Children’s social interaction and play environment: an approach to user-centered design

Abstract

Social interaction is of great importance for 7 to 12 age group. In order to design user-centred play equipment for different environments which improve children’s social interaction, this study aims to identify the role of play environment in players’ interactions. To achieve the objective mothers were asked to fill in a questionnaire. Results indicated that children usually play with their peers at home, park, and school. Comparison of these 3 major environments identified girls prefer to play at home with their peers while boys prefer to play at school. Besides, the most effective conflict issue between players in park and home environments is the authority, but choosing and sharing in the school environment. Considering assignment of conflict issues and social skills, the negotiation skill is the most important skill which should be improved in order to decrease the conflicts in all environments. These results can lead to different design strategies.