University of Twente Student Theses
How can children make the ASC more fun?
Kadijk, Niels (2025) How can children make the ASC more fun?
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| Abstract: | Many older children (7–12 years old) in the Netherlands go to after-school care (ASC) but find it boring, leading to dissatisfaction and even dropouts. Children dislike the ASC and do often not believe it can be fun. They want more variation, ownership and participation. Together with Norlandia (an ASC organization), this study explores how to make ASC more enjoyable by involving children directly in the design process. Using a co-design approach and principles like equity, fun, and empowerment, we worked with children over five months at multiple locations to gather their ideas and feedback. To tackle this, we designed and tested a prototype that lets children participate in choosing and buying items for the ASC. This prototype consists of a payment system with which the children themselves can buy new toys and materials for the ASC. This approach gives them ownership and allows them to take their individual preferences into account. The idea showed great potential during the testing and the children all reported that it could make the ASC more fun. Furthermore, the organization is enthusiastic about developing the idea into a final product. This paper also provides insight into the importance of context when co-designing and working with big groups of varying sizes. Additionally, we question some of the idealistic expectations of working with children and give a new perspective. Finally, it provides a framework of four key principles to guide the process of co-designing and evaluates this. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | Norlandia, Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 50 technical science in general |
| Programme: | Interaction Technology MSc (60030) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/105018 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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