Tool kit for Co-Design with Kids

The University of Baltimore’s Digital Whimsy Lab is proud to announce the release of our KidsTeam Co-Design Toolkit. This toolkit can aid design teams in the creation of co-design activities that enable children and adults to work together. Even though the original target audience was libaries and librarians, we think the content is a valuable resource for any team that wants to design with kids and aren’t sure where to start.

This tool kit is the culmination of five years of my work at UBalt and the most recent version was updated by Zoe Skinner as part of her MS in Interaction Design and Information Architecture.

In this tool kit, you’ll find information on:

• Why use co-design as a design method

• How to plan co-design sessions

• Best practices for co-designing with children

• Supplies you may need

• Techniques to use

• A really great additional reading list for deep dives into this method and philosophy

I hope you find this useful! As I mentioned, it was inspired by my work in Baltimore City’s Enoch Pratt Library to create inclusive and equitable co-design opportunites for kids who usually get overlooked. I’ve published several papers on inclusive design here:

• Children of Color’s Perceptions of Fairness in AI: An Exploration of Equitable and Inclusive Co-Design

• AI+ co-design: developing a novel computer-supported approach to inclusive design

• Towards equity and equality in American co-design: a case study

• Inclusive co-design within a three-dimensional game environment

Please let me know if you have any questions about the tool kit or need help in implementing co-design with children: greg [AT] gregwalsh [DOT] com