Children internet addiction Design Research
The Problem Space
My research is focused on addressing children's internet addiction. Initially, I began with the broader issue of internet addiction, but after conducting mind map and ecosystem map research, I recognized the need to narrow my focus to the specific context of children.
My motivation for this topic stems from personal experience. Observing my 13-year-old brother's struggle with internet addiction last year prompted me to delve deeper. I soon discovered that many parents share similar concerns about their children's excessive screen time and declining academic performance, especially during periods of homeschooling. This led me to recognize the prevalence of internet addiction among children in this age group.
Children's Internet Addiction Mind Map
ECO System Map
User Persona
Persona Name: Sarah Miller
Background: K-12 Teacher, Balanced Lifestyle Advocate
Demographics: 38-year-old married female with two children
Goals and Needs: Balancing teaching, parenting, and health while ensuring quality remote education.
Behavior and Usage: Moderate internet usage for teaching, prefers face-to-face communication.
Challenges: Managing remote teaching, children's education at home, and maintaining a healthy family lifestyle.
Persona Quote: "Balancing teaching and parenting can be overwhelming, but I'm always seeking ways to make learning engaging for my students and ensuring my own family stays healthy and balanced."
Design Research Plan: Children's Internet Usage Management
Objectives:
Understand children's internet activities and their interests.
Explore parents' attitudes and strategies for managing children's internet usage.
Identify and assess pain points in internet usage management.
Methods:
Online Research: Gather data on children's internet trends and parental control tools.
Interviews: Talk to children and parents to gain insights and challenges.
Analysis:
Analyze online research for key trends.
Analyze interview data for common themes and pain points.
Findings:
Summarize insights, provide recommendations for effective management, and suggest design solutions to enhance internet safety for children.
Report
Create a comprehensive report for reference in addressing children's internet usage management.
Discussion Guide: Children's Internet Usage and Parental Supervision
For Children
1. Do you have your own digital devices, like a phone or computer? Response: Yes/No
2. If yes, what application do you spend the most time on, and why? Response: [Specify App] and [Reason]
3. If no, if you had your own digital device, what feature or app do you think you would spend the most time on?
4. How do you control yourself from using the internet excessively?
5. How do you feel or react if your parents stop you while you're using an app? Response: [Share feelings/reactions]
6. What if your parents give you a 10-minute notification before stopping you?
7. Which do you prefer - managing your internet usage by yourself or having your parents/guardian manage it?
For Parents
1. Do you allow your kids to use the internet without supervision? Why or why not? Response: [Reasons]
2. How do you currently manage your kids' internet usage?
3. What challenges or problems have you encountered when trying to limit your kids' internet usage?
4. Are there any specific features or tools you wish you had to better manage your kids' internet usage?
5. How do you feel about the idea of your kids managing their own devices with specific requirements fulfilled?
HMW Statement (How May We )
During this activity, I formulated a preliminary concept for addressing our challenges and potential solutions. Among the HMW statements, I have placed asterisks on the ones that particularly interest me: the implementation of a time alert system and the idea of parents and children collaboratively signing a contract that incorporates both rewards and consequences.
HMW promote kids to use technology to learn in a fun way instead of playing game or video
HMW blocks inappropriate content from kids' devices.
*HMW Design two separate system modes in the computer for learning time and playing time so kids can concentrate on work, not being distracted.
*HMW redesign an interface for kids to prevent addiction and encourage certain functions?
(Because many Web contents we can access today are designed to attract people to spend more time on it.)
HMW set up devices' working schedules to match with kids' schedules.
HMW lets kids keep playing with what they like just like how they do their schoolwork.
*HMW design a time alert system to give multiple notifications for time limitations? a
*HMW promote parent and kids signing an internet usage agreement together with prizes and punishment function.
Interview
In the interview part, I interviewed three groups of people. They provided me with a lot of useful information. From that, I tend to understand what children can accept, and what expectation parents has for their children’s internet usage.
The First group I interviewed was a group of children from 7-15 years old. They played together so I just joined them and asked them related questions. The interesting finding is that they believe they can manage their own devices but a few reminders are helpful. They hate to be called to stop and parents checking their devices. From this interview, I realized the importance of kids’ privacy and independence.
