Unauthorized Play: Design Provocations for Children in Crisis

SOPHIE CARRILLO

UnAUthoRized PlAY DESIGN PROVOCATIONS FOR CHILDREN IN CRISIS

Unauthorized Play: Design Provocations for Children in Crisis MFA Thesis By Sophie Carrillo Miranda

Copyright Š 2019 by Sophie Carrillo Miranda All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

Typeset in Tubular, and Chevin Pro First printing: May 2019

School of Visual Arts MFA Products of Design 136 W 21st street New York, NY 10011

For inquiries, contact: scarrillomiranda@sva.edu To see more: www.sophiecarrillo.com

Written and Designed by Sophie Carrillo Miranda

Under the guidance of Allan Chochinov, Andrew Schloss, Jennifer Rittner and the faculty at the MFA in Products of Design

Edited by Jamie McGhee

LEV VYGOTSKY, MIND IN SOCIETY

“A CHILD'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS ARE POSSIBLE IN PLAY, ACHIEVEMENTS THAT TOMORROW WILL BECOME HER BASIC LEVEL OF REAL ACTION AND MORALITY.”

conTEnTS

INTRODUCTION How it started .............................................................................................................................. 3 Goals & objectives ...................................................................................................................... 9 Lexicon ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Childhood inequality in the world ....................................................................................... 13

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD The basics of play ..................................................................................................................... 21 Play deprivation ........................................................................................................................ 27 Play as a catalyst for equality .............................................................................................. 31 Design as connective tissue .................................................................................................. 41

CHAPTER 2: WHO AM I DESIGNING FOR Primary and secondary users profile ................................................................................ 45 Growing up in adversity ......................................................................................................... 49

CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT Expert interviews ..................................................................................................................... 53 Mighty Kids workshop ............................................................................................................. 61 Organizations and nonprofits .............................................................................................. 79

CHAPTER 4: PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS The immigration crisis ............................................................................................................ 83 Revolt, speculative toy design ............................................................................................ 91 Plausible futures ...................................................................................................................... 99 Rowdy, speculative smart device ...................................................................................... 105

conTEnTS

CHAPTER 5: PLAYING WITH FIRE Blip, time-out for parents ................................................................................................... 111 Kids with special needs and sensory sensitivity .......................................................... 115 Cue, therapeutic toy .............................................................................................................. 117 Parenting under a microscope ........................................................................................... 123 Reckless, service design ...................................................................................................... 125

CHAPTER 6: THE POLITICS OF PLAY Scout, music making app ..................................................................................................... 137 Gioca Daily, playset ................................................................................................................ 145

CHAPTER 7: PLAY ISN’T A LUXURY Play in the ordinary ............................................................................................................... 151 The Hidden Playground, experience design .................................................................. 153 Assumptions ............................................................................................................................. 159

CHAPTER 8: LOOKING FORWARD Final thoughts ........................................................................................................................ 163 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 165

APPENDIX Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 169

LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING

INTRODUCTION

PHOTO BY OSCAR RUIZ / PUBLICIS “ERASE THE DIFFERENCE”

INTRODUCTION

4

HOW IT STARTED I had the privilege of growing up in a country full of contrasts, contradictions, and even chaos. Most of the time, I find humor in this—I dare say I even feel proud and amused. However, there’s a particular issue I can’t seem to wrap my head around; this is inequality; the disparity of resources and opportunities.

As a society, Mexico is deeply classist, meaning that clear social structures have been built around money, looks, and power.

This reality is true not only for Mexico but also for most parts of the world.

For the past year, I’ve used my thesis as a way to reconcile my fascination with the creative process and design, with how I feel about participating in a system that has barred other people from resources. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an upper-middle- class setting that afforded me the opportunity to attend private schools, travel widely, choose from a wide range of amusements, and pursue all manner of possibilities.

At times, this privilege shielded me from others’ reality and even numbed my ability to see their struggles—at least until I was confronted by this reality a few years ago. While I had the opportunity to briefly volunteer for a governmental organization focused on academic readiness for at-risk children, the disparities completely shifted my perception of inequality. The organization was located in an underserved neighborhood 10 minutes away from my university, and even though they were in such close physical proximity, they inhabited two radically different worlds.

I was shocked to realize that the world is set up in such a way that getting out of adversity is extremely difficult, and all odds point to perpetuating inequality.

PHOTO BY OSCAR RUIZ / PUBLIC

CIS “ERASE THE DIFFERENCE”

INTRODUCTION

6

Chances are if you are growing up in a marginalized community you will be exposed to more hardship, like violence or poverty.

The longer exposed the most likely to continue through adulthood.

These children were facing poverty, mental health conditions, autism, neglect, and homelessness, among other hardships, and the resources and human power available at the center were not enough.

Since then, I’ve been unable to shake an immense feeling of guilt. I was studying design and exploring my love for creating products and services, and while I firmly believe that design has the power to create social change, at times it felt superfluous.

As I went on to work for a couple of years before returning to graduate school, these contradictions became a recurring thought.

Coming to the US has only made the disparities and contradictions more apparent, which has forced me to rethink what type of work I would like to do in the future. This year, I decided to make a change. Instead of creating more beautiful luxury objects, I resolved to have fun and devote myself to something I believed in and would love to spend my career doing. This is where my year-long exploration started.

EXAMPLES OF INEQUALITY IN MEXICO TOP IMAGE: REUTERS/EDGARD GARRIDO LOWER IMAGE: EL CAMPANARIO QUERETARO

INTRODUCTION

8

GOALS & OBJECTIVES After earning my undergraduate degree and working in design for three years, I started to question what I wanted to do in the long run. I was specializing mostly around luxury and lifestyle products, and while it was fun and incredibly challenging, I kept asking myself how could I redirect my work towards the path that got me interested in design in the first place. Design has the great potential to become an agent of change in education, healthcare, politics, finance—you name it. But could I pursue a career doing social impact work and still make a living? To do so, I needed to prepare myself to answer the many questions I had about design’s potential.

Could design become a disruptor in our current systems? And if so, could it help us move forward to a more just and inclusive future? Can it provide delight and joy without losing meaning or becoming frivolous? Can it increase access and amplify the voices of marginalized communities? These recurring questions eventually led me back to design school. One of the reasons I chose Products of Design was the school’s holistic and systemic approach to design; this thesis is the beginning of my exploration around those questions using the school’s methodology.

One of my personal goals for this thesis is to take risks, push conversations, and challenge existing systems. I want this thesis to be a gift to myself, allowing me to do work for the joy of it. From both an academic and a professional perspective, I’m looking to gain skills in the social innovation terrain while learning more about systemic thinking, policy, and design research. Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to indulge my maker side, working with my hands to create physical objects and advance my technical skills in the product development area.

