Bang Jeon Lee
Tangible Ideation
How to design for and with children?
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Tangible ideation: How
to design for and with children explores the
communication and collaboration methods and practice of adult design
practitioners working with children in the design process. The main contrast
with the earlier stands of research in Child-Computer Interaction (CCI), namely
Interaction Design and Children (IDC) and Participatory Design (PD), is that
they have focused on children-designed solutions using artefacts employed
in/via technology and technological contexts, whereas this research focuses on
artefacts that are tangible and designed for small hands. Starting from a
review of existing research on the position of children in the design process,
the author interrogates the role of the adult designer, exploring the
dispositions, methods and tools supporting designers’ interaction and communication
with children.
Through
the experimental design research method applied in practice with
children, this dissertation has developed three models of practice: Design for
and with children; Social science for children; and Tangible
ideation models in designing for and with children. Based on
investigations and findings through the empirical design practices applied to
the three models of practice, this research reveals three principles. First, as
a medium, materials were explored and redefined during design practices with
children, providing that materials support designers’ interaction and
communication with children. Second, by applying the three models of practice,
the author formulated the iterative process and structure of this research.
Lastly, Double triangles which describe the relations among
practitioners, products and practices between designing for and designing
with children have developed a new framework of designing for and with
children.In this dissertation, Bang Jeon Lee’s underlying argument begins with stakeholders’ roles and children’s
participation in design, and then focuses on design practitioners’ reflective
roles and positions in design. She emphasises reflection and the practical
contributions of this research, as well as providing considerable guidance for
adult designers or researchers who work with children. Consequently, this
research supports enhancing the wellbeing of children through their
participation and collaboration in both design and education.