This project delivers a series of product designs at various scales and in material combinations – it aims to encourage more interaction between people and their objects.
The project started by looking at parental paranoia and the creation of the 'cotton-wool kids' phenomenon. Many parents are obsessed about their children's safety, this fear is further exasperated by media reports of tragedies involving children. Children are discouraged to engage with other people or take risks in different activities. The project attempts to encourage interaction between people using specially designed products.
The exploration begun with the dying art of swinging children and developed into a project entitled 'swing arm' for parents to enjoy swinging games with their children. From this concept, products were developed involving the concept of active living, aiming to provide comfort and excitement to users of the products.
User input
Seven children were invited to play the game 'swing arm' with their parents. The interactions, enjoyment and excitement were captured on video. More prototypes were developed and through user testing the grip handle was made more effective for both children and parents.
Design output
Studies of materials were carried out, focussing on the contrast between soft and hard materials. As well as the 'hand-swing' (with a hard bottom and flexible handle), three unique products for active living were produced:
