Plaything with IntentPhD defense

Mark your calendar for Monday 9 October 2023 when Antonia C. Södergren will defend her PhD thesis with the title 'Plaything with Intent – a value-centred research methodology investigating intuitive play-led co-design practices for preschoolers'.

Programme for the day

13:00: Welcome / Associate Professor Sune Klok Gudiksen, Design School Kolding
13:05: Lecture / PhD student Antonia Clasina Södergren
13:45: Examination / Associate Professor Anne Louise Bang, VIA University College, Denmark, and Professor II, University of Southeast Norway, Norway
14:10: Break
14:30: Examination / Professor Panos Markopoulos, Eindhoven Technical University, Netherlands
15:00: Examination / Professor Helle Marie Skovbjerg, Design School Kolding (Chairperson)
15:30: Audience Comments
16:00: Closing Remarks / Associate Professor Sune Klok Gudiksen, Design School Kolding

The defense will be followed by a reception.

Please find us at our temporary address: Dyrehavevej 116, 6000 Kolding.

Summary 
Designers and researchers understand that incorporating children's perspectives in design projects can enhance creativity and innovation. However, involving preschool-aged children (ages 3-6) in research or design projects can be challenging for designers and researchers because they need to find ways to facilitate productive collaboration while accommodating the children's natural and unpredictable play expressions. This PhD project explored how young children's free choice of materials, processes, and interactions can inform the initial stages of design development.

The research project aimed to create a method for integrating preschoolers' sensorial play into the generative design process. A PwI (Plaything with Intent Methodology) was created that prioritises the age-related needs of preschoolers and natural ways of playing, while also encouraging a reflective approach in creating designs or processes for them. The PwI aims to promote autonomy and enjoyable intuitive play for young children in a preschool-friendly co-design process. This allows them to participate as independent designers of their own ideas. The ultimate goal of the PwI is to support the well-being and engagement of preschoolers without disrupting their self-initiated play activities.

This study has produced tools for researchers and designers to enhance their design practices, specifically for involving sensitive young participants in playful idea-generation processes. The study highlights the significance of defining 'intent' and proposes a new value-centered field in generative design research. This field centers on values and incorporates intuitive play-led designs and environments that prioritise participant well-being and autonomy, as well as research outcomes with specific, defined intent. The overall focus is on strengthening instinctive body-sensorial and socio-material connections through play, whilst generating valuable user experiences and research outcomes.