2016-2020

Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to a formal education. In 2011, War Child Holland instigated the Can’t Wait to Learn programme (CWTL) to develop culturally sensitive educational games for children who have never seen a teacher as a result of armed conflict. A CWTL trial in rural Sudan (2015) identified an unmet user need. The absence of traditional classroom furniture compelled young learners to hold a tablet device for prolonged periods while floor sitting. The primary objective of the research is: to co-design a low-cost digital tablet desk (DTD) for floor-sitting e-learners that improved their visual gaze angle and sagittal head tilt to reduce stress on their cervical spine. An ergonomic study (n=57) analysed users’ gaze and head tilt in four positions: neutral gaze, holding a tablet, an elevated tablet (350mm and 250mm). Data analysis identified that every participant holding a tablet device failed to comply the maximum downward gaze threshold of -35° as specified by the ISO Ergonomic Standard 9241-5. Additionally, the study discovered that elevating a tablet by 300mm improved head tilt by x ̅ 11.7° and reduced cervical spine load by x ̅ 4.7kg- a 30% reduction. Research findings informed the development of design propositions that were evaluated with young learners and CWTL facilitators in Sudan and Chad: single and dual desks, alternative seating configurations and methods for securing tablet devices. The research supports War Child’s future scale up plans in Chad and Burkina Faso. The output is design specification for a frugal, ergonomically sound DTD that is sympathetic to the challenges pose by its local manufacture by a low-skilled workforce.