Proposal
Interactive Children's book: Wizard Of Oz
Project Description
Our company proposes to design an application which will entail an online children's interactive story. The story will develop (within limits) as the child/user determines. The story we have decided to work with is the Wizard of Oz. We propose to allow the reader to 'become' Dorothy and experience her journey in Oz. Using the idea of the 'yellow brick road' the user will choose paths which will lead to different characters and events. The product will include educational features such as counting (perhaps steps along the road), colouring and word challenges. The product will also feature sounds. The finished product will be an emotional experience for the child. Our intention is that they will become engrossed in the navigation of the story, enjoy the entertaining features and benefit from its educational value.
Why Does This Fit The Brief?
Our proposed product fits the brief as the user will find enlightenment from the interaction which will take place. The product will be fun to use and the user will learn indirectly through its use. By utilizing as many of the senses as possible the product should provoke surprise and wonderment for the user. The user will be rewarded with entertainment, education and enjoyment.
Usage Scenario
The product could be placed online for use by anyone but it will be targeted at children aged 5-7 years old. It could possibly be made as a link from a broader online learning resource or as a link from a children's website. The product may also be distributed via CD-Rom and used within classrooms or for use at home. The story could be used under the guidance of a teacher or parent but should feature easy navigation so that children can operate it alone. Reading is a vital aspect of learning and at the ages 5-7 years old it is important that children develop key skills - reading, writing and numeracy coherent with the national curriculum. For some children reading is not as enjoyable an experience as it could be. It can become a chore and a challenge to some for this reason. The product we have in mind will stimulate the child in a way that he/she will enjoy the learning experience and become keen to read. The product will also benefit the development of the child's creativity and imagination.
Design Issues
Interface
1. Emphasis on a seamless and intuitive user experience.
2. Not so many options as to overwhelm the user.
3. User should receive appropriate feedback and see the result of their actions.
4. Large, easy to read text and clear icons.
Visual Design
5. Bright, attractive colours.
6. Appropriate visual style and content.
User experience
7. The story should stay interesting (perhaps by altering the story according to user input).
Accessibility
8. Should be accessible to deaf or visually impaired users.
9. Small file sizes for quick response times, if online.
10. Should work on all major browsers, if online.
11. Choice of medium; Flash, HTML, Shockwave.
Thoughts
Interface
The options available to the user should be carefully planned to best represent what the user may want to do at any given time. For example, in a linear story, it may be useful to allow the user to go back to the previous screen, and also have a link to the main menu area.
Choices should be presented to the user at appropriate times. The user should not be expected to neither read a lot of text before interacting, nor be forced to select too many options. Every page should contain some sort of reward or point of interest.
Visual Design
To bring life to the story, bright colourful images should be used, perhaps with animation and sound for emphasis. The pictures may animate, dependent on predetermined user actions.
User Experience
Alternate endings or tasks built in to the story could add to the level of interaction. If the user feels they play a part in the story, it would add to the experience and make it more engaging.
Accessibility
To be usable by people with visual impairment, the software should either be compatible with a voice-based screen reader, or should read the story aloud. To ensure that people with aural impairments can use the software, on-screen text should convey the information. It should not be necessarily to be able to hear the sounds in order to fully use the software.
For the choice of medium, if flash, the accessibility options of Flash MX would be useful. If HTML, "alt" tags where appropriate and good use of text content would ensure that screen readers could translate the content into speech.
The choice of medium would also impact on file size, which is particularly important if the software is to be used online.
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation criteria fall under the following headings:
Fun to use: This will be measured by observing the user, and analyse how they react when using the site. To Quantify this, the site would be considered engaging if the user stays on the site for longer than 2 ½ minutes.
Enlightenment: The user will be asked to find put the name of the scarecrow throughout the story. They will be tested on this afterwards to gauge the level of enlightenment achieved.
Surprise & Wonderment: The user will navigate through the site and find the colouring section, also help section featuring the good fairy. The test will be if that they can find these sections easily.
The "Old" System
Up to now users have had to buy children's stories in book form. For example: pop-up books, paper back books, coloured illustrations and interactive books with music and noise buttons etc. Some web pages allow access to view small sections of different novels but no visually interactive complete stories are available. We aim to provide a new and improved way of making stories accessible to children. The new interactive CD-Rom will allow kids to interact more freely with the reading experience. Colouring pages for the different characters will be provided, permitting children to change the visual appearance of the leading characters.