Studying and Designing Technology for Domestic Life

Chapter 4

Wear Nice Socks

Guidance for Conducting In-Home Studies with Children

Elizabeth Foss, Mona Leigh Guha,  and Allison Druin     Human-Computer Interaction Lab, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

Abstract

Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab conducted three studies spanning five years by visiting the homes of participants to investigate how children and adolescents search on the Internet. This chapter describes how the authors approached an exploratory research study by drawing from broad methods, including Grounded Theory and ethnography. The authors detail their experiences while planning, recruiting, and scheduling interviews; describe ethical considerations; and discuss the formation of their ...