Design childrens products with industries and users.

Sabrina Muschiato
Politecnico di Milano INDACO Dept +39 02 23995990

Maximiliano Romero
Politecnico di Milano INDACO Dept +39 02 23995990

Pelin Arlsan
Politecnico di Milano INDACO Dept. +39 02 23995990

sabrina.muschiato@polimi.it ABSTRACT

maximiliano.romero@polimi.it

pelin.arslan@polimi.it

The paper describes the integration of user-centered research methods focused on steps to create ideas for developing innovative and interactive environments for children. The research project called Babylandia is a project co-financed by the Lombardy region in which they have actively participated in the five companies with the aim of producing new products for children through the use of user-centered methodologies.

ethnographic analysis in pleasantness concept design for industry innovation. The research focus is to exceed functional aspects of interaction to sensorial interpretations and use. The methods of observation and the tool developed to analyse behaviour, helps understanding how ergonomics is considered in design process and which interactive software and tools can be considered to analyse the complexity of multidimensional aspects of interactions.

General Terms
Design, Human Factors, Verification. Pleasure.

Keywords
Ergonomics, pleasantness, behavior analysis

METHODS AND PROCESS DESCRIPTION Methodological structure of the research.

The general structure of the research method is based on the integration of research methodologies applied in the fields of design for environmental sustainability and User Centered Design. the goal of the research was to implement knowledge of product applied to the project by actively involving companies during Codesign, integrated overall process.

INTRODUCTION
Babylandia is a public cofunded project for the promotion of excellence in industrial districts of Lombardy region. The project is done in collaboration with some companies expert in their fields such as; Fumagalli, Par, Soliani, Caremi, Happychild and Politecnico di Milano. Prof. Gobo from Universit degli Studi di Milano together with Happy Child defined the typology of structures to be observed for the ethnographic research and designed a grid of observations to be applied in Schools, and private homes. The collection of data includes three phases: preliminary focus groups, free observation and structured observations. The observations are carried out in children own daily environment during their normal practice. The research has produced many interesting results which are described in detail in text document. In this document the data are organized in 3 tables: observations (and eventual photos), comments (theoretical and reflections) and proposals (theories and techniques) are classified in the columns and there is a row for each item (i.e. walls, floors, windows, wardrobe). The tables are divided into three thematic categories: day care centres, nurseries, families and organizations for disabled children. Ethnography has been of utility to design since the turn to the social and the interpretive approaches of the social sciences occurred as noticed by Hughes, J.A., King, V., Rodden, T., and Andersen, H., (1994). The appeal of ethnography to design follows the acknowledgement by designers that the development of interactive technologies increasingly relies upon an appreciation of the social circumstances in which systems are deployed and used. In this sense ethnography informs design by revealing a deep understanding of people and how they make sense of their world. Research question Our research question is based on an already proven hypothesis: the positive influence of

Starting from some goals related to the environmental dimension of product design and related with a concept of "human sustainability", we expend a part of research related to people's needs to investigate users needs and to involve design tools in a co design process. The aim of this research structure was to determine the best living conditions for children under investigation. The collection of data includes three phases: preliminary focus groups, free observation and structured observations. The observations are carried out in children own daily environment during their normal practice. The research has produced many interesting results which are described in detail in text document.

In this document the data are organized in 3 tables: observations (and eventual photos), comments (theoretical and reflections) and proposals (theories and techniques) are classified in the columns and there is a row for each item (i.e. walls, floors, windows, wardrobe). The tables are divided into three thematic categories: day care centers, nurseries, families and organizations for disabled children. Therefore, for the visualization of collected data because of the complexity of Babylandia project we have used a new method called Visual notebooks composed of keywords, pictures and citations from the ethnographic research which are purposely designed for the actors involved in workshop sessions organized adapting OBrians (1981) methodology as developed by Wilsons (1991). Each visual notebook has a key concept such as personal, world, versatility, micro cosmos and aims at supporting product oriented concept generation. This method is based on visual tools since fast visualization stimulates new ideas by communicating them in a faster and easier way to make them understandable and keep the motivation in brainstorming session. The creative visualization method defines interactive and graphical presentation of data (Ronald, 1990) in order to visualize specific behaviors or events occurring users life (Ware, 2004). The front page of each Visual notebook presents an evocative image and Keywords defined from the analysis of the comments in the second column of the tables summarizing the ethnographic research. In the following pages they are confirmed by pictures taken during the observations (second column of the same table) and from some product trends and children sketches that sustain these keywords. The Notebook is thought to leave a space for the designer and industries people to write the ideas and do sketches during the concept generation session next to the referred page with the image.

Figure 2. Anthropometric tools to test four companies prototypes.

Behavioral analysis for usability and pleasantness tests.

Ergonomics methodologies involve a lot of tools and techniques that give outputs for the design process but they usually measure user data regarding physical aspects. With Advene software we d like to integrates these methodologies to support the design process with behavioural parameters. Advene (Annotate Digital Video, Exchange on the NEt) is an ongoing project in the LIRIS laboratory (UMR 5205 CNRS) at University Claude Bernard Lyon 1. It aims at providing a model and a format to share annotations about digital video documents (movies, courses, conferences...), as well as tools to edit and visualize the hypervideos generated from both the annotations and the audiovisual documents. Teachers, moviegoers, etc. can use them to exchange multimedia comments and analyses about video documents. The project also aims at studying the way that communities of users (teachers, moviegoers, students...) will use these self-publishing tools to share their audiovisual "readings", and to envision new editing and viewing interfaces for interactive comment and analysis of audiovisual content. The research methodology is founded on a research work that it focused on user needs, in particularly the goal to extend the research towards multi sensorial dimensions. Actually when people perceive objects in real-life situations, they use all their senses to obtain information about objects. Thus to design

Figure 1. An example of visual notebook tool.

an usable and emotional product or environment, we have to compare functional and sensorial parameters of interaction that they may change user behaviour and use of the product and spread across and the use of Advene was possible to add information to the project resulting from the observation of user behaviour..

View: what colour is the part that touches the object first? We was also look for relation between share, particulary about: while touching the subject smile? As part touch while smiling? As part touch while they are sad? For testing Usability, the tests were structured assuming a sample of at least 10 children and were performed by examining one of the primary activities deemed for the purposes of use stated in the project: Caremi- cabinet: "write and draw" on the cabinet; Soliani-dome insulation from electromagnetic radiations: "Sleeping in the object"; Solar-Lux-interactive light floor: "Follow the light signals"; Fumagalli wheel-chair for the disabled, "posture and intolerance signals of the child.

Figure 2. General structure of observation by Advene .

Structure of the test to collect data on the pleasantness of the products.

To collect data about usability and pleasantness we have chosen to work with a typical approach of user research through which data can be integrated in the evaluation of the product derived primarily from input gathered through interaction with the user of the product reference. Were then used tools such as cameras and photo rooms to record users while carrying out the tests. For testing and observe the degree of products appreciation by children we are observed four groups of children aged 3 to 5 years with the intention to acquire some special moments of object approaching . For testing Usability, the tests were structured assuming a sample of at least 10 children and were performed by examining one of the primary activities deemed for the purposes of use stated in the project: Caremi- cabinet: "write and draw" on the cabinet; Soliani-dome insulation from electromagnetic radiations: "Sleeping in the object"; Solar-Lux-interactive light floor: "Follow the light signals"; Fumagalli wheel-chair for the disabled, "posture and intolerance signals of the child. The goals and the questions of observations were for examples: which object children come first? How long until you move away from the object to go somewhere else? How long will remain a distant object (very close distance) how much time remains at a distance 2 (average distance from the object). Also the researchers detect some behavioural factors in relation to sensorial interaction: look-not look, smiles-no smile, sniff- no the resulting observations are assumed: Smell: someone sniffs the object? How many? How many times the child smiling? Smile: how many times your child has a sad expression?

Figure 3. Prototypes and users .

RESULTS Case study: interactive floor for children.

We have identified as particularly significant the results of tests carried out on the interactive light floor because children behaviors was very various and they smile and touch the object for may time; they was funny during their interactions and the use of the object was very simple and satisfactory. The goal of the floor was to play following a light, press and understand when, at a light box, they established the relationship between sound and images (the sounds were animal sounds and the image represented them) Pleasantness The pattern of observation for Lux Solar company was structured, from the observation of the duration of certain behaviors of children divided into two age groups. Were observed in a group of 5 children 5 years and a group of children aged 4 years. . It was interesting to note that all children in the group of 5 years were taken off their shoes to interact with the lighting module while the others have only touched with the hands.

CONCLUSIONS
Research has demonstrated the ability to create real innovation of the project on children's products through a method in which companies were involved in many stages of design. Observe the behavior of users on prototypes of objects produced on data generated by a phase of investigation was an important ethnographic starting point to define the unique and innovative features that the company failed to observe one knows.

Figure 4. Lux Solar structure of observation by Advene . Usability: general observations. Interacting with the form almost all children, to have the audio feedback, seek to apply greater force can be stronger or playing on the surface, or by shifting the weight of his body on the point of interest. Notes: 1 test in a child claps his hands thinking that they could "turn the light" on the form; 4 tests in children are strongly attracted to the monitor, trying to find the correspondence between what they see on the screen and what happens on the form; in one test a baby tries to interact with the display by touching it.

Interaction (yes/not/

Attention time Duration test 1:30

Number of contact whit light

Postures

Min: 00:11 Max: 01:10 Mean: 00:36 Total: 01:29

1_hands (13) 2_feet (6)

1_ sitting next to the module 2_inginocchiata close to form, his hands resting on the surface of the product 3_appoggiando knees on the form 4_in feet (which is next to the form above)

Table 1. Lux Solar: example of usability observation.

Jordan, P. 2000. Designing pleasurable products, Taylor e Francis.

REFERENCES
. Coren, S.1999. Sensation and perception, Harcourt Brace College, Foth worth. Dahlstrm, H.1999 Company-specific guidelines, in The Journal of Sustainable Product Design, vol. January. Gobo, G. 2008. Doing Ethnography, London: Sage. Heritage, J. (1984). Garfinkel and Ethnomethodology, Polity, Cambridge: 236. Denzin, N., K. 1978 The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods (2nd ed.), McGraw- Hill,ISBN 0070163618 Fieschi, M., Pretato, U. 2001 Politiche Integrate di Prodotto: unimpostazione per lo scenario italiano, ANPA, Roma. Jgou, F., Manzini, E., Meroni, A. 2003 Design plan. A tool for organising the design activities oriented to generate sustainable solutions. Joore, P. 2006 Guide Me: Translating a broad societal need into a concrete product service solution, Perspectives onRadical Changes to Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), Sustainable Consumption Research Exchange (SCORE!) Network, Copenhagen.

Jordan, P. Green, W. 2002. Pleasure with products. Beyond usability. Taylor & Francis. Leonard, D. and Swap, W 1999 When sparks fly: Igniting creativity in groups, Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Norman, D.2005. Emotional Design. Apogeo. Wilson, J. R. 1991 Design decision groups: A participative process for developing workspaces, in K. Noro e A. Imada (eds), Participatory ergonomics, Taylor and Francis, London. Rubin, J. 1994. Handbook of usability testing: how to plan, design and conduct effectives tests, John Wiley & Sons, New York.