Sixteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Children’s time spent in nature, especially those living in cities, has decreased dramatically. Nowadays, children spend most of their time interacting with digital technologies in various contexts: in school, at home, or outside. Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones enable children to use the affordances of digital technologies anywhere and anytime. Therefore, digital technologies have considerable potential to encourage children to go out, explore and interact with nature by combining the appeal of the technology with the ones of nature. However, designing digital tools to inspire interaction with nature requires understanding what currently motivates children to be in nature. This paper reports on a study that aims to explore these motivators and propose potential implications for digital tools to encourage children to spend more time in nature. Participants of the study consist of 14 children (8-12 years). The data were gathered through an online questionnaire that included open-ended and closed-ended questions and generative techniques, including drawing and photo shooting. Generative techniques were utilized to support children’s expression in different ways and provide them with an engaging and creative process. The findings of the study provide designers with main motivational factors which should be considered in designing digital technologies for encouraging children to go out and interact with nature. Moreover, the findings suggest potential applications for digital technologies as a source of inspiration.