Children as Design Partners for Educational Web Sites:

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Children as Design Partners for Educational Web
Sites

• Challenges Lessons Learned from the NIDA for
  Teens Project

This work supported in part by NSF grant
EIA-0203323
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Introductions

• Nancy Kaplan, Ph.D.
• Professor and Director, School of Information
  Arts and Technologies, University of Baltimore
• nakaplan_at_ubalt.edu
• Jennifer Isenberg, M.S.
• Project Manager, IQ Solutions, Inc.
• jisenberg_at_iqsolutions.com
• Richard Panzer, M.S.
• Technical Lead, Web Interface Group, IQ
  Solutions, Inc.
• rpanzer_at_iqsolutions.com

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Overview

• The Goal
• The Approach
• The Process
• The Team
• Challenges
• Case Study
• Lessons Learned

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The Goal

• To communicate NIDA research information about
  the science behind drug abuse to 11 - 15 year
  olds

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The Approach
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The Process

• Environmental Scan
• Creative Brief
• Usability Testing 3 Design Concepts
• Shifted Target Audience
• Clarified Message
• Enhanced Project Team

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The Team

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• IQ Solutions, Inc.
• Scholastic, Inc.
• Advisory Board
• University of Baltimore Kids Team

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Challenges

• Identifying Audience Needs
• Meeting Audience Needs
• Engaging teens (as well as younger students).
• Providing end-users with the tools (GUI, content,
  information architecture) needed to successfully
  interact with the NIDA For Teens Web site.

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Interface Design
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Case Study Doctor NIDA

• Working with Teens to Generate Ideas
• Group brainstorming
• Drawing - illustrating ideas
• Sticky notes describing Dr. NIDA
• Reacting to imagery developed by designers 3
  likes, 3 dislikes, 3 ideas
• Who is Dr. NIDA?
• Illustration or photo?
• Male or female?
• Old or young?
• Who are they going to trust?

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Case Study Doctor NIDA
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Case Study Doctor NIDA
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Interface Design
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Lessons Learned

• Adult Assumptions Often Incorrect
• Determining things that are hip and cool
• Developing content that is believable
• Understanding how to establish trust and
  credibility with audiences of young people

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Lessons Learned

• Benefits to Working with Established Kids Design
  Team
• Time-consuming and complicated process
• Kids who are familiar with the process, practiced
  and educated to methods

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Lessons Learned

• Both Traditional Methodologies and the Design
  Partnership Approach Have Strengths
• If you can do both, you have the opportunity to
  learn more rich and nuanced information about
  your audience and you can take the results of
  usability engineering to the next level.