Affiliations: The London Knowledge Lab, Institute of Education,
University of London, London WC1N 3QS, UK. E-mail: [email protected] | IDEAs Laboratory, Department of Informatics,
University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK. E-mail:
{joshuau,bend,J.E.Holmberg,L.J.Kerawalla,jmo23,hilarys,hilaryt}@sussex.ac.uk
Abstract: Designing new educational experiences, which utilize novel
technologies, are usable by teachers and learners and integrate well into
existing, everyday educational contexts is extremely difficult. In this paper
we describe the process of Human Centred Design as a cyclic process of
evolution. An initial system design vision is communicated to a range of
stakeholders and revised as informed by feedback from these users to produce a
modified vision. A cycle of presentations of the vision and modifications lead
to the creation of system prototypes that are increasingly grounded in a
genuine understanding of user needs and context. The latter stages of this
process employ contextually evaluated semi-functional and functional
prototypes, associated documentation and an iteratively refined framework for
data capture and analysis. We use the HOMEWORK system development as a case
study to demonstrate the use of this approach and to illustrate the benefits
that user involvement in the design process can bring to bear upon the
development of an Interactive Learning Environment. We describe the type of
methodology that can help designers to reap these benefits and the resource
implications arising from this work. We conclude that the key output from the
design process at each phase is more than the latest version of the system
prototype and a modified system vision; it is also the analytical methodology
that has been iteratively developed in parallel to the system software. It is
this meta level analytical map that can add rigor to the design process and
help to make the findings generalise beyond the particular users involved in
the design process.
Keywords: Home-school links, numeracy, socio-cultural theory, context, scaffolding, mobile technology
