Accessible Digital and Physical Play Environments

Purpose and goal

The aim was 1.) to investigate design of accessible play environments outdoors and to 2.) complement the procurement support tools with an accessibility perspective. Two digital and physical play environments have been built in the municipality of Örebro with focus on accessibility in order to investigate how such environments can be designed for children with special needs. The toolkit with the aim of supporting procurers of play environments has been further developed to also give guidance in how procurers can analyze play environments from an accessibility perspective.

Expected results and effects

A play concept has been developed with a number of play products that provide sound and LED-light feedback to support differently abled children. The play concept has been designed so that an existing context can be enhanced with relatively small damage to the landscape. The aim is that vegetation, terrain and natural materials interplay with the physical and digital components to provide the nature play benefits in combination with digital play. The support for procurers facilitates analysis of existing play environment from an accessibility perspective and the planning of new ones.

Planned approach and implementation

The project concurrently performed a number of work packages. International and national experts have been engaged in dialogues about the project work, especially on aspects of play value. Contextual interviews have been performed with children. Iterativ interaction design and prototype development have been a central part of the project. Evaluations of play environments have been conducted with children at a kindergarten and with children with special needs. Procurement tools have been complemented with an accessibility focus. The results have been communicated to the public.

External links

Projektets webbplats: beställarstöd, publikationer som genererats i projektet samt webbsänd presentation.