“I’m a Fish!”: Exploring Children’s Engagement with Human–Data Interactions in Museums

In an increasingly data-driven world, sparking children’s curiosity for meaningful data exploration provides a powerful foundation for lifelong data literacy. Human–data interaction (HDI) offers a promising approach by making data more accessible and engaging, particularly in informal learning environments like museums. However, there is limited understanding of how children, as a distinct user group, engage with embodied, interactive data visualizations. This paper presents findings from an exploratory field study of a gesture-controlled HDI installation deployed in a large urban museum. We analyzed the interactions of over 200 children, primarily from visiting K-12 school groups, as they engaged with an HDI prototype, the data on display, and each other. Our thematic analysis reveals that children’s interactions are deeply social, playful, and imaginative, often prioritizing collaborative discovery and role-playing over direct data interpretation. Based on these observations, we present design recommendations for creating HDI installations that leverage these behaviors to foster meaningful data engagement.