Measuring Fun – usability testing for children

This paper considers the ways in which fun can be defined, measured and justified as a reliable usability measure for the evaluation of interfaces for young children. Children differ significantly from adults in their cognitive and perceptual skills, suggesting that evaluation techniques which work for adults, may not work as well for children. Measures of effectiveness and efficiency are likely to need some modifications, and following general guidelines such as those in (Hanna et al., 1997) will ensure that the needs of the children are considered throughout the test. This study focuses on satisfaction measures which may be used with children. Satisfaction and Fun Adults have become used to the idea of ‘satisfaction’; it is a concept which they can relate to, suggesting that things are okay. This ‘okayness ’ can be measured by observations and questionnaires. It is not surprising that ‘Very satisfied ’ is used on Likert scales to refer to the best that one can get. As adults, we use the word fun cautiously, almost apologetically, believing it to be something we ought not to have. Watching children in a school classroom, it soon becomes evident that ‘satisfaction ’ i