Digitization in Education
Time
My Role
4 months
Interaction Design Researcher
Main tasks
Generative research, interviews, workshops, data analysis
Tools
Miro, Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel
In a Snapshot
The problem
This project was done in collaboration with an Internation School in Copenhagen.
Educators face challenges such as limited tools for emotional communication, time constraints, and privacy concerns, leaving a gap in the use of educational technology.
This project explored how this gap can be solved by leveraging bodily awareness and embodied technologies to create inclusive and engaging SEL tools.
The solution
I developed a framework for designing social-emotional learning (SEL) technologies emphasizing embodied interaction and sensory engagement. Through co-design workshops with children and semi-structured interviews with educators, we identified opportunities for tools that foster emotional communication and empathy. These solutions prioritize inclusivity, physical engagement, and ethical considerations, addressing privacy concerns while enhancing emotional learning in classroom contexts.
The process
Exploratory Research
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Framework Design
02
Data collection
The data collected have been the interviews' results and the artifacts created during the co-design workshops.
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During the workshops, various activities were organized that involved writing, storytelling and creating objects. The aim was to collect as comprehensive data as possible.
04
Framework Design
The findings highlight that social-emotional learning technologies informed by Soma Design can foster emotional awareness and collaboration by leveraging tangible, interactive tools.
Key findings include:
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Body Maps and Emotional Awareness
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Creative Solutions to Emotional Barriers
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Preference for Tangible Interactions
01
Exploratory Research
To discover the scope of the issues I conducted generative research on social-emotional learning, existing educational and embodied technology and soma design.
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Based on the information found, I designed the project's steps:
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4 semi-structured interviews with teachers
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2 co-design workshop with a classroom of 10 yo children
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thematic analysis
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framework design
03
Data analysis
Data from interviews and workshops were subjected to thematic analysis to extract patterns and insights. Transcriptions were coded using thematic analysis to identify themes such as emotional challenges in classrooms, teacher strategies for SEL, and attitudes toward technology integration. Workshop artifacts (e.g., body maps, letters, prototypes) were visually and thematically analyzed to understand children’s emotional needs and design preferences— an approach that resonates with research on how emotion is constructed and interpreted. The analysis was conducted by the first author and then the themes were discussed with the other two authors.
