Abstract

This research, following the participatory design tradition, explores the applicability of the cooperative inquiry approach (Druin 1999) to the design of a cartoon for young children. The research involved different design partners - researchers, authors of a cartoon production company and kindergarten children - during six design activity sessions carried out in a kindergarten setting. Through analysis of videotaped sessions, participants’ research journals, children’s interviews and questionnaires completed by the adults, the effectiveness of the cooperative inquiry approach for the elaboration of ideas for new cartoon episodes, the productiveness of the selected techniques and their benefits for both producer and children were verified. The research produced original stories made “for children, with children” (Druin 2005) to be transformed later into a quality cartoon that reflects the social interest and cultural experiences of the design partners.