A comparison of usability evaluation methods for child participants in a school setting

This study assesses three usability evaluation methods (Active Intervention, Peer Tutoring and Cross-Age Tutoring) with children aged 6--8 years old within a school setting, using an interactive, educational multimedia product. Cross-Age Tutoring elicited significantly fewer comments than the other two methods, and 'plan' comments were significantly rarer than 'action' and 'perception and cognition' comments. In terms of the suitability of these evaluation methods for child participants, and context of use in this particular setting, Peer Tutoring appears to have the most potential. Usability evaluation methods need to better reflect children's motivations and the variety of contexts in which they use multimedia products. The implications for HCI practitioners are explored.

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