Our ability to study, develop, and innovate has drastically transformed with the advent of maker technology and personal fabrication. An increasing number of people have used a wide variety of these creative technologies in recent years. Creating an electronic circuit inside a tiny prototype can be challenging for design students. Studies on design students’ circuit assembly tasks on tiny prototypes are scarce. This study investigated how students assemble circuits in tiny prototyping and which factors influence these activities. Our interview study involved undergraduate students using technologies to prototype interactivities at a design school. We analyzed the students’ prototypes and discussions using the grounded theory framework. We observed that tiny prototype circuits might be characterised by volume, composition, structure, dynamics, and isolating properties. These properties might depend on the prototype's form factor, circuit routing needs, circuit base material, and circuit flexibility. Planning, experimenting, and the varied availability of conductive and circuit support materials might facilitate experimentation during circuit design. Our results shed light on the need for additional study and the development of boards and electronic componentry for educational practitioners.

Creating advanced connections in the electronic circuits of an interactive prototype can be challenging for design students. Today, studies on design students’ circuit construction tasks on prototypes of interactive artefacts are scarce. This research investigates how students assemble advanced circuits in interactive prototypes and identifies the factors that influence these activities. This study involved undergraduate students using technologies to prototype interactivities at a design school. We analyzed the students’ prototypes and discussions using the grounded theory framework. We observed that clear contextual information might affect advanced complex circuit connections. This information might depend on the connections’ types and prototype properties. Our results shed light on the need for additional study and the redesign of construction tools and early prototyping courses for design students.

One of the most frequent problems with using maker technologies, especially for students, is the selection of technology during the prototyping stage. Few studies have focused on the variables that influence students' choice of technology when learning about interactive prototyping. This study examines the variables influencing students' technology choices when constructing interactive prototypes. We performed a study based on interviews with undergraduate students involved in using technologies to prototype interactivities at a design school. We analyzed the students’ artifacts and discussions using the grounded theory framework. The electrical and communication properties of the components, along with the socio-technical environment in which the students are learning, are important aspects when choosing components. Our findings provide educational practitioners with significant information and clarify the necessity of more research and the redesign of electronic boards and components.

A classroom with a blackboard and some rows of desks is obsolete in special education. Depending on the needs, some students may need more tactile and inspiring surroundings with various pedagogical accessories while others benefit from a simplified environment without unnecessary stimuli. This understanding is applied to a new Finnish special education school building with open and adaptable learning spaces. We have joined the initiative creation process by developing software support for these new spaces in the form of a learning space management system. Participatory design and value-focused thinking were implemented to elicit the actual values of all the stakeholders involved and transform them into software implementation objectives. This paper reports interesting insights about the elicitation process of the objectives.

This paper describes the design of ReduCat, an audio-augmented paper drawings tangible user interface (TUI) system intended to support educational intervention for high-functioning children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The system records audio snippets on standard paper drawings using a tangible user interface that can be shared between the therapist and the child. ReduCat is designed as a tool for the therapist to engage the child in a collaborative storytelling activity. We used a progressive design method based on a dynamic process that merges concept generation, technology benchmarking and activity design into continuously enriching actions. The paper highlights the qualities and benefits of using tangible audio-augmented artefacts in educational intervention for children with ASD. Finally, we reflect on three main qualities of our system: exploring the qualities of children's written and oral narrative; framing children's attention; and supporting therapist appropriation and child differences.

In this paper, we present Wi-swing, a case study approach in designing a networked playground for children located in a public garden. The approach adopted in the case study is based on prototyping using the technique of scenario dramatization. The process of designing augmented interactive systems needs to be addressed to consider the physical, aesthetic and social aspects of interaction.