Kedu
Duration
1 month
Type
Studio Project
Tools
Arduino IDE
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Project Brief
Create a sophisticated and highly developed design project based on your creative interaction-based ideas using physical materials and/or virtual digital contents. The project will be evaluated in all aspect of design including a level of technical implementation, quality of digital(and/or physical) crafts, innovation in concepts, aesthetics.
Project Summary
Kedu is an exploratory shapes and colors learning program for children ages 18 months to 4
years. Children can use the Arduino learning device and shape blocks to start learning their
basic shapes and colors. The Arduino learning device is an interactive LCD screen with a stylus.The learning program first displays the basic colored shapes: circle, square, rectangle, oval, and triangle. The shapes are displayed in a selective set of standard colors: red, blue, yellow, green,and purple. The child can review those colored shapes in pairs of two. When reviewing the child will be asked to identify specific colored shapes and then answer by tapping on the LCD screen with the stylus.
Why Kedu?
Kedu is a combination of kid and education. The shapes represent education and specifically learning basic shapes and colors.
User Research
Target Audience
Generally, children learn colors from ages 18 months to 2 1/2 years old and they learn shapes starting at 2 years old. However, learning ages can vary depending on child to child.
The target audience includes parents of children from ages 18 months to 4 years who prefer to utilize technology to teach their children. Children 18 months to 4 years who prefer visualization over hands-on learning approach are additional target audience.
Learning Methods for Children
Children learn shapes and colors using a variety of methods. The following are the most common learning methods:
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Matching
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Match the object with the corresponding shape
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i.e: An orange (fruit) is a circle
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Sorting
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Sort blocks in groups based on their shapes
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i.e: Square block, circle block, triangle blocks
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Tracing
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Tracing an image of an outline of a shape
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i.e: Dotted image of a triangle and the child uses a pencil to trace the dotted outline of the shape
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Recall
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Using images or flash cards to recall the shape (usually used to review or test the set of material after it has been introduced)
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i.e: A star on a flashcard
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Interview Questions
I created a set of interview questions for my target audience to gain a better understanding of how parents teach their children shapes and colors, what tools or methods are used, and how gender or how siblings can affects the learning process. The interview questions were divided into the following sets:
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Customer Intro Questions
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Parent Questions
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Children Questions
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Topic Specific Questions
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Shapes and Colors Learning Questions
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Numbers and Letters Learning Questions
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Behavioral Questions
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Product Opportunity Questions
Interviews
Interviews were conducted with three individuals (3 females) with varying age, occupation, and age range of children. Their children ranged from 1 year old to 6 years and included both male and female.
One key commonality between all interviews included that each mother started teaching their child shapes and colors at a young age, some even early as 18 months. Although educational techniques and toys varied based on personal preference, they all utilize some form of puzzles and blocks when teaching shapes and colors.
Affinity Diagram
Some key takeaways from the interviews include:
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Their children preferred to be active in learning produce. Having the ability to touch, tap, or draw helped their children learn shapes and colors more effectively.
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Teaching materials like books and flashcards were not as effective, as their children sat passively unable to fully engage with the material.
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Each parent had a unique opinion regarding the use of technology applications to help their child learn shapes and colors:
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Arpita S. felt that technology applications took away integral bonding time with her children. Therefore, avoiding the use of technology with her children.
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Urshila S. felt that technology is not best to use with young children, as it affects their attention span. However, she does selectively use technology as it can help children learn.
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Bhumika M. already utilizes technology applications with her children to help them learn different educational concepts. However, similar to Urshila S. she allows implements technology applications selectively.
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User Personas
Parent Persona
Child Persona
User Scenario Storyboard
Parent Scenario
Child Scenario
Hardware and Software Breakdown
I utilized the software Arduino IDE, the Arduino Uno board, 2.4 inch TFT LCD screen, and stylus to create the learning program Kedu. I chose to use the Arduino as it offers limited capabilities for children. Unlike traditional applications on a tablet or smartphone, the Arduino Uno and TFT LCD screen work to solely display the Kedu software. There are no external applications or features that may hinder the child's attention or learning process. Furthermore, the size of the Arduino Uno is ideal for a child's palm as the screen is 2.4 inches.
Wireframe
Children will start by being introduced to the basic shapes and colors such as blue rectangle, red circle, green triangle, yellow square, and purple oval. From there, they can go through a multiple shapes sets. The shape sets are pairs of shapes from which they have to select the correct shape. They will receive an indication if their answer is correct or incorrect and then they can go to the next pair of shapes until they have completed all sets.
Code
The Kedu learning program was coded in C++ in Arduino IDE. The 2.4 inch TFT LCD screen requires screen calibration to recognize user input. Shapes are displayed on the screen using a pixel grid, which requires (x,y) coordinates. Depending on the shape parameters values can be adjusted such as width, height, or radius. Functions with x,y coordinates were created to identify if the correct answer was selected.
