As only few studies have centred on the use of personas to convey safety considerations, the data collection approach used to develop the tools included consolidating existing frameworks and collating the available resources, processes, methods, and models. Developing the personas via this process helped the researcher to create unbiased characters and contextual scenarios deriving from various ontologies. These elements were based on sources recommended by the CAPT, while additional data were obtained from the cognitive psychology literature. Interviews with industry experts further enhanced the framework and shed light on what they need to empathise with the end user. The designers generally did not consider themselves well-informed regarding the unique characteristics of children. At the same time, the interviewees recognised that as a user group, children are not readily available to participate in the design and evaluation process. Hence, the interviewees perceived personas as a useful tool for filling knowledge gaps. When developing and evaluating products and accompanying safety communications, designers require the knowledge gained from such personas about children’s abilities and needs. Such information is critical in terms of decision making about potential risks and the types of content and formats that children can easily comprehend. Designers that do consider themselves well-informed regarding designing for children can use the personas to complement their existing knowledge or processes.
6.3.1 Development of an evidence-based support tool
This section also discusses the need to incorporate this information into the tool in a format relevant for designers. The designers’ responses shed light on what they need to understand current and future ergonomics and psychological data on children. The use of persona tools in the design process creates opportunities to apply information on a wide variety of developmental stages. Theoretical categories emerged from the framework, concerning children’ characteristics and risk communication design and the persona tools developed from this basis, aim to ensure that relevant academic content in relation to risk communication development is applied in practice.
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6.3.1.1 End-user input
During the process of gathering the designers’ requirements (see Chapter 5, i.e. Study 2), the participants frequently stated their desire to bring human information to life through, for instance, presenting user insights regarding various stages of child development via fuller stories. In addition, the designers reported a need for improved visual tools offering more than data alone when attempting to understand the needs and abilities of young children. Hence, the persona cards developed as part of this research are based on both theoretical and empirical research with designers and other key groups. Personas represent ‘hypothetical archetypes of actual users through which designers can develop a precise description of [the] user and what he wishes to accomplish’ (Cooper 2004). Designers are increasingly relying on personas due to their ability to provide insights regarding users (Antle, 2008). To meet children’s needs, create safer designs, and reduce the injury rate, designers must adequately consider children's characteristics when developing risk-communication materials and interfaces targeted at them. Bødker (2002) has suggested that ‘The use of personas has replaced traditional models because personas are a more refined solution to the memorable caricatures with extreme representations.’ In other words, personas limit the number of assumptions that a designer must make regarding the user; their purpose is to provide a theoretical, empirical, and experiential framework for creating the most appropriate designs. Assumptions or conventions can be integrated into the persona, and that task is generally the purview of designers with limited experience with children or the particular design context. Other methods to compliment persona use should be considered, and Grudin and Pruitt (2002) have reported that as much quantitative and qualitative information about users as possible should be collected to enable the ‘tool to evolve’. Personas could provide evidence-based support aids for the developers of safety and risk communications to have an early focus on the children for whom they are designing and prompt the designer to produce better, the types of interactions children find useful and accessible. Feedback on tools from Chapter 5, relevant to their future development is listed in Table 6.1.
Table 6.1 Requirements for the tools from interviewees
Tools
- Fit tools with working practice.
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Tools
- Use of infographics to explain complex information quickly. - Provide a digital solution i.e. a website.
- Define guidelines.
- Examples of good practice. - Define developmental Stages. - Develop child-based personas.
- Describe participatory techniques and methods, which are useful for extracting information from and working with young children.
- Outline the Ethical considerations of working with children. - Define child- appealing characteristics of products
- Taxonomy of children’s products requiring different aspects such as Cognitive, Balance, Physical, Vision, Sound, Environment
- Implement resources covering required skills knowledgebase to fill the gaps. - Implement a framework /Design Lifecycle.
- Define safety requirements in line with accidents.
- Outline current standards and Legislation that are relevant.
- Children’s body size and anthropometric data; Motor Development Physiological development
Cognitive development.
- Define hazards relevant for the age range.
Working with children
• Describe participatory techniques and methods, which are useful for extracting information from and working with young children.
• Outline the Ethical considerations of working with children.
• Define developmental Stages. • Develop child-based personas.