Evaluating the User Experience of Playful Interactive Learning Interfaces with Children

Abstract

In this paper we present the experience and results aimed at evaluating the user experience (UX) of children when interacting with the educational and entertainment website. The goal was to explore and understand the usability issues in offering fun and enjoyment creative learning experiences for children, and to understand the efficiency of these evaluation approaches in uncovering general opportunities for design improvements. Sixty-four children (aged 7 to 12) were observed on how they interact with the Aseel Wa Raseel website (an Arabic website designed to provide creative games and activities that help exploit children's skills and hobbies). We designed a specific questionnaires together with the use of smileyometer in assessing the momentum emotion of the user while interacting with different sections of the website. Children were also provided with sticky notes to freely describe their experience, perceptions and opinions about the website. Overall, all children enjoyed the session. However, the results show distinction between the younger children and older ones in terms of their favourite website sections. We also found that younger children experienced difficulties and felt frustrated during the registration process, as they did not appreciate and realize its importance. This paper also reports the methodology design implications for conducting UX and usability evaluations for children.