Tangible Play Objects: Influence of Different Combinations of Feedback Modalities

This paper presents a study on children's play with tangible, interactive objects called MagicBuns. The aim of this study was to examine the support of different combinations of tangible feedback on different play behaviors and forms of play related to the different development stages of children. Furthermore, a comparison of the play behavior was made between children within the age category four till six and children in the age category ten till twelve years old. Creating guidelines for designing play objects which can grow along with the children. For this study MagicBuns were developed, that through rolling or shaking vibrate, create sounds or change color. Eighty children played in small groups in three different play sessions with these objects. These sessions showed that younger children engage more in parallel play, making use of one feedback modality and simple interaction rules, while older children prefer more complexity. They integrate multiple interaction rules and feedback modalities in their games.

[1]  Jacob Buur,et al.  Getting a grip on tangible interaction: a framework on physical space and social interaction , 2006, CHI.

[2]  Doris Bergen,et al.  Play as a medium for learning and development : a handbook of theory and practice , 1988 .

[3]  J. H. Eggen,et al.  Designing for social interaction in open-ended play environments , 2015 .

[4]  Panos Markopoulos,et al.  Head Up Games: combining the best of both worlds by merging traditional and digital play , 2010, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[5]  Panos Markopoulos,et al.  Rapid prototyping of outdoor games for children in an iterative design process , 2013, IDC.

[6]  Susanne Seitinger,et al.  A new playground experience: going digital? , 2006, CHI EA '06.

[7]  M. Parten.  Social participation among pre-school children. , 1932 .

[8]  Alissa Nicole Antle,et al.  Are tangibles more fun?: comparing children's enjoyment and engagement using physical, graphical and tangible user interfaces , 2008, TEI.

[9]  Ann Morrison,et al.  Building sensitising terms to understand free-play in open-ended interactive art environments , 2011, CHI.

[10]  Josep Blat,et al.  FeetUp: A Playful Accessory to Practice Social Skills through Free-Play Experiences , 2011, INTERACT.

[11]  Berry Eggen,et al.  DESIGNING FOR PLAYFUL EXPERIENCES IN OPEN-ENDED INTELLIGENT PLAY ENVIRONMENTS , 2012 .

[12]  Berry Eggen,et al.  Designing playful interactions for social interaction and physical play , 2010, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[13]  Doris Bergen,et al.  Play from birth to twelve and beyond : contexts, perspectives, and meanings , 1998 .

[14]  Janienke Sturm,et al.  Interactive Play Objects: The Influence of Multimodal Output on Open-Ended Play , 2009, INTETAIN.

[15]  J. Piaget,et al.  The Moral Judgement of the Child , 1977 .

[16]  Berry Eggen,et al.  Leaving room for improvisation: towards a design approach for open-ended play , 2013, IDC.

[17]  Steve Ta-Shen Yang.  W. George Scarlett, Sophie Naudeau, Dorothy Salonius-Pasternak, and Iris Ponte, Children's Play Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 2005 , 2006 .

[18]  Valerie Rice,et al.  Ergonomics for Children : Designing products and places for toddler to teens , 2007 .

[19]  Masa Inakage,et al.  Morel: remotely launchable outdoor playthings , 2006, ACE '06.

[20]  R. Pickford,et al.  Children's Play , 1946, Health education journal.