Interdisciplinary Considerations when Designing for Children Play

Designing for children has received little attention in product design research. Multidisciplinary aspects play only a minor role in the search for high-value products that develop children in a sustainable way. Design for children usually builds on traditional design disciplines such as ergonomics and aesthetics. It mostly neglects research in fields such as psychology and pedagogy. Literature in these domains focuses on play, behaviour and the artistic development of children, but not on the objects that children interact with during play. This paper aims to make it easier for designers to get an overview of important topics to consider when designing for children as they need. There is a need among industrial designers for more applicable knowledge to be able to design products that not only encourage children’s creativity and imagination, but also take into account their needs. Additionally, the goal is to make this knowledge more applicable in the design process.Emphasizing the aimlessness of the process of playing, providing children with possibilities rather than solving problems will lead to a richer product experience.