Time: 9:00am - 10:30am ET

Location:  Hybrid: TSRB 223 + Online Link

        

Committee:

Dr. HyunJoo Oh (Advisor), School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Betsy Disalvo, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Thad Starner, School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Judith Uchidiuno,  School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Jinsil Hwaryoung Seo, School of Performance, Visualization, and Fine Arts, Texas A&M University

  Abstract

Empowering youth to actively participate in designing future technologies is essential in an era of rapid technological advancement. While youth are immersed in technology, their engagement often remains limited to passive use, restricting their ability to understand, shape, and adapt these technologies. Traditional co-design methods typically confine youth participation to ideation, limiting their impact. This dissertation addresses this gap by introducing co-design toolkits that extend youth engagement beyond ideation to functional prototyping and develops a framework to evaluate their co-design outcomes.

The research presents four toolkits—My:Talkies, iReal, Tangible-MakeCode (T-MC), and CoVal—that guide middle school students through the entire process from design and prototyping to evaluation. These toolkits lower barriers, integrating hands-on exploration, narrative-driven approaches, and iterative refinement to bridge technical learning with creativity. They empower students to transition from passive users to active creators, enabling them to create functional and meaningful prototypes that reflect their vision and assess their feasibility.

This thesis demonstrates how these toolkits engage youth in ideation, prototyping, and evaluation, advancing co-design methodologies by extending their participation beyond ideation. It highlights how extending participation fosters deeper engagement, promotes creative learning, and supports the development of practical, contextually relevant designs, ultimately empowering youth as co-creators of future technologies.