The second group I interviewed was parents, who have more diverse perspectives. A parent doesn’t like her children spending too much time on digital devices but has to because she needs to do her own work.
The second parent banned digital devices on weekdays, only allowed weekend usage, and was strict about school-related usage.
The third parent gives full permission to her son, her son is addicted to the game, doesn’t listen to her, and gets irritable when anyone stops him while he is gaming or having fun on the internet.
The last parents gave their children full permission with personal computers and phones. Instead of checking the devices, her sons joined many interest classes with a dense weekday schedule, so they won’t have time to play. When they take online classes, their grandma stays with them.
The last person I interviewed is a college student with internet addiction around 13 years old. He mentioned that it would be helpful if his parents could teach him how to use computers and build good habits.
Concept Canvas.
Brief Summary: Designing a tool to facilitate collaborative communication between kids and parents, enabling the creation of both short and long-term internet usage contracts. The tool integrates an AI digital pet on computers to record and support contract execution, promoting responsible online activities and cooperation within families.
Prototype - Idea
Introduction: Effective communication between parents and children regarding homework and computer usage can often be challenging. To address this issue, I have developed a unique board game-style communication tool. This tool enables parents and children to establish tangible, text-based contracts, fostering better understanding and cooperation between them. The ultimate goal is to enhance communication and find mutually beneficial solutions that contribute to the development of healthy internet usage habits.
Key Components:
The Goal: Facilitate communication, help children build long-term, healthy internet habits, and provide parents with a contract guardian for content filtering and time management.
Board Game-Style Communication: Engaging in discussions and activities promotes collaboration.
Contractual Agreements: Text-based contracts for short and long-term rules on homework and computer usage.
AI Character: Acts as a contract guardian, assisting parents and ensuring smoother routines for children.
Conclusion: This tool creatively bridges communication gaps between parents and children regarding homework and computer usage. It offers enjoyable and effective contract-based communication, aiming to enhance understanding and promote responsible internet usage while providing peace of mind for parents. It addresses modern family challenges in the digital age.
Prototype Usage Guide: Board Game-Style Communication Tool
Introduction: This board game-style communication tool is designed to foster effective communication between parents and children, facilitating mutually beneficial solutions for daily tasks, homework, and computer usage. It comprises various block types and features that encourage cooperation, ensuring clear guidelines for both parents and children.
Block Types and Components:
1. Time Block:
Represents kids' available time after school.
Displays remaining time post-task assignment and acceptance.
Deducts time as tasks are assigned and accepted.
2. Homework Blocks:
Consists of homework assignments by teachers.
Completion of homework tasks earns stars.
Stars are essential for achieving long-term goals and extending playtime.
Ideally, these blocks can sync with teachers' homework assignments and illuminate when homework is assigned.
3. Parent Blocks (Mom & Dad):
These blocks empower parents to assign tasks to their children.
Options include Reject, Negotiate, and Accept Buttons.
4. Children Blocks:
Children use these blocks to send requests to their parents.
Options include Reject, Negotiate, and Accept Buttons.
5. Long-Term Goals:
Derived from children's requests.
Stars are collected by children to achieve these long-term goals.
Contract Formation:
Begin by establishing the First Long-Term Contract as a family. This contract should include fundamental rules and goals for the family.
After the First Long-Term Contract is set, the board becomes a tool for daily task management.
Parents and children should both click the green "Agree" button to confirm their acceptance of the contract terms.
Contact information will be consolidated and sent to both the children's and parents' computers.
Prototype Usage Example
AI Pet Assistance:
On the children's side, an AI pet is available to assist children in following the contract by providing reminders and guidance. Benefits:
Benefits:
Encourages family cooperation and open communication.
Facilitates transparent task assignment and acceptance.
Rewards children with stars for task completion, fostering goal setting and achievement.
Provides an engaging and tangible tool for managing family responsibilities and playtime effectively.
By following this usage guide, parents and children can harness the power of the board game-style communication tool to efficiently manage daily tasks and improve family communication. The tool offers an engaging and practical solution to balance responsibilities and leisure time.
