Child Adaptive Search Tool (CAST)

The Child Adaptive Search Tool (CAST) was designed specifically with the developmental needs of children in mind. It is an internet search tool geared toward children.

6 – 11 year old children

Boise State University KidsTeam led by Dr. Jerry Fails. The team worked with other faculty at Boise State University with expertise in information retrieval, natural language processing, and education. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Entire process

CAST was designed to support children in online searching. Focuses included specific issues that children may have in searching online, such as spelling, and forming queries, as well as analyzing results and choosing the best one. Throughout the design process, co-design sessions were held, some including children and some with teachers. CAST was also designed using existing research on related topics such as the development of children’s spelling.

How can we create a search tool that supports the specific developmental levels of children while still allowing them to search the internet and ultimately be successful in finding what they are looking for?

CAST was a five-year project. The primary goal of this research was to improve adaptive and interactive search for children. This included many sessions focused on different components and aspects of search. The team would often focus on a particular aspect for 6-12 months, conducting multiple sessions refining and sprinkling in a few sessions of preparatory design for the next component. Frequently used techniques included Bags of Stuff, Big Paper, Sticky Notes, and Journals.

CAST exists in the public domain. It is freely available for children to search online. CAST includes support for spelling, as well as selecting and ordering results as they might be most interesting to a child.