Have you ever wished that you played an instrument as a kid? Or that you had started learning a new language or hobby earlier in life? The freedom to develop and grow personal interests during childhood can feel limited, because the material culture of childhood is controlled by adults. The designed environment of childhood is so critical to their development, yet children are rarely involved in the design of their toys; they are usually just users of an existing product. Doesn’t everyone deserve a say in their own development? How would toy design change if children were considered partners in the design process?

Danielle Begnaud partnered with KidsTeam at the University of Maryland’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab and we used a co-design methodology called cooperative inquiry. Begnaud and the child and adult design partners at KidsTeam held seven co-design sessions, they took a project through traditional industrial design phases, and together, they designed a kit of generative shapes to spark imagination and creative play.