Participatory Design, have been investigated and applied in past research. A way to engage children as active design partners is to let them build and reconfigure their own devices. Construction kits, as they have been developed by researchers in the past, enable children to do so. Several application scenarios for why children would build their own handhelds and wearable computers with different construction kits have been identified in past research. The hardware and software components that were included in developed kits as well as the way they were used and evaluated varied widely.

This paper outlines the evolution of the investigation and application of construction kits in the research field of wearable computers for children. By referring to approaches and findings presented in related work this paper aims to highlight the potential of using these insights as a basis for future investigations and user-centered design processes. Despite the technological advances, it is argued that design and development processes for wearable computers for children can benefit from past research.