INTRODUCTION

MAKING

EvERY TYPE OF DESIGn

NARRATIVES

STRUCTURES

DIAGRAM OF PRODUCTS OF DESIGN CURRICULUM

The goal of the interventions I produced for my thesis was to create impactful, relevant work that would help start conversations and intervene in the system of inequality, initiating small sustainable changes that could steer us towards a more just future in terms of access to opportunities and resources. I wanted my work to feel delightful, humorous, accessible, and playful. I view this thesis as the first step in exploring how design could help the children I met access more opportunities and achieve a higher quality of life.

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INTRODUCTION

PHOTO BY: BEN DUTTON

CHILDHOOD INEQUALITY IN THE WORLD Children are one of the world’s most vulnerable populations; they get little to no say in most of the decisions that will determine their futures. In many ways, the conditions they experience during their childhoods lay the groundwork for their entire lives, having long-lasting effects on everything from employment to mental health to overall quality of life.

POVERTY DURING CHILDHOOD

INCREASES BY 3 THE LIKELYHOOD OF BEING POOR IN ADULTHOOD

When the general public thinks about childhood inequality, it is easy to imagine it in the context of countries with high conflict and a scarcity of resources. We tend to see this as a distant problem with little relevance to wealthy countries. However, childhood inequality is present in any country, and it’s growing

50 MILLION

CHILDREN WORLDWIDE HAVE BEEN UPROOTED

exponentially across the globe; even rich and developing countries like the US are failing their children.

For my thesis, I’m examining inequality and adversity mainly within four categories: poverty, immigration, foster care, and education. These four categories are intertwined, as this is a large and complex issue with many moving and contributing

443,000 CHILDREN ARE IN FOSTER CARE IN THE US

factors. Below, I’ll give an overview of each category.

Poverty: Even though percentage of people in poverty is decreasing all over the world, the wage gap between extreme wealth and poverty is increasing at an alarming rate. According to UNICEF's Innoceti Report Card Fairness for Children, almost half of the world’s

ON AVERAGE, CHILDREN SPEND NEARLY

2 YEARS IN FOSTER CARE

wealthiest countries have an income gap higher than 50%. In some of these countries, as many as a quarter of children are living in poverty.

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Poverty: Child poverty increases the risk of unemployment and economic hardship in adulthood, as children who experience poverty during their childhood are three times more likely to be poor at age 30. The longer a child experiences being poor, the higher their risk for experiencing it in adulthood as well, which increases the likelihood of health problems and puts them in danger of falling into the criminal justice system.

According to the same report, 62 billionaires own the same amount of wealth as 3.5 billion people (who make up the world’s most impoverished population). In 2010 this wealth was held by 388 billionaires, and if the trend continues then by 2020 a handful of people will own half of the world’s wealth.

REUTERS PHOTO: DAVID MCNEW

INTRODUCTION

CBP FACILITY IN MCALLEN, TEXAS

Immigration: Over the past few years, we’ve seen an explosion of in news reports about uprooted children and about the prevalence of violence that has forced many families to look for a safer place to live. While population mobility has existed for as long as humanity has existed, increasing political, economic, and social hardship has driven migration up. A couple of years ago, the stories centered on refugee children in Europe; now attention has shifted to unaccompanied minors being separated from their parents at the US border.

The numbers of displaced children are shocking, but equally shocking is the effect that this displacement will have on their entire lives, as the children experience trauma not only from the place they are escaping but also from the journey and from the forced assimilation required to settle in their final destination. The fact that many of them are separated from their parents or families exacerbates the dangers they are exposed to, such as human trafficking, sexual assault, discrimination, violence and sadly the list goes on.

Fifty million children worldwide have been uprooted, including 28 million children forced to move due to conflict and violence. As for refugees and asylum seekers, one in every 200 is a child.

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INTRODUCTION

PHOTO BY: ANDREW SEAMAN

Foster care: Just like those trapped in poverty and those forced to immigrate, children in foster care are at a higher risk of getting left behind. The foster care system is a temporary living situation for children whose parents are unable, unwilling, or unfit to care for them; as it is meant to be temporary, it does not always end with adoption and half of the cases are reunited with their families.

According to the Children’s Rights Organization, nearly 443,000 children are in foster care in the United States alone. For a system with these astronomical numbers, the attention directed towards policy and funds seems to keep falling short. Children in the foster care system are often at risk of falling even further behind, exacerbating the hardship they are already living in. Research has shown that those who leave foster care without being linked to forever families have a higher likelihood of experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as adults.

On average, children spend nearly two years in foster care, and the majority of them are approximately eight years old. People of color are at higher risk be cause of the systems at play and historical marginalization; in 2017, one-third of children entering foster care were children of color.

Foster care: Not all foster care placement is the same: 45% of children are placed into non-relative foster family homes, 32% are placed in relative foster family homes, 1% run away, and the rest are divided into institutions and trial home visits.

According to the Adoption Council, the number of children in foster care has risen every year since 2012. This has been directly linked to the ongoing opioid crisis with an increase in cases due to neglect and drug abuse.

PHOTO BY: NEONBRAND

Education: School performance has been one of the global indicators to measure inequality; while the common assumption is that wealthier countries produce better academic performances than struggling countries, that’s not always the case. The US is one of those exceptions. Even though it is the most prosperous country in the world, it has the income gap and education performance of less wealthy countries because of the disparities in its education system.

Academic performance cannot be measured without taking into account that some children do worse at school because of circumstances beyond their control, including where they were born, the language they speak, their parents’ occpations, and even gender depending on the context in which they are growing up. These children enter the education system at a disadvantage and can drop further behind if policies and practices reinforce these differences.

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CHAPTER 1

UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

The basics of play Play deprivation Play as a catalyst for equality Design as connective tissue

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

THE BASICS OF PLAY Inequality have been an issue for many years.

field between advantaged and disadvantaged

While there’s no way to control or choose the

children, providing the latter with a set of skills

environment people are born in, there is potential

that would not only help them cope with reality

to changing the outcomes of adversity, helping

but also have the chance for a better future.

close these gaps rather than magnifying them.

Play as a tool for social change and equality

But what exactly is play, and why should it

is one of the most effective and radical ways to

matter for any purpose besides leisure? Play is

challenge disparity. Designers have the chance to

a natural phenomenon as essential as sleep. But

intervene in the system by creating intentional

even though it’s a universal concept experienced

opportunities to engage in play.

by all to varying degrees, it turns out that we as a society know little about its vital role in

Play is a powerful catalyst for positive social

human experience.

change; it is a universal training in trust. The belief that one is safe with another or in any situation is formed over time during regular play, as we test boundaries and learn to construct a world together, conforming to social constructs.

