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Kids
team
How can we help to shape future technology and learning tools for kids?
Problem
My story with KidsTeam UW started in a very unexpected way. I was referred from one of my classmates at the User-Centered Design Program at UW to design the KidsTeam UW logo even though I wasn't doing much of visual work anymore. But there I met Jason Yip, whose research project was growing SO MUCH in scope that they needed a logo to reflect the diversity in which the group was heading towards.
My role as visual designer
As a visual designer, I was tasked to design a logo that would convey words such as diversity, technology, playfulness, collaboration, and fun. Themes that came from my first session interacting with the kids. In the next couple of sessions, the kids and I co-designed multiple interactions of the logo, so they could contribute with their own ideas. Each design proposal had a corresponding design iteration created by them. See the results are below! :)
My Design Ideas
Kids Iteration
After a couple of iteration and ideation sessions, our co-creation logo/illustration was ready.
Cooperation
Jason
Goofiness
Gender and race diversity
Accessibility
3 cups
Blueberries
People having fun
Some of the KidsTeam activities
As a researcher, I help to organize the co-design sessions' time management, clarify kids' ideas, motivate them to participate in the session, lead the group discussion, and summarize the group's witty ideas.
While facilitating the design sessions at KidsTeam UW, I discovered that kids were the real domain experts in childhood. They took on roles throughout the design process that spanned from user to design partner, transforming popsicle sticks, glue, paper and markers into make-believe robots.
My role as researcher
Telepresence robots in co-design groups
In this specific session, 2 Kubis robots were used to examine its potential use for distributed co-design, in which people do not need to be co-located to co-design. Two groups of kids were in a room interacting with the robot, while two other groups of kids were in a different room controlling the robot.
The results were fascinating. Controlling the robot kept the children engaged in communication with the co-located group. They were able to control movement to see others quickly and react to them instantaneously.
In the group of kids, I was collaborating with, we created a chicken feeder system as you can see in the image above. One kid in the remote room created how the eggs would reach the tube and the other and I created an air flush system so the egg could go through the tubes and lay on the basket smoothly.
One of the various benefits of using telepresence robots is helping children with chronic illnesses who cannot leave their health settings be in school with other children. Children can also remote access into far geographical settings to learn different languages and engage in diverse cultures and experiences.