Ghost Hunter: Parents and children playing together to learn about energy consumption

Amartya Banerjee, Michael S. Horn

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present the design and evaluation of Ghost Hunter, an interactive system to engage parents and children in seeking out hidden sources of energy consumption in their homes. Our system combines an electro-magnetic field (EMF) detector with a mobile tablet computer. Bringing Ghost Hunter within range of an electrical current activates the detector. Through the Ghost Hunter design we attempted to evoke the cultural form of hide-and-seek as a way to help children and parents structure their activity. We present our design and implementation followed by a qualitative evaluation conducted with seven families in their homes. Our findings describe how parents supported their children's learning about energy consumption, and ways in which the activities led to unexpected discoveries. Copyright (c) 2014 ACM.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationTEI 2014 - 8th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, Proceedings
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages267-274
Number of pages8
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2014
Event8th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, TEI 2014 - Munich, Germany
Duration: Feb 16 2014Feb 19 2014

Other

Other8th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, TEI 2014
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityMunich
Period2/16/142/19/14

Keywords

  • Children
  • Cultural forms
  • Eco-feedback
  • Energy vampires
  • Families
  • Learning
  • Sustainable interaction design
  • Tangible interaction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Software

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