Child-Computer Interaction in Digital Literature Dissemination for the Pre-adolescent Public Library Users

Abstract

This master thesis presents the research on digital literature dissemination for library users of public library, specifically on pre-adolescent users of the library. Digital Literature Dissemination can be defined as the process of conveying literature, both digital and physical using an application instead of communication with a librarian. Building on research in Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) led to the research question: How can we design a mobile application that will assist pre-adolescent readers in choosing a book at the public library? This Design and Creation research study conducted a literature review that revealed the scarcity and challenges of conducting empirical studies of child-computer inter-action in public spaces. In addition, it was discovered that User Experience(UX) and Interaction Design (IxD) are relatively young concepts in the field of Library and Information Sciences (LIS). The findings found in the literature review was the basis of designing “Super Bibben – ebarnebibliotekar”, a user-centered prototype that assists preadolescent children in choosing the books to read while present at the library. The creative process was accomplished through four design iterations. Field studies were conducted at Bergen Public Library to investigate how interactions occurred between a librarian and a user during literature dissemination. This resulted in the discovery of scenarios that became the backbone of the prototype. The collaboration with the UX experts and children librarians through workshops, conceptualized initial designs and user requirements for the prototype. A digital prototype was developed in the last two iterations of this research study. Usability tests with pre-adolescent participants and heuristic evaluations with the domain experts were conducted to en-sure quality of the prototype and that it met with child-friendly usability goals and design principles. The results and evaluation opened discussions with regards to design and ethical challenges when working with and for children in a research study. Nevertheless, together with the child’s evolving perspective towards technology and the merging of both the physical and digital aspects of the library, this thesis aims to fill in a gap in the knowledge base in the CCI field by using different UX methods and tools in designing a prototype of a possible system that would help children choose a book to read.