“We're Hinged. They're Not. It's in that Space that Creativity Happens:” Adult co-designers’ perspectives on designing technology with children
Medha Tare, Mona Leigh Guha · 2023
Children have been involved in technology co-design processes for several decades. While previous studies suggest potential benefits to child participants, research has not been conducted regarding the impact of these design methods on the adult designers involved in these processes. We conducted a retrospective online survey with 18 adults who have participated in co-design with children on technologies intended for children. Responses about their experiences, learnings, and recommendations for the process were synthesized. Overall, the participants perceived their experiences of partnering with children and hearing their perspectives to be valuable both personally and professionally as well as for the products’ usability for children. Participants also noted some challenges or areas for improvement for the co-design process. Areas for future work may include a more formal study of the impacts of these experiences on adults and on the technologies developed via co-design with children.