Balancing the needs of children and adults in the design of technology for children

In the design of technology for children, many products hope to encourage ideal behavior. Goals or desired outcomes for children-oriented products, such as learning, exploration or self-expression, are often set by adults (e.g. parents, guardians, teachers). These adult goals are often considered alongside the goals and interests of children, but what happens when these are conflicting? It is common for technology creators to have to make choices that support or prioritize one set of goals over the other. In this workshop, we will be discussing real world case studies, as well as theoretical approaches used by researchers, designers, and academics to design technology for children between the ages of 5 and 14. The expected outcome of the workshop will be a set of principles to consider when balancing the needs of children and adults in the design of technology for children.

• Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization