This dissertation focused on the different forms of interactive systems and principles of interaction design, and what constitutes effective interaction design. This was essential research to undertake in order to ensure the practical aspect of the project was an effective interactive system, following as many of the principles of interaction design as was relevant and appropriate.
Navigability was an essential principle of interaction for the way finding practical outcome, to ensure that adults and children can efficiently find their way around the supermarket and to their desired food sections. Moggridge's comment about navigability ‘know where you are in the system, what you can do there, where you can go next, and how to get back’ (2007, p.xv) explained very effectively the importance of navigability within interactive systems, which can be applied to way finding. These aspects of navigability were applied to the way finding in that you know where you are in the supermarket by the colour coded foot prints, if you are in the fruit and veg section the foot prints are green. You know where you can go next as the foot prints point in a certain, circular direction to take you around the supermarket, and as you leave a section the foot prints change colour so you know you have transitioned into a different food section.
The consistency principle of interaction is also essential in the way finding so that it doesn't change half way through and people get lost. Moggridge's comment: ‘A certain command in one part of the system should have the same effect in another part’ (2007, p.xv) illustrates consistency very clearly, in that in relation to way finding the foot print navigation should be the same in the fruit and vegetable section and the meat section, you should be guided through the supermarket in the same manner.
The quality principle of interaction is one that is more relevant to practical interactive systems than digital, and can be applied to both the way finding outcome and the objects outcome. Moggridge describes this principles as ‘the quality of how we and it interact’ (2007, p.xvi). In relation to the objects outcome, quality was essential to ensure the objects provided as positive an experience as possible, so none of the tassels fell off, and the phone case slid onto the phone just so, and so it wasn't a struggle to get the pen topper on a pen. The quality principle in relation to the way finding outcome is essential to ensure the vinyl stickers don't start feeling off or wearing thin in places where they get more use.
This dissertation also looked into children's play, the types of interactive systems associated with it, the different types of play, and the characteristics of successful play. This element of the dissertation proved essential to understand how children learn and develop, and how interactive systems can support this.
The type of play that was most explored in the practical outcome was play for learning, as learning is taking a much more formal shape in modern days, and the aim was to make it less formal, so they learn through their everyday actions and decisions. Play for learning is evident in the objects outcomes in that the shapes on the blanket teach children the names of different shapes, the different colours used teach children the colours names and what patterns are in the striped elements. In the way finding outcome the foot prints can teach children about the different colours as they walk through the supermarket, and can also teach them about how feet grow as they match their feet to the corresponding foot print size, and understand that some people have bigger or smaller feet than other people.
Imaginative play was also evidenced in the objects outcome as children could role play using the blanket, pretending to be different creatures (such as a ghost) under the blanket. They could also hide under it like a tent and imagine the holes for the heads are huge stars. In the way fining system imaginative play could occur as children jump from one foot print to another, pretending the normal floor is water or lava.
The outcomes produced were also examples as physical play, as in the way finding children move around the supermarket, jumping from one foot print to another, matching their own feet to the foot prints, and all of this requires physical action. This allows for the development of gross motor skills which is an essential part of a child's development. In the objects physical play is evident on varying levels, for example on the pen topper the hair tassels move when the child writes, so the more they move their hand the more it moves, encouraging them to write more. This would encourage the development of fine motor skills, and help to improve their hand writing. However in the blanket object, gross motor skills are more likely to be developed, as they run around pretending to be a creature with the blanket draped over them for example.
The objects in particular also encourage exploratory play, a type of physical play, as children learn about the different textures of the fabrics used, and different ways in which the objects can be manipulated and bent and twisted. They will learn how different objects can be manipulated in different ways, for example the pen topper can be bend and scrunched up, however the pen it sits on can't be bent.
Finally, it should be stated that the purpose of creating two sets of practical outcomes was to explore two very different methods of engaging children using interactive systems. The way finding outcome focused more so on being useful for both adults and parents, it's an outcome which can be easily adaptable for different locations and purposes, and isn't noticeably child like, however still has the qualities to engage children. The objects outcome was much more child friendly, designed solely for children's use, it didn't have to take into consideration context or whether it was navigable as such. It was designed purely for the engagement and entertainment of children, so naturally it took a different form.
Bibliography
MOGGRIDGE, B. (2007) ‘Designing Interactions’ Massachusetts, United States of America: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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