YouthMap 5020! What should youth-centred web maps look like?

Abstract

In recent years, web maps designed to meet the needs of particular user groups have gained in interest. A user group hereby mostly neglected are children including teenagers (i.e. the youth). While little is yet known about how this user group actually uses websites or how to design websites that will be easy for this user group to use, this is even truer for web maps, whose use has experienced a boom lately. Meanwhile, web maps have not only become a pervasive element on the Internet, but also a relevant means for education and teaching purposes. However, to address the rather special user group of children and teenagersknown for being, e.g., impatient and quick to judge -it is necessary to exercise the design of web maps with care. But many questions still remain open with regard to youth-centred web maps. This refers to the requirements and needs of young people, including issues such as the type of device mainly and preferably used, map design, map content, as well as range and properties of functionalities. The project YouthMap 5020 aims to answer these questions. Therefore, the approach of participatory design, which is considered particularly useful when it comes to working with children, is used.