Trust is the basis of intimacy, cooperation, creativity, and successful work. Through play, a young child creates their sense of self and of others. Making sense of the world, its parts, and one’s particular place in it are central aspects

At its purest level, it contains the core of our humanity, including how we learn to trust one another, create cultural norms, cope with stress, develop new ideas, shape and reshape our future, and even empathize.

of early development. Unfortunately, as essential as play is, not all children have equal opportunities for it; when basic survival demands

During play, we learn about self-regulation,

that one stretch resources over many days

curiosity, perseverance, mastery, and optimism.

and work hard to avoid violent and abusive

To understand what makes it so important, it’s

situations, play isn’t even part of the equation.

crucial to learn what it is—and the consequences

This is tragic, given that play helps leverage the

when it’s stripped away.

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Play has many definitions, but the ones I found most comprehensive are as follows: Play is integral to children’s lives, not only to entertain or pass the time but as an essential way to learn. In Homo Ludens, Johan Huizinga defined it as “a free activity standing quite consciously outside ‘ordinary’ life as being ‘not serious,’ but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is an activity connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained by it. It proceeds within its proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner.” For children living in what could be called ordinary conditions, opportunities for play are many and varied. But for children living in crisis, opportunities for play are replaced by the need to survive, robbing children of the chance to immerse themselves in worlds of their own creation, a process that is essential to making sense of their reality.

For children often confronted with instability and uncertainty, play works as a coping mechanism to understand their living situations and provide structure and agency, even if only for a moment. In his essay “The Role of Play in Development,” Lev Vygotsky defines plays as an activity that is “desired” by the child, always involves an imaginary situation, and always has rules (even if they are only in the minds of the players). While play is a free activity that at times seems to have no boundaries, rules are an essential aspect of it; play is where we create our social contracts and gain a deeper understanding of what is acceptable behavior in our particular community.

In the Handbook of Child Psychology, Kenneth Rubin characterizes play as behavior that is intrinsically motivated, focused on means rather than ends, distinct from exploratory behavior, nonliteral, free from externally imposed rules, and actively engaged in by the players. While play is free from externally imposed rules, it does follow the rules dictated and agreed upon by its participants.

However, a key aspect of play is that it is motivated from within; this is how children gain confidence and autonomy. Play gives children, particularly those who have little control over their own environments, a sense of power and agency.

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

INSIGHTS DIAGRAM

24

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

When we think about play, we think about toys. However, play also

Synthesizing all of these definitions, I define play as a self-chosen and self-directed activity, motivated from within and following a set of mentally constructed rules agreed upon for the duration of play. It is done in a state of awareness while tapping into one’s subconscious and imagination. It is a way of modifying one’s environment/ objects into a more pleasant state.

encompasses our relationship with our environment and how we use objects to modify it. As Ian Bogost explains in Play Anything, it is more about our relationship with things, ironoia (the mistrust of things), paying close attention to our surroundings, and interacting with the outside. “Play is a way of operating a constrained system in a gratifying way.” During play we learn how to make the most of what we have, using scarcity as a material for creation and delight.

One of the most important aspects of play is that it allows participants a choice, a voice, and total control of what to do or what not to do

wHY IT mATTERS?

(freedom to quit). This is not only true in solo-play but also in groups. Even when there’s a leader, the leader can only do at the will of others. During play we construct an imaginary version of the world, except in the world of

1. TRUST Feeling safe with one another.

play there’s power and agency to speak up and make changes.

2. SELF- REGULATION

In play, the means are more important than the

Control impulses and abide by social rules.

end. Because rewards are not the focus, trophies and victory don’t matter as much. Even though play is self-directed and dependent upon free will, it is still bound to structure or rules. Play needs constraints, rules, and limits to be considered play, even if these limitations exist only in the participant’s minds. Rules in

3. COPE WITH STRESS Test limits, replay reality to cope with it.

play provide structure and boundaries for our actions, but they do not dictate how we will act.

According to Vygotsky, play is how children learn to control their impulses and abide by

4. MORAL COMPASS Learning what the community considers good or bad.

socially agreed-upon rules. Essentially, play is how we learn how to behave in our communities; it is the space where we define “good” and “bad.” So, what would happen if we are not allowed to play?

Is that even possible?

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CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

PLAY DEPRIVATION Given how essential play is to our development not only as individuals but also as a society, I wondered whether all the concerns about how kids were losing time to play where mere exaggerations or grounded in real risks. What would the consequences be? Several studies investigate the outco-

From these stories, four essential elements of play emerged:

mes of play deprivation, where play is not

1. Opportunities for playing:

considered essential to survival. During my

freedom to engage and

research, I began to wonder if it was even

explore their surroundings.

possible to be deprived of play, as I found a couple of researchers and case studies pointing out how children living in war zones and abusive orphanages manage to overcome their realities through play.

2. Loose parts toys and games: objects that can be manipulated, attach symbolic traits.

3. Resilience: the mental capacity to understand oneself, others and

In Becky Wilans’ research about children’s play during World War II, she explains how even though they experienced destruction and devastation, they still had periods of

one’s place in the world.

4. Risk: the ability to interact with and modify the environment.

free play to do as they pleased. They were allowed to construct their world, test their limits, and replay their realities in order to make sense of it. The small- scale study interviewed five participants who were children during the war and lived in the most violent and devastated areas.

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CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

“Children with any shred of childhood left to them play, and they play what they know.” During World War II, children used to play as a way to gain control of the world they live in, replaying events from conflict. It was a coping mechanism helping children regulate emotions, respond to stress, be open to change and novelty, relate to peers, handle uncertainty and find enjoyment.

In a study of Roma children (chronically abandoned and abused children living in Romanian orphanages) by Fraser Brown, researchers tracked the changes in behavior and development in children who lived at Romanian orphanages, where they were tied all day, forced to live in poor sanitary conditions, and o verall completely neglected. Brown used to play to rehabilitate these children; his team would untie them and play with them for a couple of hours, while leaving the rest of their schedules intact, meaning that children still spent the rest of the day tied and lived in the same precarious conditions as before. Brown noticed a remarkable change in their behavior. Before, children would rock on a chair, staring blankly into the horizon. They would not talk, and they’d have problems walking. However, after their intervention, children would talk, laugh, and play even when researchers were not around.

“Play is the glue that binds us together, as it is how we understand social rituals, learn how to interact, build trust and develop resilience.

When it is the least appropriate time to play, it might be the most urgent.”

