The CTI Framework: Informing the Design of Tangible Systems for Children Alissa N. Antle School of Interactive Arts and Technology Simon Fraser University – Surrey, B.C., Canada, V3T 0A3 aantle@sfu.ca ABSTRACT New forms of tangible and spatial child computer interaction and supporting technologies can be designed to leverage the way children develop intelligence in the world. The author describes a preliminary design framework which conceptualizes how the unique features of tangible and spatial interactive systems can be utilized to support the cognitive development of children under the age of twelve. The framework is applied to the analytical evaluation of an existing tangible interface. Keywords Tangible interfaces, spatial interaction, embodied cognition, cognitive development, interaction design, children. ACM Classification Keywords H.5.1 [Multimedia Information Systems]: Artificial, augmented and virtual realities, H.5.2. [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: User interfaces. INTRODUCTION Tangible and spatial interaction encompass a broad range of mixed reality interfaces and systems which rely on tangible manipulation and physical representation of data, interaction embedded in real physical spaces and related forms of digitally augmented physical spaces [14]. For the purposes of this paper and following precedent in [14], I refer to tangible and spatial interactive systems as tangible systems. Unlike virtual reality, tangible systems can help the user to understand the real world in the real world. The conception of tangible and spatial interactions which may be haptic, gestural, full bodied or spatial, presents new challenges for the HCI and design communities. Tangible systems, with their powerful ability to engage children in active learning through these new models of interaction, should provide children with unique artifacts and environments for play and learning. Healy provides support for tangible, physically-based forms of child computer interaction when she states that body movements, the ability to touch, feel, manipulate and build sensory awareness of relationships in the world are crucial to children’s cognitive development [12]. Conceptual understandings of these new forms of tangible and spatial interaction for children are needed. Developing a conceptual framework for the design of tangible and spatial interfaces based on an understanding of how and why augmentation supports cognitive processes in children is the purpose of this work. By focusing on how children acquire knowledge rather than on specific educational content areas, we can support the goal of generalizability of design knowledge. And in this way, a broad range of opportunities and constraints for augmentation can be identified and developed. This paper presents a preliminary conceptual framework. It is divided into five themes which are based on attributes specific to tangible and spatial styles of interaction. For each theme relevant theory about children’s cognitive development is summarized and illustrated with an example taken from children’s everyday lives. Excerpts from a case study are presented which demonstrate the utility of the framework for interaction evaluation. DESIGN FRAMEWORKS FOR TANGIBLE INTERACTION Much research on tangible and spatial user interaction focuses on the design of new systems. More recently, there has been a shift towards research based on theoretical and conceptual understandings of tangible interaction (e.g., [13]). The most cited of conceptual frameworks is that of Ishii and Ullmer [16]. They approach interaction from a data-centric view which explores possible types of coupling between material and virtual representations. Other examples of this approach include [29, 37]. Broader characterizations of tangible interfaces have been instantiated in design frameworks which concentrate on the design of the interaction itself (e.g., [7, 14, 18]). Like a constructivist view on learning, meaning is created in the interaction. Design frameworks which focus on spatial aspects have also been put forth (e.g., [3, 33]). The role of Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. TEI’07, February 15-17, 2007, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Copyright 2007 ACM ISBN 978-1-59593-619-6/07/02…$5.00. Chapter 4 - LEARNING THROUGH PHYSICAL INTERACTION TEI'07, 15-17 Feb 2007, Baton Rouge, LA, USA 195