During the development of my prototypes, I realized that presenting separate activities was not enough. Each activity explored a different aspect of children’s experiences, but they did not naturally connect with one another.
Instead of treating them as individual prototypes, I started combining them into one participatory toolkit. The goal changed from asking isolated questions to guiding children through a simple design journey.
The toolkit now follows three connected steps;
First, children choose a material or playground element that they would like to include. They then select a feeling that best represents how this element should make them feel. Finally, they choose a type of play they associate with it. Rather than giving fixed answers, the activity encourages children to create their own combinations and explain their choices.
After completing these steps, children receive a blank sheet where they can use the selected cards as inspiration to draw or design their own playground.
Although the prototype is still low-fidelity, I think structuring the activities into one continuous process makes participation much more natural and easier for children.
