The Start of Reducing Technology

Technology has been rapidly increasing through the last several years. not many years ago we just had a tv only in black and white and a dial up phone. Now we have new technologies being invented constantly and that has taken a toll on todays society. We have become so dependent on technology that we would fail without it. We feel the need to constantly check our phones for text messages and social media, we are always watching television and we rely on computers for all of our daily actitities including school and work. But how did we really become this dependent on our screens? After doing some research on the uses of technology and how it has evolved we came to the realization that the start of this issue is with our kids. At a young age we are introduced to all these technologies with no idea how influencial and addicting they can be and some with parents who dont care how much time their kid spends in front of the television playing video games instead of playing outside. In a typical day, children consume just over three hours of media. This includes computer use, cell phone use, tablet use, music, and reading. Two thirds of this time is spent with screen media, such as televistion computers and smart phones, while reading is less than 20 minutes per day. It is very difficult to control this issue when new technologies are being developed and schools are starting to use these technologies in the classrooms. Many studies have showed that minimalizing how much time children spend on screen time can help them in the future to not be addicted. Others have showed that the technology kids are using should only be to learn and not to play. Taking all of this into consideration we have decided to create a device for kids that contributes to both of these findings.

This device we have created can be used in school or at home. It consists only of school related programs or activities that can get them outside and away from the screen. This product can be for kids ranging from 6–12, having different levels of difficulty for each grade level. This device will be around the size of a typical ipad with programs consisting of math, reading, spelling/vocabulary, getting active, scavenger hunt, and experiments. The math, reading and spelling will be strictly device use only. However, getting active, scavenger hunt and experiments will allow kids to go outside, be active and have fun. To get specific about each program, math will consist of simple math equations for each grade level. Reading will be similar to iBooks, where there will be different childrens books for either them to read or for their parents to read to them. Spelling will consist of different images and the child will have to correctly spell what the image is. Experiments will consist of a list of many different simple science experiements they can do with friends or family. It will tell them all the items they need to complete the experiement and step by step instructions. Scavenger hunt will consist of a list of simple items a child can find outside or inside the house, each item will count for a certain amount of points, the child must take a picture of each item to recieve the points. Get active will be similar to scavenger hunt except it will have different activities to do outside to receive points. We decided to create a point system for some of the programs because kids need incentive to want to do something willingly. This device also tells the child when it has been on it for too long and tells them to take a break and play outside.

Below is the paper prototype we created

To introduce our idea of a specialized technology for kids in a hands on way, we decided to create a paper prototype of what our tablet and it’s apps would look like. We designed our tablet to mimic normal iphones and ipads so kids would feel like they are using what grownups are using. There is a home button, and apps are presented in small squares on the home page. This paper prototype worked because we were able to show illustrations, words, and instructions for the tablet in a simple way that its intended audience would be able to understand (kids).

When it came to testing our prototype with real users, we decided the best testing method would be usability testing since our tablet is a interactive piece of technology. Even though our prototype is made of paper it is still somewhat interactive because it gives you buttons to press and activities to complete. Our targeted users are kids aged 4–12+, so the first person we tested our prototype with was Marissa’s 7 year old brother. We briefly explained the idea of the tablet but did not go into depth on any of the apps or how it was used. Our ‘home page’ paper prototype was the first he looked at, he read the title out loud and then looked over the six different apps shown. He put his finger on the square illustrated with different types of sports and said, “how do i look at this one?” We handed him the paper for the sports app which encourages physical exercise and gives unorthodox ideas for outdoor activities that can include multiple people so they don’t have to use it alone. He looked over the suggested activities but had to have some help with reading them. Once read aloud, he laughed and began to jog around the room (the first activity is ‘Run around your house once’ for 5 points). He said it was easy and wanted to do more of the activities, he asked marissa to race him and he asked how many points he had gotten so far. This first usability test demonstrated the problems and solutions our tablet faced. Because our target users are young children, many of them cannot read/are at different reading levels. We decided to add a feature where a computerized voice reads off the instruction if you press a sound button next to the description. This is helpful to those who have trouble reading and it also teaches children words without them even knowing it because they are seeing and hearing the word. It was also clear that marissa’s brother was mostly interested in the sports app, which is normal for a 7 year old boy. But the point of the tablet is to give children a balanced learning and activity experience, so we decided that the tablet would need to have pop up reminders to visit other apps such as math or reading if a child is spending too much time on one specific app. A pop up would say something like “Take a break and do some subtraction for 5 points!” with a button that then takes them to that activity. Or “relax and read The Cat in the Hat for 10 points!”. This feature not only encourages them to complete a task in exchange for points, but also gives them an idea to switch it up if they are getting bored/lethargic on another app. We also realized that our point system needed some sort of reward or end point. Instead of just racking up random meaningless points, we created point milestones that will encourage users to continue using the app/ make them excited to complete activities. Once you reach 25 points, you receive an electronic ‘badge’ that congratulates you and encourages you to keep going, this goes on for every 25 points earned. And at every 100 point milestone you receive new unlocked games, exercises, and activities that become more and more advanced to stimulate learning and challenge the user. Usability testing opened our eyes to the many small but detrimental problems of our tablet and how to easily fix them and improve the technology to make it a better and more sustainable experience for the user.

Our educational tablet for developing children is multifaceted, encouraging, and most of all usable. Children having access (unlimited or not) to iphones and ipads can be permanently damaging because although there are apps for kids, those tablets are not made for children. Our tablet is designed only for children with their health and wellbeing in mind. In this age, all kids want to use technology Especially when they see their parents or older siblings using it constantly. With this specialized technology designed for developing kids, children won’t feel as eager for their first computer or iphone because they will feel as if they have their own ipad already. There is no access to the internet which eliminates chances of children being exposed to harmful content. Our solution definitely meets our standards of success because it encourages kids to exercise, learn, expand interpersonal skills, and have fun. We knew that trying to eliminate technology from children’s lives would be futile, so we created a technology that results in only positive behavior. In 2017, technology is deeply rooted into our society, but there can be positive ways to incorporate it into children’s lives. We had to think of things that children would want to do and that would also be helpful to development. After our prototype testing, we realized there was so much that goes into a useful and educational tablet like this. All children are different, so a tablet like this needs to cater to many different personalities. Something we wish we would’ve done differently/added to our tablet are more apps for different kids. There are millions of different types of recreation and learning activities we could have included such as different languages, basic cooking/baking, art, star gazing, yoga. This app would greatly benefit from an art centered app that gives you artistic challenges to complete. For example, drawing a self portrait or a family portrait would encourage kids to explore creative outlets that maybe aren’t encouraged in their home or school life. This tablet has the potential to be pushed so much further to enhance the user experience, due to resources and time we could only take the idea so far. For what our group did come up with, I would give us a 10 for our process and development of our original idea. From our first instinct of wanting children not using any technology, to the realization that that wouldn’t work, to developing ideas to solve the problem, finalizing a solution, and improving it as we went along. Through this process we learned that you must always push your idea as far as it can go for the best result, never stop asking questions, and design not for yourself but for your user. We had to put ourselves into kids shoes to try and design something that they would want to use. The problem that our society faces with technology is a big one, and addiction to technology today starts at such a young age, which is so damaging to development into adulthood. This is why we decided to go to the root of the problem and focus on children’s interaction with technology. We know that not every child will flourish using this app or will even like it, but it will definitely prevent some kids from getting too attached to real technology so early on in their life. Our solution 100% solves this problem on a basic level, but it is ultimately up to parents and teachers to stop technology addiction in children before it’s too late.

• Marissa Cody and Brenna Flinn