Kids and Design

This chapter outlines the history of children's roles in design in relation to the design of children's technology and discusses different methods of designing technology for children. It presents information regarding some focused research on designing technology for children in special circumstances. The chapter considers the related field of evaluation of children's technology. It looks at future trajectories in technology design with children. Druin posited a framework for thinking about the different methods of design for children, which also parallels history as one moves from the inside of the circle to the outer rim. In human-computer interaction (HCI), the role of user for children is historically the first role that children played in regard to the design of their technology. Practitioners of learner-centered design consider the act of learning as central to the technology itself and the design process.