My Presentation at Delfigames 2014 See also my video presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDLssuth0nw

1. Conducting Evaluation
Studies of Mobile Games
with Preschoolers
Laila Shoukry

2. • Challenges
• Educational games which compete with “real” non-educational games
• Keeping interest to repeat playing over a long time period
• Requires big audio library as they cannot read
• Testing with preschoolers
• Opportunities
• No complicated learning theories
• No complicated game strategies and scoring
• Not required to to master a large amount of learning content, only some
indirect learning
Designing Learning Games for
Preschoolers

3. Designing Mobile Educational Games for
Preschoolers
Fun
Usability
Learning
Mobility
Preschooler
s’ age
Design Requirements/
Heuristics

4. Pre-MEGa Framework
Pre-MEGa
Screen Design
Navigation
& Control
Ease of Use
Responsiveness
Game Design
Learning
Potential
Instructions
Feedback
Difficulty
Level
Pedagogical
Agent
Content
Delivery
Customization
Safety
& Security
Accessility
Value
Usability Playability Learning Mobile
Adapted for Preschoolers
Smartphone
Specifics

5. Hamza Arabic Alphabet Game
Story of the game:
•Hamza has lost his
beloved letters and
wants to collect them.
•The player should help
Hamza pick all his letters
again.
•This is done using
several games and then
they play together with
the letters.
•All this repetition is
meant to teach them the
Alphabet in an indirect
way.

6. Demo of Hamza Game
•Intro:
•Intro captures child’s attention using
animation and side effects.
•Gender Choice:
•The whole game is adaptable to Gender with
graphics and words.
•The Character
•Hamza is called a pedagogical agent.
•Gender as specified.
•Chosen related to the context of the learning
material and the game.
•Uses a language easily understood by the child.
•Uses a song to make it more entertaining and easy to remember.
•Uses animation.
•It establishes a social relationship with the child.
•It tells a story full of fantasy.
•It doesn’t command but rather asks for help.
•It defines a goal and instructions on how to reach it.

7. Demo of Hamza Game
•Choose Alphabet Range:
•Can choose one of four ranges as well as
concatinating any number of ranges: all games
and songs are adapted accordingly.
• Easy instructions.
•Flat menu
• Still some usability problems…
•Back button to change Gender choice
•Considering different device sizes.
•Sliding Menu
•Good way to represent different sub-games in the total context and sequence of the
game.
•can play several iterations of the game using the choices made once at the beginning
of the game.
•Enables jump to a sub-game which the child prefers.
•Back button to change previous choices.

8. Demo of Hamza Game
Racing Game:
•As if child is steering the car with Hamza to
catch the letters.
• Environment design reflecting Egyptian
culture.
• Speed of the car chosen with caution and
changed after evaluation with preschoolers.
•Fosters Eye-Hand Coordination.
•Gender-specific, randomly generated,
“natural” positive and negative feedback.
•Repetition of Alphabet sound.
• Use of sound effects and music (A problem for some Arab users).
• Letters are personified.
•Random direction of letters.
•Parents can hold the device with their children and “steer” with them.
•The pause button is far from their fingers.
• Interruptions like phone calls act like clicking on pause.
•Only Alphabet Range to make it short. Fireworks Reward at Finish.

9. Demo of Hamza Game
Transition Animation:
•Hamza thanks the child for help (motivation).
• Gives instructions for next game.
• Uses a song again.
Bag Drag and Drop Game
• Bag is personified and gives instructions.
• “Magical” bag sound effects.
• Natural Environment: Garden.
• Repition of Alphabet name .
• Different movement, using fingers.
• Large area for selection to make it easy.
• According to alphabet range selection.
• Fireworks reward.

10. Demo of Hamza Game
Alphabet Song:
•According to Alphabet Range.
• As a surprise to catch attention.
• Bag is singing the letters while getting them
out again.
• Clicking anywhere on the screen pauses the
song and you can skip it.
• You can repeat the song after it’s finished.

11. Demo of Hamza Game
Bag Test:
• Reinforcing learning
• Gender-specific Instructions & Feedback
• Also depends on Alphabet range selection.
• Fireworks as reward.
•Closing Animation
• A song by Hamza again.
• Encouraging to play again.
• Link to Evaluation Form or repeat playing from
beginning.

12. Demo of Hamza Game
Choosing the girl:
• Customized character design
• Customized car design
• Customized Background in Racing
• Customized instructions and Feedback in all
games.
Skipping Animations & Games:
• All animations and games can be skipped
easily
•Choosing the whole Alphabet range
• By directly clicking on the car.
• Sliding Menu
•Allows jumping to desired game.
•Represents all sub-games in their context and
sequence

13. Field Study

14. Field Study

15. Field Study

16. Field Study

17. Field Study

18. Field Study

19. Field Study

20. Field Study

21. Field Study

22. Field Study

23. Hamza on Google Play

24. Hamza on Google Play

25. User Reviews

26. More than 100 responses!
Online Evaluation Form

27. Online Evaluation Form

28. Online Evaluation Form

29. Online Evaluation Form

30. Some Results
Best Ratings for Idea,
Design, Usability and Fun!

31. Some Results

32. Game Updates: Navigation

33. Hamza 2

34. • About Me:
Laila Hussein Shoukry
Research Associate
KOM- TU Darmstadt
Germany
lailame@gmail.com
http://guc.academia.edu/LailaHussein
Thank you