Design and evaluation of a mixed-reality playground for child-robot games

In this article we present the Phygital Game project, a mixed-reality game platform in which children can play with or against a robot. The project was developed by adopting a human-centered design approach, characterized by the engagement of both children and parents in the design process, and situating the game platform in a real context—an educational center for children. We report the results of both the preliminary studies and the final testing session, which focused on the evaluation of usability factors. By providing a detailed description of the process and the results, this work aims at sharing the findings and the lessons learned about both the implications of adopting a human-centered approach across the whole design process and the specific challenges of developing a mixed-reality playground.