Comparing children's enjoyment and engagement using physical, graphical and tangible user interfaces

This paper presents the results of an exploratory comparative study in which I investigated the relationship between interface style and school-aged children’s enjoyment and engagement while doing puzzles. Pairs of participants played with a jigsaw puzzle which was implemented using three different interface styles: physical (traditional), graphical and tangible. In order to investigate interactional differences between the three interface st yles, I recorded subjective ratings of enjoyment and three related subscales, and measured times and counts of engagement. Qualitative analysis based on observational notes and audio responses to open interview questions helped contextualize the quantitative findings and provided key insights into interactional differences not apparent in the quantitative findings. I summarized the main findings and discussed the design implications for tangible user interfaces.