Isabel Behncke-Izquierdo, primatologist at University of Oxford

CHILDREN DURING WORLD WAR 2

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CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

32

PLAY AS A CATALYST FOR EQUALITY Not all children have equal opportunity for play,

are part of a spontaneous play and that

and the consequences later in life will exacerbate

prepare individuals to cope with life stress.

the inequality they are living in; as if it wasn’t

Some researchers even believe play can act

already difficult enough to bridge this gap,

as an antidote to violence. Innovativeness,

lacking the abilities that play provides makes it

good humor, irony, and not taking oneself too

even harder. When children are constantly exposed

seriously are by-products of a playful heritage.

to stress even for a short period, it alters their brain development and capacity to play. Over time,

The adverse effects of play deprivation include

those hormones can start killing off neurons,

a decrease in brain and muscle fiber, as well

causing both short and long-term consequences

as a reduction in communication, problem-

that may lead to learning and behavioral problems,

solving, and social skills. Children denied play

as well as physical and mental health issues.

found themselves at greater risk for aggressive behaviors, depression, and obesity, and

Poverty and inaccessible play opportunities are

they often experienced a loss of electrical

often associated with high crime rates, gang

brain activity .

membership, and violence later on. Severe and sustained play deprivation has been linked to

While several researchers are investigating

homicidal males and drunken drivers; long-term

how play can help disadvantaged children,

research conducted into the lives of children who

many of them agree that not enough research

experienced play deprivation found a preference

and resources have been allocated to the topic.

for violent, antisocial and criminal activities;

We are still trying to figure out play, and many

parenting practices that discourage autonomy and

of the studies conducted are very recent.

self-directed play in their own children; narcissism;

Luckily, several papers and studies are

and less altruism and empathy.

beginning to cover this is, two of the most comprehensive ones being “The Case for Play”

Several studies done on homicidal males concluded

and “The Learning Through Play Whitepaper”

that a lifelong lack of play stripped them of

by the Lego Foundation. Both of them

opportunities to learn optimism, test alternatives,

highlight the importance of understanding play

or acquire the social skills that

as a spectrum of interactions rather than as

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

a set activity. Different types of play can provide different benefits, especially for children in disadvantaged conditions, and it is necessary to understand how adult guidance or intervention can change play dynamics.

Many of these papers agree on how badly we misunderstand learning and what education should look like. Education, especially in areas of low socioeconomic background, place more emphasis on obedience than on agency and self-motivation.

According to “Learning Through Play,” a review of evidence by the Lego foundation (2017) An ordinary and almost universal game like hideand-seek helps kids manage their feelings about the unknown, as well as understand what other people know and see. Play provides us with the skills needed to work as a society that recognizes and values each other’s needs, feelings and points of view, but most importantly it teaches us how to react to everyday obstacles. Formal schooling doesn’t go far beyond the facts and data. When the unpredictable happens, many of the abilities we’ve learned through play kick-in, allowing us to strategize, negotiate, and cope with the world.

Play provides us with real-world experience and an understanding of the possible consequences of our decisions.

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A great example of the friction and differences

“Learning Through Play,” the whitepaper by

between the educational system and play is

the Lego Foundation, became without a doubt

summarized by this quote from Adam Rutherford,

one of the pillars of my research. Some of the

science writer and Rufus Hound comedian,

main points in the paper were the following: - Research suggests that playful learning experiences are particularly powerful for

"We don't teach kids about uncertainty in schools. It should be the absolute bedrock of what we teach childrenhow we come to know and how we describe reality. We teach the exact opposite.”

the development of key traits such as confidence, focus, and attention; the curiosity and motivation to seek out new opportunities and information; the willingness to take risks; and a love of learning, among others.

- A playful learning experience must be social, iterative, joyful, meaningful, and

Children also use play to test out hypotheses and

actively engaging.

explore unknowns. In a study conducted by Schulz

- Child agency must be encouraged

& Bonawitz in 2007, preschool children observed

for children to experience play and its

the demonstration of a toy. Some of the children

benefits, but that doesn't mean neglect.

observed a demonstration in which the causal structure was unclear. Two buttons were pressed simultaneously, and two effects occurred.

The other children observed a demonstration that made it clear how the toy worked. Each button was pressed separately, leading to two distinct outcomes. Children who viewed the ambiguous demonstration spent more time playing with the toy, whereas children who viewed the clear demonstration chose to play with a different toy.

When children are allowed to figure things out, test, and iterate, not only is play more enjoyable but what they get out of it is also much more valuable.

In “The Case for Play,” researchers compared how children living in adverse environments did later in life, tracking two controlled groups in longitudinal studies (20-40 years). The first group focused on school readiness and academic performance, while the second group was given more play opportunities.

The group with play opportunities had significantly better salaries and job titles. They were even healthier, with lower obesity and addiction rates.

These results demonstrate play’s essential role in child development and the outcomes later in life.

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

PHOTO BY: ALARIC SIM

Play is an excellent practice for children to test themselves, push limits, and take risks within a safe and almost consequence free environment. It's like a trial period for adulthood.

36

THE PLAY SPECTRUM

Risky

Free play

Children lead

DIAGRAM OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PLAY

Guided play

Games

Co-opt

ted play

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

Conventional

Playful instruction

Direct instruction

Adult lead

38

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

Children with more play opportunities can

For kids growing up in adverse environments,

increase their earnings by 42% and become

learning how to test out hypotheses and

nine times more employable than those

control their emotions becomes critical skills to

without. While kids with a focus on academic

thrive even in the direst of contexts, not only

success do well for a while, eventually they

to escape the poverty cycle but also to develop

plateau because they don’t develop the soft

as healthy adults both mentally and emotionally.

skills and resilience play provides.

Being comfortable with ambiguity and having agency and independence to make their own

Even though play is essential for all kids,

decisions play a huge part in how they will be

regardless of demographics or socioeconomic

able to handle themselves in the future.

status, it becomes much more urgent for kids from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Their families are often pressed to make ends meet:

“It’s exhausting to be a parent in any circumstance, but it’s much more exhausting to be a parent when you don’t have the resources that other families have” Ley William

This kind of stress leaves parents with very little energy to plan out games or positive interactions, especially if fostering school readiness seems to be the proven path to providing their kids with tools for success in the real world.

PHOTO BY: VICTORIA KUBIAKI

40

DESIGN AS CONNECTIVE TISSUE So, what does design have to do

workshops, events, and proto-

with all of this? Well, I believe

types, and has also enabled me

design works as a middle man,

to provoke conversations using

combining systemic and strategic

speculative design, forecasting,

thinking with making.

and imagining dystopic and utopic futures.

