SearchKids - United States

SearchKids is a human-centered search technology that is designed to accommodate children's learning styles in terms of querying, browsing, organising, and presenting information. Researchers worked to design a visually-based interface for the computer that children could use in searching for information about animals, in particular. Click here to view examples of how the technology works.

The technology was developed through a process of working with children, primarily, and teachers, secondarily, as design partners. In addition to the children who work with the "Kids Design the Future" team, organisers also worked with 100 7 to 9-year-old YES students. This enables organisers to observe a large, diverse population of children, while only minimally disrupting their busy school day. They also had an opportunity to learn how to modify the digital library to make it more useable for children with different backgrounds and learning styles.

The actual research process began with a "low-tech prototyping" session. Three groups, each consisting of 2 or 3 children, 1 teacher, and 1 or 2 researchers, used materials such as paper and clay to brainstorm about what a digital library of the future - one focussed on the topic of animals - might contain. Low-tech prototypes were developed to generate ideas for digital libraries (e.g., the interface should be specific to the content area and should use graphical representations as queries). The team then used and critiqued various children's digital libraries, writing notes about what they liked and didn't like about the software. These notes revealed that children were not satisfied with merely searching for things; they wanted to use the information they found to make something. The children observed that the one application that allowed them to "Do something" with animal images was annoying because an animated character kept telling them what to do.

Next, the team created a first functional prototype using a zoomable authoring tool for children called KidPad. The team artist began sketching with KidPad; as she sketched, the team refined its ideas. The search kids (the characters that help children find information) remind the children of the query they are forming rather than directing them. The team used paper representations of the search criteria and people to represent the kids. The team also created a Microsoft Access database with metadata on animal images contributed by content partners. Then the prototype was brought back into the school; 50 children who had not previously explored the paper prototype were asked to offer feedback on the interactive prototype.

Organisers then conducted a number of evaluation studies to explore the way this prototype would be used by different kinds of children. For example, in 2001 researchers studied how 98 second- and third-grade children at YES collaborate using SearchKids. The children were put into same-gender pairs and asked to use SearchKids to locate as many animals as they could from a list. The children were videotaped and parts of their conversations were coded. There were two modes of collaboration in this study. In the independent collaboration mode, a single child could select or interact with an icon. In the confirmation collaboration mode, both users had to click on an icon in order to use with it. Researchers found that the independent users tended to talk about the task they were completing, whereas the confirmation collaboration users talked about how to navigate the software. This implies that different types of collaboration can be used to teach children different things. The team is currently working with 133 children at YES to see how SearchKids compares to traditional text keyword interfaces.

Early Childhood Development, Children, Technology, Education.

Organisers are motivated by the belief that most of today's digital libraries were not created for young children. To access these libraries, they say, children usually need to negotiate complex text keyword searches. Few libraries offer both visual browsing of information and querying. They point out that children differ from adults in the way they organise and present the information they have found. SearchKids is designed to support children's organisation and presentation styles as well as to give them an opportunity to work with other children.

Organisers are expanding their research on digital libraries by developing the International Children's Digital Library in conjunction with Archives.org. They also developed book readers to be used with the International Children's Digital Library software. To see videos of these book readers, click here (comic strip reader) or here (spiral reader).