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ProgressivePlay: Interlude Project Statement

Progressive Play is the first phase of our senior capstone project. It challenges the current application of fundamental skills in the digital age. Today, forced visual stimulation is hindering children’s development of creativity, imagination and collaboration at an early age. Play transpires through all aspects of a child’s lives, connecting play and informal education will build upon early fundamental skills. The topic of visual education in the digital age looks to find design strategies that can inform a system for educational play. Play is important to creativity, creativity is important to education, and education is important to design.

Education systems such as Waldorf schools and the Montessori method are from the turn of the century, but are still very applicable to how educational systems could be structured today. Most notably, Friedrich Froebel’s invention of Kindergarten emphasized free self‐activity, creativity, social participation and motor expression. Some schools, such as the d.school in Stanford, California are already doing this. They use design thinking to inspire, foster collaboration, and tackle big projects. They even have a class called From Play to Innovation in which the focus is on enhancing the innovation process with playfulness. It investigates the human state of play and how important it is to creative thinking.

So, where is the fun after pre-school?

Interlude is a system within Progressive Play that focuses on the integration of play into the lives of adults as they go about their average workday. It is a series of design interventions that actively engages users in an environment that provides them with an outlet to connect play with informal education. Users will have an opportunity to spontaneously play, create, collaborate, inspire and innovate. The ultimate goal of Interlude is to encourage lightness in lifestyle.

Hey you, in the business suit!

Please take a minute to fill out our short survey to help us help you have more fun at work. When finished please e-mail to jackiestarker@gmail.com if you don't feel comfortable posting your answers as a comment on the blog.

Name


Age


What is your profession?


Where do you work?


How long have you been working there?


Describe your average day.


What type of work environment is it? (cubicle/studio/own office etc.)


How often do you attend meetings?


Describe the environment of your meetings (formal/informal/boring/fun etc.)


Name five objects you keep on your desk/workspace.


What do you do to unwind during work hours?


What do you do for fun at work?


How comfortable is your work chair?


Describe your lunch break (length/in office/go out)


How do you commute/how long is it?


Would you be willing to participate in further research? If so, please provide your contact information.

First Play Interventions

Connect the Dots Posters


Hallway Hopscotch

These play intervention tests are aimed to remind people of play, and its importance as well as getting people to spontaneously play for a brief moment during their day.

Play and Education

Fundamental Skills of a Toddler

Children begin to develop fundamental skills that are crucial to the rest of their development and education. By the time a child is a toddler they have developed a certain skill set through formal and informal education. Play is crucial to the development of these skills and is important to many aspects of everyone's life from childhood through full grown adult. Play offers a lot to the happiness and well being of any person.

progressivePlay Presentation

Progressive Playfinal

View more presentations from thomasrey.

This is our research presentation from the first phase of our senior industrial design project at University of the Arts.