Design takes advantage of overlooked opportunities to create

My exploration focuses on more

interventions that can catalyze

than just design as a creator of

change, start conversations, or

products; it touches on every

shed light on otherwise invisible

type of design, from areas like

interactions. To do this, I was

graphic and interaction design

guided by the Products of Design

to broader concepts such as

methodologies, which embrace

services and social enterprises.

holistic thinking about design,

This thesis also served as a way

focusing not only on immediate

of understanding my own crea-

results but also on long-term

tive approach and point of view,

consequences and access.

allowing me to use the school’s methodologies as a foundation

My thesis design has enabled

to develop my unique

me to explore various research

voice in design.

questions through ethnographic tools such as interviews,

CHAPTER 1: UNDERSTANDING THE PLAYFIELD

42

CHAPTER 2

WHO AM I DESIGNING FOR

Primary and secondary users Growing up in adversity

USER PROFILE Part of my exploration was understanding whom I was designing for. Was I focusing solely on children, or were parents and caregivers my ultimate users, as they are the decision makers? Conversely, should I be targeting schools, organizations, and policymakers to maximize the impact?

Throughout the process, I went back and forth on these questions but eventually realized that all of them are, in one way or another, my user; however, this thesis is centered on the child. Most of the work that follows is devoted to giving the child agency and power in situations where they currently have very little control. An important distinction to make is that I’ll be focusing on the US.

CHAPTER 2: WHO AM I DESIGNING FOR

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CHAPTER 2: WHO AM I DESIGNING FOR

GROWING UP IN ADVERSITY Children between the ages of 5 and 12 are developing many of their adult traits and skills. During this stage, they develop imagination and memory; come to understand things symbolically; learn to grasp the concept of past, present, and future; and become aware of external events and the feelings of others.

Many of these cognitive milestones are in jeopardy when children experience toxic stress or prolonged hardship. Play can intervene in environmental threats as a shield that helps children make sense of and deal with this hardship.

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CHAPTER 2: WHO AM I DESIGNING FOR

GROWING UP IN ADVERSITY This thesis’ primary users are children

to remain invisible to the system because

between the ages of 5 -12 years old, who are

someone in their family is an undocumented

growing up in underprivileged and adverse

immigrant. For children entering the foster

environments. An adverse environment can

care or the judicial system, their relations-

take many shapes, and it’s often wicked and

hip with the world gets completely switched;

complex, with several obstacles that amplify

they don’t necessarily have a reliable or

each other’s effects.

caring adult to count on, making them more susceptible to abuse, homelessness, drug

Some of the environments I encountered are

abuse, and mental illness. These kids tend

as follows: children who are first generation

to fall through the cracks when no one is

and second generation immigrants, children

watching out for them, and the longer they

who are growing up in low-income families

experience these hardships the less likely

struggling with access, children with learning

they are to come out.

disabilities or who had been diagnosed with autism, children who are about to enter the

Children diagnosed with autism and learning

judicial/foster care system, and children

disabilities might or might not have the

fleeing violence, to name a few.

same economic challenges that kids in the other categories have. However, this is

The majority of these children are minorities.

compounded by a lack of access to resources

Many of these kids get saddled with adult

in almost every sphere of life. Take the

responsibilities and chores at a very young

education system, for example.Schools aren’t

age, limiting their time to play.

set up to meet their needs, and the few that are, are hard to access. These children are

First and second generation immigrants

basically fighting the system every day.

often bear the responsibility of acting as a translator for parents who don’t speak English.

Some are struggling to gain access to resources and education while managing

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CHAPTER 3

REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

Expert interviews Mighty Kids workshop Organizations and nonprofits Insights

CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

A FEW OF THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS I TALKED TO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

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“Play is a direct reflection of our environment; through it, we relive our reality as a way to make sense of it.

That’s why play isn’t always positive or happy; sometimes it’s dark and fatalistic.”

“It’s hard to argue for play at school because it looks entirely different from our mental model of what education should look like. We are used to silence and obedience, and play is the complete opposite.”

“Parents ans teachers are aware of the benefits, but lack support and time to implement play.”

CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

“IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE QUALITY PLAY MATERIALS, SOMETIMES WHAT PARENTS AND TEACHERS REALLY NEED IS INSPIRATION FOR PLAY.” Hanne Jensen

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

“There’s still a lot of value in adult-child play, as this is how they learn how to navigate the world and have conversations about it.”

“It’s hard to argue for play at school because it looks entirely different from our mental model of what education should look like. We are used to silence and obedience, and play is the complete opposite.”

“Think of it as an ON-OFF switch, whenever there’s a threat your brain activates the flight or fight response.

Toxic stress can change how the brain works, making survival mode permanent.”

“THE CONSEQUENCES OF PLAY DEPRIVATION ARE SUBTLE; THEY MIGHT NOT BE OBVIOUS, THEY AREQUIET AND POLITE. STILL, THEY ARE TERRIFYING. LUCKILY CHILDREN ARE VERY RESILIENT AND MALLEABLE” Morgan Leithcher

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

MIGHTY KIDS WORKSHOP After conducting desk research and talking to several subject matter experts, it was time to engage with the primary users: children. During my previous analysis, I learned that an essential benefit of play is that it provides us with agency and choice, which caused me to wonder —when are kids feeling most empowered and why?

Are there particular spaces and situations when they are more willing to embrace risk? Could I foster confidence and agency through design?

How can I increase kids’ sense of power and create design interventions to provide them with more choices? To answer these questions, I sought to better nderstand children’s motivations, needs, and interests.

On December 1st, 2018 - I facilitated a co-creation workshop titled Mighty Kids to further explore the questions above.

Participants included five children from different socioeconomic backgrounds, with ages ranging from 5 to 13 years old.

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

Mighty Kids consisted of children creating their own superheroes and then developing stories for their superheroes to help them overcome adversity in their lives. The idea was to have children imagine a fearless and powerful representation of themselves, free of limits, a hero who had the power that children lacked to change their circumstances.

The 2-hour workshop was divided into three sections: - Create your own superhero.

- Make a tool for your friend’s superhero.

- Create a story for your superhero to help you with anything in your life.

Kids were given crayons and worksheets to fill out. For the first section, they had the opportunity to choose between drawing their superhero or making them a mask. Each section was divided into two tasks, creating and sharing. For the former, children were prompted to draw, and for the latter, children were prompted to share their creation with the group and contextualize their intentions.

At the beginning, kids were hesitant to participate and the group started quiet and shy; because they knew neither each other nor me, it took a while to get started. Once they introduced themselves and started the activities, they felt comfortable talking and sharing their drawings.

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

The first section, create your superhero, intended to get kids to develop an alter ego that they perceived as invincible. For this part, kids could decide between drawing their superhero or making a felt mask. Regardless of what option they chose, each would name their character and give that character two powers they thought would make them invincible. During this part, some kids had trouble creating a superhero from scratch, so they used their favorite pop culture characters as inspiration, constantly checking their characters on their phones. In regard to powers and name, they were prompted to think about a power they wish they had.

Kids created superheroes who could conquer things they felt unsure of. One child disliked water because of his inability to swim, so his superhero lived underwater. Another gave his character laser vision, explaining she didn’t want to wear her glasses anymore. After sharing what they created, many participants made edits based on the discussions they had with each other about their fears and how can their alter egos could conquer those fears.

