We live in a global society where digital artefacts have become part of the everyday lives of children. Be it education, sports activities, rehabilitation or play, technology has come to play an important role in the way children relate to their physical, social and cultural surroundings. IDC 2014 invites researchers and practitioners to share their work on how technology affects children’s well being in a global context and how children, their parents, teachers and peers can contribute to the design of new technology. We invite researchers and participants to share thoughts on emerging technology, new theoretical perspectives, design methods and approaches, and new understandings of child development by questioning how we can build tomorrow’s technology – together.
In Denmark, the Interaction Design and Children community is forged from research institutions and leading industry partners exploring aspects of children’s play, learning and leisure as a foundation for technology design. For the IDC 2014, the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Aarhus University (AU), and LEGO Foundation have come together to create a venue for researchers and practitioners to work with theoretical, practical and methodological challenges in IDC.
The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) has for the past ten years studied how full body interaction can support children’s play and learning. The relationship between physical activity, learning and health is currently being explored through the »MoveIT« educational program at SDU.
Aarhus University was at the forefront of the Participatory Design movement in Scandinavia in the early 1980s. Today, the Participatory IT (PIT) Center at Aarhus University is exploring how new user groups such as children can be involved into the design process. A range of research prototypes developed together with children and teens are displayed in the CAVI:lab – accessible for IDC participants during the conference.
The history of the LEGO Group goes back 80 years. Besides designing and producing market leading play experiences, the company has successfully expanded into areas such as learning and interaction design. The LEGO Foundation is separate from the LEGO Group, with the key commitment to develop and share world-class knowledge and research about play and creativity as tools for learning and development.
The LEGO Foundation and the LEGO design departments will open its labs for IDC 2014 delegates explore conjointly the future of interaction design and children, and to share the benefits of play and creativity.
