You will have a short time with your clients, and you may not get a second chance to ask a question you forgot.
In Good Question, Bad Question you saw that a child asked what app they want usually names a game they already play. Asked about something that actually happened, they tell you what they care about and what they find hard. Build your guide around questions like that.
You interview a small group: three or four children at once. That gives you more ideas than one child would, and it also means you have to make room for every voice.
At every visit, I watch how you work with your clients. These observations are assessment for learning.
Build your interview guide
An interview guide is the short list of questions you plan to ask, in the order you plan to ask them. Make yours on the card I give you, so you can hold it at LDPS. Write clearly enough to read it at a glance.
Start with the question you kept from Good Question, Bad Question.
At the top: how everyone gets a turn
Write down how you will make sure every child is heard. For example: go around the table in order, and start with a different child each time; or pass a marker, and whoever holds it talks.
Opening (about one minute)
- Say your first name. Ask what they like to be called, and write down each first name.
- Say why you are there, in words a nine-year-old understands. For example: “I’m learning to make apps, and I want to make one just for you. You’re the experts on what’s fun, so I need your ideas.”
- Say that there are no wrong answers, that everyone gets a turn, and that anyone can say “pass”.
Questions (six to eight)
Write questions from each group below. Put the most important ones first, in case you run out of time. Each question is answered by three or four children, so six to eight is plenty. For more questions to choose from, and questions to avoid, see Interview Question Bank.
- Things they love: “What do you like doing after school?” “If you could learn about anything at all, what would it be?”
- Real past events: “Tell me about the last time you…” “What happened next?”
- Things that are hard: “What’s something at school that takes you a long time?” “What’s something you wish was easier?”
- Show me: “Can you each draw me what that looks like?” “Show me how you’d do that.”
- Choices: “Would you rather have a game where you race the clock, or one where you take your time?”
- Closing: “Is there anything else I should know?”
Interviewing a group
- Give everyone a turn. For the questions that matter most, go around the group. Start with a different child each time.
- Ask for answers before discussion. Children copy each other. For a choice, let everyone point or hold up fingers at the same time. For an idea, let everyone draw first, then show.
- Manage a strong voice kindly. Thank a child who answers every question, then: “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a turn yet.” Never force a quiet child to answer: a pass is fine, and a drawing counts.
- Notice differences. When two children want different things, that is information, not a problem to settle. Write both down. Your app will serve all of them.
- Keep it moving. Attention fades after about fifteen minutes. Change what they are doing: talk, then draw, then talk.
Things that work with nine- and ten-year-olds
- Ask one short question at a time.
- Avoid questions they can answer with “yes” or “no”. “Do you like math?” gets you one word.
- Go easy on “why?” Several whys in a row can feel like being in trouble. Try “What made that fun?” instead.
- Sit at their level. Smile. Let silence sit for a few seconds: they are thinking.
- Let them draw. I will bring paper and markers. If a child wants to write their name on a drawing, let them keep that drawing.
- Children often say what they think you want to hear. Ask about what they did, not what they would do.
- Do not promise features. “That’s a great idea, I’ll think about it” is honest. “I’ll build that” might not be.
Protect your clients
Before you write a single question, check it against this list. Never ask for, or write down:
- a child’s last name, birthday, address, or phone number
- email addresses, usernames or gamer tags
- names of family members, or details about their family
- anything about learning needs or diagnoses. If the LDPS teacher tells you something that affects your design (for example, “larger text would help”), write down only the design need.
- anything that could identify a child if your notes were found by a stranger
No photos, audio or video, of anyone. Do not photograph drawings either.
At every visit:
- No contact with your clients outside the visits: no social media, no email, no messages.
- If a child tells you something personal or worrying, do not write it down. Tell the LDPS teacher and me straight away.
On your guide, write one sentence answering this: what could go wrong if a child’s name, school and interests ended up in an AI chat or in a public portfolio?
Taking notes
You ask the questions and take the notes yourself, so keep notes short: a word or two, then look up again.
Write each child’s first name beside what they said or did. That tells you whether an idea came from one child or from all of them. Write first names only, never a last name.