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

The next section required kids to collaborate.

something they were proud of and emotiona-

They had to exchange superheroes and draw

lly attached to made most of them anxious,

a tool for each other that would amplify their

and some clearly felt paralyzed by the loss

superhero’s powers. This activity was meant

of control. Once they shared what they drew

to see how they would react to losing control

for each other, this feeling went away.

and how willing they were to take risks. This

Children participated more enthusiastically

made most of them very uncomfortable; they

and felt empowered to not only speak up

kept trying to peek at what their partners

but also to play and share ideas about what

were drawing, almost supervising each other.

makes a superhero powerful.

When they finally shared their creations, their reservations gave way to excitement, and they wanted to keep making objects for

For the final section, kids had to create a

each other’s characters — the tools they

comic where their superheroes would come

devised for each other answered the

to the rescue and help them with any problem

fears they had previously shared.

they were having in their lives.For example, one kid struggled with his homework because he didn’t understand what was

After this section, participants’ behavior

going on in class, and his superhero helped

shifted. Sections one and two look like a

him read mind to understand what the

before-and-after photograph. During

teacher was trying to communicate. Most

the first part, creating superheroes that

children took a while to identify what issues

resembled themselves came quite easily, and

they were facing; it took more priming on

although some children struggled to draw

my part to facilitate this. After introducing

and turned to the internet for inspiration,

several examples of how their superheroes

the ideas were there and they felt

could help me with hypothetical problems,

comfortable talking about their creations.

participants went to town, devising countless

However, when the second section required

ways that their own superheroes—and even

them to switch characters with each other,

each other’s superheroes—could help.

the idea of having to surrender control of

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

While the workshop uncovered key insights that informed much of the work I did throughout the year, it had many shortcomings and a flawed methodology. Misled by my biases, I entered it with a naive perspective about how smooth and linear the workshop was going to be.

To be completely transparent, the most valuable insights were gained from talking with the kids after the workshop ended and we were waiting for their parents to pick them up. However, I believe the workshop was the reason they felt so comfortable around me, and I think it served as a prelude to the conversations we had after.

That said, I recognize that the methodology used to execute Mighty Kids was a product of my biases and a lack of understanding of who my users are and the state they’re at in their lives. Throughout the workshop, I continually course corrected to adjust the time set for different activities and the way each kid approach each section as some needed more guidance. After it, I gained a much better sense of who am I designing for and what their fears, needs, and motivations are.

If I were to repeat the workshop, I would change how I approached the activities. I would provide kids with more examples and have another person facilitate the workshop so I could observe and listen.

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

THE TAKEAWAYS After the workshop, I realized that the most valuable takeaways came from my conversations with children and parents, not from the activities per se, although they served as an icebreaker. Two of the children had learning disabilities, and one of their parents was recently out of work because of an injury. Understandably, these two kids were on edge. At the beginning of the workshop, it was hard to communicate with them because they seemed disconnected. What I learned later was they were feeling overwhelmed by all these new people and unfamiliar places. This initiated the question of how I could help children communicate when they’re feeling overwhelmed by the environment. Are there alternative methods of communication for children who don’t feel comfortable or can’t express their emotions? I will dive deeper into these interrogations with some of my work.

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

BEFORE THE WORKSHOP In preparation for the workshop, I initially reached out to several organizations that could help me invite participants within my target user parameters, as opposed to hosting a workshop with a large general population of children. While their response was great, the timing and logistics of it were far more complicated than I had envisioned.

As Victoria Berrios from the Lower East Side Family Union pointed out, families at risk are hard to reach because they are struggling to get from one day to another.

LESFU conducts workshops all the time, and the attendance rate is incredibly low. With this in mind, I redirected my efforts and modified the way I was imagining the workshop. Her response was a reality check of how little I knew. While I was lucky enough to have a couple of organizations interested in the project, I learned that reaching out to my target audience would require a better understanding of their reality, as well as careful planning and patience—a lesson that I learned from hosting the workshop three times with two of them not having any attendees.

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CHAPTER 3: REAL WORLD ENGAGEMENT

ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS For the past year, I had the privilege

caravan. While I only had the opportunity

of being in contact with several organiza-

to attend a few meetings, hearing from

tions and nonprofits; their help was crucial

the other volunteers, many of whom were

in understanding my primary users and

doing other work related to children’s

the context they are growing up in,

rights, was incredibly inspiring.

as well how important it is to explore other scales, particularly around policy and education. I was able to share the work I was developing and periodically

DREAM ORG

ask questions to receive feedback on my design responses.

This Harlem-based organization focuses on giving children access to education and opportunities through play. They’ve

UNICEF UNITE

used baseball, afterschool programs, and tutoring as tools to help kids reach their

I had the amazing opportunity to

potential. DREAM’s goals are to increase

volunteer with UNICEF Unite, a chapter

kids’ access to better colleges, help them

of volunteers within UNICEF (United

to develop resilience, and impart to them

Nations International Children’s

the skills to pursue better opportunities.

Emergency Fund). The group meets once

Since the program began, the number of

a month to strategize about how to

kids entering gangs and participating in

increase awareness around children’s

violence has declined significantly,

rights, such as by encouraging people

serving over 2,500 kids.

to sign the petition for the US to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child or to shed light on the conditions of immigrant children traveling with the

LESFU The organization provides resources, workshops, and the help of social workers and other experts to families at risk.

Here, “at risk� includes facing poverty, experiencing homelessness, potentially having their parental rights revoked, running from domestic violence, etc.

I had the opportunity to talk to several people within the organization and gather their input about what worked for them, what hasn’t worked, and how I should structure and conceptualize of both my work and user.

BCS Brooklyn Community Services helps families at risk by providing spaces, events, and assistance to families, seniors, and immigrants. I was lucky enough to be able to collaborate with them in one of the projects I worked on this year. In chapter 7, I will go more in depth about the collaboration and the project itself.

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CHAPTER 4

PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

The immigration crisis Revolt, speculative toy design Plausible futures Rowdy, speculative smart device

CHAPTER 4: PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

THE IMMIGRATION CRISIS Immigration is a social phenomenon that

As author Valeria Luiselli frames it, the

has shaped human history since the beginning of

attention that undocumented immigrant

civilization. However, globally, are now encoun-

kids receive is directly related to their country

tering one of the biggest immigration crises ever

of origin and their race.

seen—it boiled up at the start of the Syrian war and exploded in 2014 when the US declared an immigration crisis that is still in play today with the zero tolerance policy and the migrant caravan.

