Development and evaluation of the problem identification picture cards method

In this paper the development and assessment of a new formative evaluation method called the problem identification picture cards (PIPC) method is described. This method enables young children to express both usability and fun problems while playing a computer game. The method combines the traditional thinking-aloud method with picture cards that children can place in a box to indicate that there is a certain type of problem. An experiment to assess this method shows that children may express more problems (verbally, or with a picture card, or with a combination of a picture card and a verbalisation) with the PIPC method than without this method (in which they can only indicate problems verbally). Children in the experiment did not just replace verbalisations by using the provided picture cards and some children preferred to use the PIPC method during the test instead of the standard thinking-aloud method. The PIPC method or some aspects of the method could be a good instrument to increase the amount of information expressed by young children during an evaluation.