They did not do hard research, since they are still designing their game, but they did present it to playtesters. I think this is an appropriate level of diligence for a product early in the design phase, it's the equivalent of the "hallway usability testing" recommended for agile teams.
It may be impossible to say right now whether this change helps kids get better at programming faster, but presumably, more kids will play a game that they feel is more approachable, similar to how the playtesters responded.
It may be impossible to say right now whether this change helps kids get better at programming faster, but presumably, more kids will play a game that they feel is more approachable, similar to how the playtesters responded.