According to UNICEF’s 2018 Uprooted report, nearly 50 million children have migrated or been forcibly displaced. Of those, 28 million were fleeing violence and insecurity. The numbers seem to be growing dramatically, as the amount of child refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) mandate has more than doubled in just ten years.

While news coverage of the increasing number of uprooted children has been blown out of proportion to generate hysteria and target political action, the context these children are growing up in and the things they encounter— not only before and during their journey but also once they reach their destination—

“A couple of newspapers announced the arrival of the undocumented children just as if it was a biblical plague. Watch out! The lobsters are coming!

They will cover the face of the earth until nothing is left— these threatening children of brown skin, slanted eyes, and dark hair will fall from the sky over our roofs, cars and fresh-cut grass. They’ll invade our schools and churches and bring disease, chaos and the dirt under their nails. They endanger our future and if we let them stay they will multiply.

We read the newspaper and can’t help but think, would it be different if they came from ‘better’ nationalities, and different races?

should be addressed.

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CHAPTER 4: PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

During the summer of 2018, I went back to

These experiences cause enduring traumas,

Mexico; this was around the time when the zero-

which are magnified when children get separated

tolerance policy had separated approximately

from their families. The toxic stress that these

2,300 kids from their parents. It was during this

children face can change the way their brains

period that I started to look more deeply into

are wired, training them to permanently live

immigration and how play can work as a catalyst

in flight or fight mode. Fight or flight is a great

for equality. I couldn’t help but think about how

response when confronted with threats, and

closely it could apply to these specific scenarios—

it helps them survive their journeys. However,

feeling personally motivated to understand their

when it becomes permanent, it diminishes the

reality and how they could access more

brain’s ability to plan and regulate emotions,

opportunities, I further researched immigration

and it increases cortisol levels—leading to

and their experiences.

violence and even physical and mental conditions.

The following project was deeply inspired by Valeria Luiselli´s book, Tell Me How It Ends: An

Uprooted children are often forced to grow

Essay in 40 Questions, in which she narrates her

up faster, with very few opportunities to play.

encounters as a legal interpreter for immigrant

Play can serve as a coping mechanism, a buffer

kids, walking through the questionnaire that

against uncertainty, arming them with the

immigrant children go through in order to assess

resilience needed to not only survive but to thrive

their eligibility for legal representation.

and develop into happier and wholesome adults.

Luiselli’s book got me thinking about children encountering all these new situations and how

In the book, Luiselli explains how hard it is

many of their stories are never shared.

to piece together children’s stories during the

As a result, their stories are easy to ignore.

questionnaire. “Their stories come in fragments, out of order, filled with interference as if they were stuttering.” She states that their lives are so broken and devastating that sometimes it’s impossible to conceive of a logical narrative tying them together.

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CHAPTER 4: PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

VALERIA LUISELLI, TELL ME HOW IT ENDS: AN ESSAY IN 40 QUESTIONS

“And perhaps the only way to grant any justice—were that even possible—is by hearing and recording those stories over and over again so that they come back, always, to haunt and shame us. Because being aware of what is happening in our era and choosing to do nothing about it has become unacceptable.”

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REVOLT, SPECULATIVE TOY DESIGN After learning about the immigration crisis,

The pendant toy allows children to turn on

I designed a toy to provoke conversations

their superpower and confront new power

around the many challenges these kids are

dynamics by metaphorically reversing

facing. I’m mainly targeting the moment

authority roles.

new power figures enter their lives—and how they make sense of these unfamiliar

This helps children challenge authority, test

hierarchies and power structures.

their limits, and safely release anger.

Revolt is a speculative design project whose

Once confronted with these new authority

sole purpose is to prompt conversations

figures, children spin the necklace to signify

around the importance of play, especially for

a change in roles, playing out a scenario

children in adverse environments: uprooted

where they have more control of the situa-

children who are about to be confronted by

tion. When the kid turns Revolt, there’s a

new authority figures, who are facing an

visual change (just like in the bird in a cage

immigration officer or who are going into the

experiment), with two different images on

foster system about to meet a social worker.

each side. Making sense of all these changes can be overwhelming and traumatic.

While Revolt won’t change the situation they

Contrary to popular belief, a key aspect of

are in, this small interaction helps them

play, and one of the main reasons it helps

feel more in control on an emotional level,

us cope with adversity, is that it’s not always

by playing out the situation differently

happy and positive. Sometimes, play is dark,

and coping through play. The toy allows

mean, and fatalistic. It’s precisely in those

children to transform into the power

phases that it helps us make sense of what’s

figure through roleplay.

happening, that it lets us explore different outcomes and strategies in an abstract— and, more importantly, safe—world.

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I designed Revolt as a fictional provocation that takes place in an imaginary world where children could wear this pendant without it getting taken away.

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96

To have a broader engagement, I developed a speculative brand and campaign for the toy. The brand would amplify the product’s message and shed light on their situation.

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PLAUSIBLE FUTURES Thinking about where we are, I envisioned

much. We are prioritizing the skills that make

two fictional futures for the year 2075. For one,

people work better as a community that cares

I focused on what could happen if play occupied

for each other. So empathy, resilience, curiosity,

a leading role, and for the second one, I imagined

and self-control have taken the spotlight.Our

how things could go wrong.

education system is no longer measured by how high a child scores or how well that child follows a set of arbitrary rules predicated

UTOPIA

on staying quiet, being obedient, and not challenging what they are learning. Schools

In the year 2075, even though there have been

are now fostering curiosity, exploration,

severe consequences to the way we’ve been hand-

and wonder.

ling resources, it seems as if we finally learned our painful lesson, barely in time to avoid irreversible

Kids are finding school to be a more supportive

damages. We abruptly switched courses, but not

place that helps them develop skills to adapt to

before several tragic incidents involving the mental

an ever-changing environment. For parents, it

health of underserved children. After seeing the

feels like a burden has been lifted from them.

outcomes of raising children who played very little,

They are no longer as focused on grades

we realized we were setting the foundations for

and achievements, but more on having a set

a terrible world.

of tools within themselves to deal with life’s curveballs. This relief has led to them

Things are now looking very different than they

enjoy more playtime with their kids.

were back then; we have become more conscious of ways to improve the education system, and we

You can see these seemingly small changes

are placing value in soft skills. It’s not all about

begin to scale up into policies. Current bills

money and status anymore, or at least not as

around innovation are moving forward because there’s a different view on how we resolve social issues. People are feeling motivated, challenged, and heard.

CHAPTER 4: PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

Aid programs have reduced their necessary

sure: the world seems like a place where you

budgets because their cases have decreased,

could feel free to experiment and be more

allowing for resources to be redirected to

playful, even when there’s no clear result of

improving schools, increasing teacher salaries,

useful output.

and fostering innovation and playful programs.

