Innovating Digital Play: Partnership for research-driven industry impact
Panel length: 45 minutes
Panelists
- Shuli Gilutz, PhD – UNICEF
- Pia Breum Corlin – The LEGO Group
- Michael Preston, PhD – Joan Ganz Cooney Center
- Maria Janelli, PhD – The Scratch Foundation
Goal: The goal of this panel is to present a research and industry design deployment collaboration, in designing digital play for children’s well-being. The panel will share processes, learnings, and ideas moving forward, as they are experienced in the Responsible Innovation in Technology (RITEC) project, led by UNICEF and The LEGO group.
Details: Shuli Gilutz (UNICEF) will present UNICEF’s work on driving impact in the gaming industry to support children’s well-being through the design of digital play. This includes cross-sectoral partnerships, translating research into practical guidance for practitioners, and moving beyond traditional advocacy to achieve meaningful impact. Pia Breum Colin (The LEGO Group) will discuss how the RITEC research is being applied within the LEGO Group’s products and internal practices. Michael Preston (JGCC) will share The Cooney Center’s efforts to build awareness and promote adoption within the industry by engaging practitioners and key stakeholders. Maria Janelli (Scratch) will highlight Scratch’s unique approach to incorporating theory into the platform, showcasing an innovative method of integrating research into digital products.
More about the RITEC project: https://www.unicef.org/childrightsandbusiness/workstreams/responsible-technology/online-gaming/ritec-design-toolbox
Dr. Shuli Gilutz is a Programme Specialist at UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and a global expert in child-centered design, with over 20 years of cross-sector experience in UX research, design, and strategy for children and families. She has worked extensively in both academia and industry, serving as a Google Launchpad UX mentor, a teaching fellow at Tel-Aviv University, and a founding board member of the Designing for Children’s Rights Association. She holds an MA from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. She led the development of the RITEC Design Toolbox to aid designers in putting children’s well-being at the center of digital play.
Pia Breum Corlin is a Lead Design Strategist at The LEGO Group, with 20 years of experience turning insights into meaningful, playful, and ethical digital experiences. Co-creator of the LEGO Digital Design Principles Toolkit, enabling teams to design for kids with well-being and play in mind. A strong advocate for responsible design that supports curiosity, safety, and growth in young users.
Dr Michael Preston (panelist) is the Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, an independent research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop that conducts research on emerging technologies and collaborates with technologists, digital media producers, and educators to put this research into action to support children’s learning and well-being. Michael has 25 years of experience leading educational innovation and technology programs in K-12, university, and informal learning contexts. He co-founded CSforALL, the hub for the national Computer Science for All movement and led digital learning initiatives at the NYC Department of Education, Columbia University, and New Visions for Public Schools.
Dr. Maria Janelli is the Chief of Staff and Head of Impact at the Scratch Foundation, where she leads strategic initiatives to advance creative learning for young people worldwide. A learning scientist with more than two decades of experience at the intersection of education and digital media, Dr. Janelli has successfully designed and led innovative programs at some of New York City’s most esteemed cultural and educational institutions, including Columbia University, the American Museum of Natural History, and WNET, New York’s PBS station. Dr. Janelli holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Industry panel: IDC Platinum level sponsors in conversation with the audience
Panel length: 45 minutes
Panelists: The speakers of the IDC2025 Industry Panel are representatives of the Platinum Level Sponsors of the conference: Jennifer Rubin, Ph.D is the Principal Investigator of the Digital Technologies and Education Lab at foundry10, Satoshi Shigemi, Ph.D is the President of Honda Research Institute Japan.
Facilitators are the IDC2025 Sponsorship Chairs: Jason Yip (University of Washington – Seattle, USA) and Vicky Charisi (Harvard University, USA)
Goals: The Industry Panel of the ACM IDC2025 provides the attendees of the conference the opportunity to hear the views of leading figures in industry and organizations that actively support the field of designing tools for and with children. In addition, the attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the panelists by discussing emerging questions related to cutting edge technology for children and strategic collaborations between academia and industry.
Structure: The panel will start with a short introduction by the facilitators which will be followed by short presentations by the panelists. The facilitators will continue by engaging the panelists into a conversation about the role of industry and organization on the future of interaction design for children in the era of AI. The panel session will end with the interaction of the audience with the panelists and a reflection by the facilitators.
Jennifer Rubin, Ph.D is the Principal Investigator of the Digital Technologies and Education Lab at foundry10. She holds a dual Ph.D. in Psychology and Gender & Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan, where her research examined how new media technologies mirror, magnify, and complicate self-presentation strategies among youth. Prior to joining foundry10, Jennifer was a UX Researcher at Meta, where she led foundational research on content recommendation systems. Her work is driven by a passion for understanding how technological advancements—such as artificial intelligence and emerging digital communities—can enhance the ways we learn, connect, and collaborate.
Satoshi Shigemi, Ph.D is the President of Honda Research Institute Japan. He was project leader of ASIMO robot and currently, overseas AI research, aiming to create robots that significantly improve human societies.
Jason Yip, Ph.D is an Associate Professor at the Information School and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Human-Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington. His research examines how technologies can support parents and children learning together. He is the director of KidsTeam UW, an intergenerational group of children (ages 7 – 11) and researchers co-designing new technologies and learning activities for children, with children.
Vicky Charisi, Ph.D. is a Research Fellow at Harvard University, Berkman Klein Centre and an incoming Research Scientist at MIT, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. Her work focuses on (i) the impact of AI on child development, (ii) the design of age-appropriate AI systems for children’s well-being, and (iii) evidence-based policy support on AI and children’s rights. For the implementation of her work, Vicky collaborates with the HONDA Research Institute, Japan and with multiple international organizations, such as the UN, OECD and IEEE SA.