Translating Design Requirements into a Hybrid Prototype for Early Programming Education: The Iterative Development of IMPACT+

Abstract

Teaching fundamental programming concepts to primary school children remains a challenge in computer science education. Early programming instruction must balance conceptual complexity with developmental appropriateness, as learners are expected to engage with ideas such as sequencing, loops, conditional logic, debugging and problem solving while still developing abstract reasoning strategies. This challenge is intensified by limited lesson time, diverse learner needs and the need for motivating approaches that are also pedagogically meaningful. Unplugged approaches can support collaboration, tangible manipulation and social interaction, but often require additional guidance and scaffolding. Digital tools, by contrast, can provide feedback, narrative framing and structured progression, yet may reduce hands-on engagement. The central design question is therefore not whether analogue or digital formats are superior, but which pedagogical function each format should fulfil. This paper presents the ongoing development of IMPACT+, a hybrid game-based learning project for 8- to 10-year-old children. The project introduces programming concepts through an unplugged board game extended by a digital prototype. Building on qualitative findings from an earlier classroom-based evaluation of the analogue version, the paper shows how identified design requirements were translated into concrete digital prototype features. The previous project phase highlighted the need for clearer scaffolding, stronger visual orientation, more structured progression and a motivating but carefully balanced narrative framework. Based on these findings, the digital prototype includes guided onboarding, level-based progression, visual orientation cues and narrative components that frame the programming task without replacing analogue planning. Methodologically, the study is positioned as a design-oriented follow-up within an Educational Design Research approach. The paper documents how empirical findings from the classroom evaluation of the analogue IMPACT game were translated into design requirements and prototype features. The results are relevant for researchers and practitioners designing accessible, motivating and pedagogically sound hybrid learning environments.