Lessons Learned from Designing Non-traditional Interfaces for Educational Applications in South Africa

Abstract. As a specialised design consultancy for interactive learning environments and tools, Formula D interactive has gained valuable project experience in designing nontraditional interfaces for digital educational content and tools in the culturally diverse context of South Africa. The aim of this paper is to share the company’s experience in the field using prominent examples of their recent work, related research and user testing in order to discuss the merit of largescale interactive surfaces, gesture-based and tangible interfaces in culturally diverse contexts. The company’s work includes interactive displays for science centres and museums as well as digital learning tools for classroom environments