Consequently, a new workshop was organised, with the same duration and
participant organization as earlier. This time, we used physical objects (lots of coins
of different denominations, beans etc.) and role-played purchasing scenarios. Some
iPad apps with shopping games were tested as well, followed by a short interview
session where the children were asked about their experiences with physical vs.
digital shopping and game preferences. This did give us some ideas about the types of
games they like to play as well as visual style preferences. We obtained some insights
that were helpful in further design. The challenge was how to organize all these
activities so that a child remains an active participant, given concentration issues that
were common for all. We found that, even though we were starting out with role-play,
games or questions in the same way with each child, the sessions were different.
Some children needed these activities to be interlaced, while others would carry them
out one after the other. Some level of improvisation was needed with every child in
order to keep them interested and focused. Occasionally it was difficult to interpret a
child’s behavior, e.g. it was difficult to correctly identify the source of excitement:
was skipping between apps an expression of excitement and desire to show what they
can do, or a reflection of concentration difficulties? We also found out that, if this was
a project larger than an app design, other experts e.g. occupational therapist or a
special pedagogue, should be included as part of the design team.