Use the notes sheet I give you. It has six columns:
| Who (first name) | Loves | Finds hard | Their words (quotes) | Their ideas | What I noticed |
|---|
- Write short points, not sentences.
- Put their exact words in quotation marks. Later, these quotes become your evidence for what you decide to build.
- “What I noticed” is for things they did, not said: they got excited, they went quiet, they grabbed the marker, two of them agreed straight away.
- First names only. Never a last name.
Before we leave, take five minutes to add anything you remember but did not write down.
Practise
Before the visit, read your guide aloud and time it. If you can, try it on a family member or a friend playing a child (never a real client). Allow for three or four answers to every question: if it runs longer than about twenty-five minutes, cut questions from the bottom.
Curriculum connection
CRD-1.A
Explain how computing innovations are improved through collaboration.
CRD-1.A.1 A computing innovation includes a program as an integral part of its function.
CRD-1.A.2 A computing innovation can be physical (e.g., self-driving car), nonphysical computing software (e.g., picture editing software), or a nonphysical computing concept (e.g., e-commerce).
CRD-1.A.3 Effective collaboration produces a computing innovation that reflects the diversity of talents and perspectives of those who designed it.
CRD-1.A.4 Collaboration that includes diverse perspectives helps avoid bias in the development of computing innovations.
CRD-1.A.5 Consultation and communication with users are important aspects of the development of computing innovations.
CRD-1.A.6 Information gathered from potential users can be used to understand the purpose of a program from diverse perspectives and to develop a program that fully incorporates these perspectives.
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CRD-2.F
Design a program and its user interface.
CRD-2.F.1 The design of a program incorporates investigation to determine its requirements.
CRD-2.F.2 Investigation in a development process is useful for understanding and identifying the program constraints, as well as the concerns and interests of the people who will use the program.
CRD-2.F.3 Some ways investigation can be performed are as follows:
- collecting data through surveys
- user testing
- interviews
- direct observations
CRD-2.F.4 Program requirements describe how a program functions and may include a description of user interactions that a program must provide.
CRD-2.F.5 A program’s specification defines the requirements for the program.
CRD-2.F.6 In a development process, the design phase outlines how to accomplish a given program specification.
CRD-2.F.7 The design phase of a program may include:
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- brainstorming
- planning and storyboarding
- organizing the program into modules and functional components
- creation of diagrams that represent the layouts of the user interface
- development of a testing strategy for the program
IOC-2.A
Describe the risks to privacy from collecting and storing personal data on a computer system.
IOC-2.A.1 Personally identifiable information (PII) is information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or describes them. Examples of PII include:
- Social Security number
- age
- race
- phone number(s) )
- medical information
- financial information
- biometric data
IOC-2.A.2 Search engines can record and maintain a history of searches made by users.
IOC-2.A.3 Websites can record and maintain a history of individuals who have viewed their pages.
IOC-2.A.4 Devices, websites, and networks can collect information about a user’s location.
IOC-2.A.5 Technology enables the collection, use, and exploitation of information about, by, and for individuals, groups, and institutions.
IOC-2.A.6 Search engines can use search history to suggest websites or for targeted marketing.
IOC-2.A.7 Disparate personal data, such as geolocation, cookies, and browsing history, can be aggregated to create knowledge about an individual.
IOC-2.A.8 PII and other information placed online can be used to enhance a user’s online experiences.
IOC-2.A.9 PII stored online can be used to simplify making online purchases.
IOC-2.A.10 Commercial and governmental curation of information may be exploited if privacy and other protections are ignored.
IOC-2.A.11 Information placed online can be used in ways that were not intended and that may have a harmful impact. For example, an email message may be forwarded, tweets can be retweeted, and social media posts can be viewed by potential employers.
IOC-2.A.12 PII can be used to stalk or steal the identity of a person or to aid in the planning of other criminal acts.
IOC-2.A.13 Once information is placed online, it is difficult to delete.
IOC-2.A.14 Programs can collect your location and record where you have been, how you got there, and how long you were at a given location.
IOC-2.A.15 Information posted to social media services can be used by others. Combining information posted on social media and other sources can be used to deduce private information about you.
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