Customer Reviews

The Design of Children's Technology (Interactive Technologies)

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Allison Druin and others in "The Design of Children's Technology" describe in very thorough terms how the processes of how to design for kids are the same, yet different, from how software is developed for adults. The first half of the book explains how many methodologies that are used to develop adult software work with kids, but with modifications. Druin and her research group developed another type of software research that seems to be unmatched in adult software design: technology immersion, bringing users (the kids) together for 5 consecutive 10 hour days into an environment of almost unlimited technology.

The 2nd half of this book shows us how kids are extremely capable of not only participating in software evaluation, but also in programming and creating their own software and software for younger children.

This book clarifies the need for a different way to approach designing software for kids. Kids can and should be involved in creating children's software. They clearly are much more capable to assist, inform, evaluate and create software, and to use that technology, than software designers have thought. Druin has proved herself to be a leading expert in this research and the most of the other writers in this book base their research on her findings.

If you are interested in creating kids software or a teacher wanting to push the envelope of what kids can do with the right technology and support, you will enjoy this book.

The Design of Children's Technology is edited by Dr. Allison Druin and authored by a variety of researchers and experts that lend their experience to the pages of the book. The book is easy to read and gives practical examples of software design methodologies. The Design of Children's Technology has pragmatic models of step by step guides to making software better. Druin's writes about methods for developing and improving the design of children and adolescent software, however, I believe she could apply many of the concepts to the development of adult software. I wish Druin would have included more statistical data to validate that the concepts outlined in the book have a positive and lasting effect on the design of children's technology. If you are interested in the software development market, this book offers you suggestions on how you can enhance your talents.

J Calhoun

Il prodotto è arrivato in tempo. il prodotto era usato, ma in condizioni perfette. massima serietà nella descrizione del prodotto e nella spedizione e consegna.

For a book this expensive, I had high expectations that were ultimately not met. The very dry style of writing made it very hard to read. A subject this compelling should be made exciting--there was an opportunity lost here to deliver the material in a way that would continue to be meaningful over time.