INTRODUCTION
This year, the Interaction Design and Children 2024 conference invites children, scholars, designers, and practitioners to participate in this year’s Research and Design Challenge (R&DC) under the theme of “Inclusive Technologies”. We invite people from all over the world, of all genders, countries, and needs, to imagine and submit their ideas thinking of the following question – How can we transform existing technologies (educational software, assistive devices, social media platforms, and interactive gaming, robots, computers, and more) to be more inclusive (more balanced, with the same opportunities for all, where everyone is welcome)?
INFORMATION
Being “inclusive” means making sure that everyone has access to the same opportunities and feels welcome, no matter their differences. It is about giving everyone a chance to live in a comfortable and secure environment, allowing them to play, learn, and work together without leaving anyone out.
Your ideas could cover a range of topics related to transportation, food and water, energy, education, health, play, and wealth.
When thinking about “technology”, we want you to have the freedom to think about how you can redesign an existing tool or design a new one that is inclusive. Your friends or family can use it, it can be used by a child or a person in need in your neighbourhood, or it can be an idea that helps countries or has a worldwide impact.
GUIDED QUESTIONS
Here are some questions to help you envisage and dream of ideas that help transform the technologies around you to be more inclusive of everyone:
- Was there a time or situation where you or someone you know experienced not being welcomed?
- Can you think of how you could have changed the situation through a new design or transforming the existing one?
- Was there a time or situation where you or someone else couldn’t use a form of transportation because they had additional needs?
- Imagine there is a child in your school who uses a wheelchair, and you have a fun activity organised on the 3rd floor of the school, and there is no elevator available. How, through a new idea, can you transform that negative experience into a positive one?
- Do you think everyone has access to the same education around the world? If not, how can we design or redesign the existing tools and technologies?
- How could your ideas help society to be more inclusive in terms of healthcare?
- For example, how can we be more inclusive in terms of education around healthcare and preventing misinformation?
- How can we ensure everyone has access to healthy food, clean water, and energy?
- How do you think children like you could be included in the design and creation of new technologies that help your community?
Your idea might be a whole new challenge for inclusion. There are no right or wrong answers in this process. Let’s focus on being creative and caring. Design your ideas, draw them, construct them, or find ways to tell us about your thinking.
Phase 1 – Submission of Children’s Ideas
In Phase 1 of the Research & Design Challenge, children all over the world are invited to submit their initial ideas in response to the theme “Inclusive Technologies.” Individuals or teams can make submissions from a classroom, after-school program, club, maker space, or combinations from different schools, clubs, towns, or countries.
Each individual or team is invited to fill out a simple form with a brief description of their idea along with drawings, pictures or other forms that best express an initial impression of the idea. The ideas received will form the basis for the second phase of the Research & Design Challenge. We accept submissions in any language. To make non-English design ideas understandable for people around the world, we will use translation tools to convert them into English.
Phase 2 – Submissions of Design Concept
In Phase 2, we invite everyone, including children, researchers, and designers, to submit a design concept (i.e., prototypes, not actual artefacts) with the same theme, “Inclusive Technologies,” that builds on one or more of the ideas submitted by children in Phase 1.
Submissions by children could have the following format:
- A short 2-minute video in MP4 format where the idea is described and applied to a situation. It can show a prototype, or it can be a role-play that shows how the prototype could be used. Adult researchers (the track chairs and expert reviewers) will judge your video submissions and select three finalists.
All the other submissions should have the extended abstract paper and accompanying video format:
- A 2-4 page summary (including extra pages for references) in CHI Extended Abstract format. Adult researchers (the track chairs and expert reviewers) will judge this part of the submissions and shortlist them.
- A short 1-minute video in MP4 format. Children who previously submitted their ideas in Phase 1 will judge the videos of the shortlisted submissions.
You can also submit any supplementary material (e.g., drawings, sketches, photos) to explain your concept. The submissions will be judged by the children who submitted their ideas on the basis of the videos and by the adult jury, who will consider the paper and all other materials.
We will select a sample of your submissions based on commonly recurring themes, unique perspectives and variations, and surprising design elements. We will then send the sample out to clever adult researchers and creative children, who will vote. The three finalists from paper submissions will be invited to present their ideas to the IDC audience during the conference.
Important Dates
Important Dates (Midnight in Anywhere on Earth – AoE)
- January 31, 2024: Children’s Submissions due
- February 7, 2024: Research & Design Challenge starts
- April 3, 2024: Research & Design Challenge due
- April 19, 2024: Challenge Finalists Notification
- April 29, 2024: Publication-ready submissions due
- June 17-20, 2024: IDC Conference
Important Links
https://forms.gle/5WEeWdfu6aHASQgC7