Designing for Diverse Needs: Technology-supported Well-being and Empowerment of Children and their Care Ecosystem

Abstract

In our increasingly digitised society, children interact with technologies from a young age, leading to both benefits, e.g. learning opportunities, and risks, e.g. increased anxiety. Many of these technologies are not designed for children, necessitating an investigation into their impact on children's well-being and their design. Power dynamics between adults and children are critical, particularly for neurodivergent children like those with ADHD, whose interactions with technology are influenced by their diagnoses and adults' perceptions.

This thesis advocates for creating technologies that empower both neurotypical and neurodivergent children, incorporating their perspectives to shape the technologies they use and enhancing their agency to support their well-being. Contributing to the evolving narrative in HCI of designing meaningful interactions, it examines how to design for both the well-being and empowerment of children and their care ecosystem, considering diverse interests and needs, focusing particularly on children with ADHD, the most prevalent neurodevelopmental diagnosis in children. This work designs a range of technologies and investigates the interactions of children and their care ecosystems with them. The primary research question guiding this thesis is: How can technologies be designed to empower and support the well-being of both ADHD and neurotypical children and their care ecosystems?

Overall, this thesis enhances understanding of strategies and aspects technologies can use to empower and support the well-being of ADHD and neurotypical children and their care ecosystems. It presents the design and evaluation of prototypes using these strategies and proposes a new agenda for ADHD technology research that designs "beyond symptoms," advocating for the active inclusion of multiple care ecosystem stakeholders. It also offers a refined understanding of technology-supported emotional expression and reflection processes to foster children's well-being.