{"id":306,"date":"2026-03-16T20:29:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T20:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/?page_id=306"},"modified":"2026-04-21T15:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T15:42:18","slug":"sokids-week-7-devlog","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/blog\/sokids-week-7-devlog\/","title":{"rendered":"SoKids \u2013 Week 7 Devlog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This week the SoKids team focused on preparing and delivering our research presentation for both the Center for Transformational Play (CTP) and the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). The goal of this presentation was to clearly communicate the research motivation behind the project, explain our design approach, and gather feedback from advisors and researchers before moving into further prototyping and playtesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"Structuring the Presentation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To make the research easier to follow, we divided the presentation into several sections that gradually build the context for our work. We first introduced the limitations of traditional assessment tools, including challenges in scalability, reliance on explicit verbal responses, and low engagement for young children. We then presented our research questions and purpose, explaining how a game-based system could address these limitations by embedding measurement directly into interactive gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The middle portion of the presentation introduced Game-Based Assessment (GBA) and discussed how our project fits into this research space. We also presented our collaboration with Dr. Catarina Vales and the CMU Psychology Department, using her research as a case study to explain the real-world research needs that motivated the SoKids project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, we discussed our design tactics, including how we approach the challenge of building a game that can collect meaningful behavioral data while intentionally avoiding teaching or reinforcing specific social beliefs. The presentation concluded by outlining the potential contribution of our work as a research tool for developmental psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"Presentation Feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/1bkgt6Gz6OPxcl3XpdoL6pbEyqV7eQkB2RkzrCkYeHss\/viewanalytics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the team received very positive and encouraging feedback from advisors and audience members. Many appreciated the strong research grounding of the project and the clarity of the connection between psychological research questions and game design decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the discussion also surfaced several useful suggestions for improvement. One piece of feedback emphasized the importance of continuously tying design decisions back to research questions throughout the presentation. Another discussion point focused on playtesting: advisors noted that younger children, especially around age three, may struggle to understand interaction affordances and may need clearer visual guidance during gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was also an interesting conversation about interpreting children\u2019s actions in the game. Some audience members noted that certain choices may not always represent intentional decisions, especially when children are still exploring how the interface works. This reinforces the importance of designing interactions carefully and interpreting early playtest data with caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"Moving Forward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The feedback we received will directly inform our next steps. In the coming weeks, we plan to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Continue refining the prototype based on playtesting observations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Improve interaction clarity and engagement for younger children<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Further connect gameplay mechanics with measurable research variables<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Prepare additional playtesting sessions to validate our design decisions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    With our research framework now clearly communicated and validated through discussion, the team is excited to move forward into the next phase of iteration and testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This week the SoKids team focused on preparing and delivering our research presentation for both the Center for Transformational Play (CTP) and the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). The goal of this presentation was to clearly communicate the research motivation behind the project, explain our design approach, and gather feedback from advisors and researchers before moving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":43,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-306","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":473,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/306\/revisions\/473"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sokids\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}