Evaluating games with children

Two observation techniques for research with children will be described in this paper. First, research with children in a controlled setting will be discussed and secondly observation techniques for doing research with children in their natural environment (field research). To involve children effectively in the design and evaluation process of the development of a product/game, appropriate evaluation techniques are needed. We use a combination of the think aloud method and the active intervention method to evaluate the usability of a product. To investigate the likeability of a product, we found that the laddering method is appropriate. We adapted the observation and evaluation techniques not only to work with children but also to evaluate games on their usability and likeability. For this purpose, we use a checklist for the evaluation of games based on research findings and literature.