Users as Generators

Our user-testing was excellent (not that they didn't have complaints -- but we got a ton of useful feedback) and, beyond this, they were eager to explore the re-purposing of the squeeze-interface for their own needs.

Obviously this didn't help us accomplish the goals of the IDM project, but it was highly useful, and inspiring, for us as designers/builders.

For example, one of our teachers thought the squeezer would be great for "English Language Learners" -- that is, kids who do not speak english well. Apparently, they often are shy about raising their hand because language is such a barrier to comfort (more than history, science etc) and a non-interruptive way to contact the teacher might be a promising addition.

I'm not sure if this can be expected in every set of user-subjects -- as teachers are often unusually creative, and our testers are all excellent teachers -- but it was an great experience in this case.