Co-designing deformable organic user interfaces for early learning

Maker Junior使用以Maker为灵感的项目，通过将传统艺术和手工艺材料与电子元件和替代导电材料相结合来帮助孩子们学习技术。Maker Junior正在研究新的策略，通过探索新的传感器、类型的电路和材料，让儿童在很小的时候就开始使用技术创造，这是一系列三维玩具，儿童可以在研讨会上操作，但也可以带回家进行进一步的发展。研究的问题在于探索一种新的互动方式，让儿童参与原型制作过程，以及为儿童使用这项技术创造背景。 基于人机交互领域，我们的研究挑战是探索设计一种有机用户界面--一种使用非平面显示器的新界面，如柔性显示器--作为教育玩具。我们将探索弯曲和变形作为儿童电路中的新输入。在申请者对变形的研究基础上，我们将与儿童共同设计并开发出更低和更高保真度的原型，我们将通过与学龄前儿童进行用户研究来进行经验评估。创建变形是一种独特的启示，当它是包括电路构建在内的活动的一部分时。与在iPad等触摸屏界面上使用应用程序进行活动的传统方式不同，可变形的界面提供了与技术的触觉互动，反馈是有形的、体验的和实物的。可弯曲的界面提供了 这为这一领域的技术人机界面研究带来了巨大的机遇，这是因为有机会以儿童为中心进行设计，以及为参与和利用这项技术的独特环境进行设计。作为学龄前儿童学习活动的一部分，该项目预计将提供以使用OUI为基础的硬件原型，并对原型和进一步发展的建议进行评估。Maker Junior预计这些将对他们的车间产品开发和人机界面社区产生影响。

Maker Junior uses "maker" inspired projects to help kids learn about technology by combining traditional arts and crafts materials with electronic components and alternative conductive materials. Maker Junior is investigating new strategies for introducing children to creating with technology at a young age, by exploring novel sensors, types of circuits, and materials, a series of three dimensional toys that children can work on as part of a workshop, but are also available to taken home for further development. The research problem resides in the exploration of a novel interaction style, and involving children in the prototyping process, as well as developing contexts for this technology to be used by children. Grounded in the field of human computer interaction, our research challenge is to explore designing an organic user interface-a new interface using non-planar displays, such as flexible displays-as an educational toy. We will explore bending and deformation as novel inputs in circuits for kids. Building upon the applicant's research on deformation, we will co-design with children and develop lower and higher fidelity prototypes which we will empirically evaluate by conducting user studies with preschoolers. Creating deformations is a unique affordance when part of an activity that includes circuit building. In contrast to the traditional use of apps on touch screen interfaces such as iPads for activities, a deformable interface offers a tactile interaction with the technology where the feedback is tangible, experiential and physical. A bendable interface offers a huge opportunity for technical HCI research in this area due to the opportunities for designing with children in mind, as well as for designing for unique contexts of engagement and play with this technology. This project is expected to deliver hardware prototypes based around the use of OUIs as part of learning activities for preschoolers, as well as an evaluation of the prototypes and recommendations for further development. Maker Junior expects these to have an impact on their workshop product development and on the HCI community.