Welcome to the 7th Conference on Interaction Design for Children

Each day, we interact with hundreds of technological devices that help us organize our lives, achieve our goals, and indulge in our passions. For children today, technology is especially pervasive in all aspects of life. They learn and play using computers and other technological devices; as they grow, they build and maintain friendships using computers and mobile phones; they interact with one another virtually; and even find critical interpersonal support and therapy using computers, the internet and other technology-enhanced products.

Given the ubiquity of technology in children's lives, it is surprising that so few venues bring together those who are concerned with designing the technologies and the interactions with technology that are so important to children's lives. For this reason, IDC 2008 will bring together, in the diverse city of Chicago, an international community of researchers, educators, and industry professionals concerned with interaction design for children, in order to think outside the toybox.

The goals of the 2008 conference are to better understand children's needs, and how to design for them, by presenting and discussing the most innovative research in the field of interaction design for children, by exhibiting the most recent developments in design and design methodologies, and by gathering the leading minds in the field of interaction design for children - all in one place.

It is time to stop thinking of computers as the primary locus of technological design - this year we invite researchers to submit work on everything from cell phones to smart nailpolish, from infant programming tools to technological design competitions for teens. It is also time to stop thinking of "children" as a homogeneous group - this year we invite researchers to submit to a workshop on designing for children with special needs, and we invite researchers to submit workshop papers concerning interaction design for diverse groups of children (children from developing nations, very young children, race and ethnicity). Finally, this year we invite researchers to step outside the domains of learning and play, and to consider designing for civic involvement, for democracy, and for physical well-being.

Areas of Discussion

• Emerging technologies for children (e.g. innovative educational simulations, online games, accessible fabrication devices, mobile communications devices, wireless embedded technologies, sensors and actuators, smart materials, authoring / programming tools.)
• The impact technologies can have on children’s lives (e.g. in schools, homes, and public spaces.)
• New research methods that give children a voice in the design, development, and evaluation processes (e.g., participatory design methods, usability testing, design competitions and classes, innovative programming tools, etc.)
• Special pre-conference workshop on designing technologies for children with special needs.

This conference builds on the successes and high standards of the previous IDC conferences (IDC 2007 in Aalborg, Denmark, IDC 2006 in Tampere, Finland, IDC 2005 in Boulder, USA, IDC 2004 in Maryland, USA, IDC 2003 in Preston, UK and IDC 2002 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands).