Analysing interaction in children's digital books

Abstract

Pedagogical practices in formal educational settings, together with the nature of communication technologies in a variety of digital media, mean that children will encounter screen-based learning opportunities in both formal educational settings and during their daily recreational pursuits. This research looks to address the lack of research informing best practices for the visual and interaction design of this material for children in a screen-based environment. This investigation provides a survey of interaction methods in on-screen reading material available to children in primary-school, middleschool and public libraries in New Zealand. From the data collected, a database chronicling variables relating to interaction in current digital books for children was created. Specifically, this database houses variables including navigation, orientation functions and in-line linking such as hypertext, as well as other factors that can impact a child's digital book use. Through analysis of the database this research provides insight into current trends in interaction techniques found in material designed for children's on-screen reading and provides recommendations for improvements that may be made to assist in the design of children's digital books.