Transforming Children’s Technologies through Developmentally Responsive Designs
Talk Title: “Transforming Children’s Technologies through Developmentally Responsive Designs” By Dr. Saba Kawas
Abstract
Today's computing technologies—from smartphones to wearables to embedded computing—impact how children learn, play, communicate, and interact with others. Popular media and common wisdom often portray technology use by children as detrimental to their growth and well-being. However, in recent years, much research evidence in child-computer interaction, health, and education suggests that well-designed interactive technologies can have developmental and positive benefits for children and young adults' well-being. The overarching goals of my research are to draw theoretically-driven and research-based design considerations to account for adolescents' and children's developmental needs and overall well-being when designing technologies for them and to support designers in creating developmentally responsive technologies for children and adolescents. In this talk, I will describe a series of research studies that identify children's developmental needs and co-designing with children and adolescents different systems and tools to support their health and well-being. Based on the findings from this work, I will discuss pathways to bridge the Child-Computer Interaction research-practice gap.
Biography
Saba Kawas is a Computing Innovation Fellow and a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Computer Science & Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests focus on studying the relationship between technology design and children and adolescents’ development, learning, and well-being. Her past research was funded by the Society for Research in Child Development–Jacobs Foundation Award and the University of Washington Innovation Award. She holds a master’s degree in Art and Design from North Carolina State University’s College of Design, a master’s in Human-Centered Design and Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Washington.