Buttons, Devices, and Adults: How Preschool Children Designed an IoT Programming Tool

Abstract

Abstract Preschool children may interact with the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and program the behavior of these products. However, not much is known about the children’s ideas for a software programming tool. This research aimed at investigating how children aged from 4 to 6 years perceive the programming of IoT devices and, from practice with them, build a prototype of a programming environment for them. To this end, three Participatory Design techniques were adapted and applied to (and with) 30 children. A final prototype was built and its usability was assessed with the participation of six children. Photos and videos collected during the empirical assessment were later analysed using the Content Analysis Method. During the design, children relied on buttons and explicitly represented the IoT devices and adults in the user interfaces. They also adopted a top-down approach to programming IoT devices. Lessons learned for the design of these solutions are discussed.