Implementing play has been so effective in improving kids’ wellbeing that several

DYSTOPIA

programs have now started to spread out into other “at-risk” populations like elders,

Fast forward to 2075. Climate change has

people living with certain mental health

made many places inhabitable because of

conditions, and people currently convicted

drought, fires, storms, hurricanes, and a whole

within the justice system. This last initiative

set of other calamities that are now part of our

just started rolling out in New York, and so

daily lives. People have been forced to migrate

far it’s looking promising to help create a

regularly. We’ve seen previous displacement

re-adaptation program that is not only

crises, like the refugee and immigrant ones

effective but also sustainable in the long run.

in the early 2000s, but nothing quite like this.

People now are not only escaping war, fleeing

All of these programs have made kids more

violence, or looking for a better life; they are

aware of others’ feelings and helped them

also running from extreme weather.

self-regulate their emotions. Thanks to the programs, they have been able to embrace

Let’s take a look at how things have changed

taking risks that lead to innovation, create a

over the years. Trade wars and economic

kinder environment, and trust each one

crises hit an uncontrollable level; people

another for once, which has proven to be a

lost their jobs, were evicted from their houses,

natural reduction for stress.

and acquired endless debt as a result of nasty competition between the world’s most power-

There’s a different feeling in the air; you can

ful countries. Tariffs became unpayable and

perceive less toxicity and violence, and new

manufacturing goods almost impossible, and

generations are becoming better at coexisting.

many people have gone out of business. The

There’s a long way to go, but one thing is for

black market, contraband, and tax evasion are

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the new normal for companies desperate

kidnapping, domestic violence, and even rape

to survive. Working conditions have slowly

have increased to alarming levels. The number

begun to deteriorate, with employees forced

of suicides, drug abuse, overdose, and

to work extended hours to keep the doors open,

mental breakdowns has also skyrocketed.

but the result is still lower revenue, fewer jobs,

The population is living on the edge.

and disappearing resources. With fewer manufactured goods and almost no imports

When all these changes first began to occur,

and exports, the availability of basic things

people fought back. They protested, they ran

like food, clothing, and medicine is a thing

for office, they did whatever they could to show

of the past.

their dissent and pressure for change.

In reaction, governments became protectionist

Stores are empty and regularly vandalized.

to paranoid levels and countries began to

Many have now implemented extreme security

close down, building not only physical walls

measures to protect themselves; shopping

along their borders but also regulating all

feels like going to a vault rather than a grocery

communication with the outside. A once

store. Goods are locked away from the

hyper-connected world became isolated,

general public, and there are strict limits

people were told to distrust the outside world,

to how much anyone can buy each week.

and even cities protected themselves

The amount allowed per person is barely

from their own countries.

enough, and people are not happy about it.

Confrontation and fights have become so

Media became censored almost immediately.

normalized that people don’t even blink

Many news channels and newspapers started

when they walk by one, no matter how

shutting down or losing credibility. It seemed

violent or brutal it is.

like every week people had fewer options until there was only one way to get the news:

People have tried their best to stay afloat.

through an authorized and closely monitored

Many began selling contraband goods, stealing

news company who had only good things to say

resources and selling them to companies;

about these changes.

due to the effects of global warming, things the public once took for granted like coffee

Many fought back, creating communication

or water bottles are now luxury goods. So

tools and outlets for the toxicity, escaping into

it’s no surprise that incidents of robbery,

other cities and countries—but the harder they fought, the harsher their punishment. Soon almost all resistance stopped, especially after

CHAPTER 4: PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS

a new currency system was introduced.

and customization is forbidden. Primarily, people within each level must look as uniform

This new system worked functioned via a new

as possible and adhere to their role in society,

citizen ranking that would give higher social

no questions asked. Acts of disobedience are

status to some members of society. The higher

punished by downgrading. Such acts include

the rank, the greater access to resources.

being out after hours, purchasing from or

But this came at a price. Every citizen started

dealing in the black market, communicating

as a neutral citizen, which meant they had no

with the outside world, smuggling people in,

record and were not consider a threat by the

questioning governmental decisions, engaging

government. It seemed like an excellent deal, as

with people outside of one’s rank, and, last but

everyone was equal to the state no matter how

not least, altering or tampering with any official

they looked or where they came from—it didn’t

objects given to one’s level.

even matter what they had done in the past. It was a truly clean slate.

Every week, each household gets the official gazette, which is of course targeted to their

Now for the catch: only a small percentage

class. Ads and news encourage people to turn

of the population could keep this status. Others

in transgressors as a way to reach the next level

could get ranked higher as trusted citizens,

and earn more privileges. Naturally, to

and the rest would get demoted to conditioned

advance levels and stay afloat, people have

citizens or lose all their rights if they were

begun to hunt each other. Parents are

considered a threat. To get ranked higher or

teaching their kids to be obedient and to avoid

even just maintain their neutral status, they

individuality, creation, and innovation because

had to prove absolute obedience.

no one wants to stand out and become a target.

All risk is discouraged.

The population is now tracked at all times through their wearable IDs, which contain

Schools are training kids to beware the groups

information like their citizen rank, their weekly

who are still resisting. To make individuality and

allowance, and the number of infractions their

independence less appealing, they have focused

family members have; citizens who have close

on vanishing any game that encourages critical

relationships with “riskier” people risk getting

thinking. Kids are monitored at all times, are

demoted themselves.

discouraged from talking to each other or working in teams, and must only focus on getting to

Each class gets a different set of everyday

the next rank and serving their country.

objects that look all the same within levels,

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With all the uncertainty, violence, and rapidly diminishing resources, kids haven’t gotten the chance to be kids, play, and develop emotionally.

This leads to violent outbreaks because they haven’t learned how to control their emotions when things don’t go their way. They are often cruel and, to make matters worse, their parents are emotionally incapable too.

In a world where obedience, silence, and uniformity are the highest means of control, play can counter them by fostering innovation, communication, and inclusivity. And that makes play enemy number one.

Fictional newspaper

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ROWDY, SPECULATIVE SMART DEVICE Rowdy is a speculative artifact designed in response to the fictional dystopia above. It works like a baby monitor, except it allows children to go off the grid for a couple of hours each day. The smart device is essentially an object of resistance, working like a Trojan horse within this hypermonitored world where kid’s whereabouts and whom they interact with are continually being supervised.

At first glance, Rowdy appears to be an object of control, tracking kids’ movements, location, and interactions 24/7.

However, Rowdy’s real purpose is to allow kids to rebel against the system by switching off the device without being detected.

The artifact gives kids full agency of when they can turn off the surveillance—the trick is that they have to play with Rowdy to do so. As no adult in this dystopian world would dare to play, the secret of this feature is safe.

Rowdy is designed as a companion monitor that is attached visibly to the kid’s clothes or backpack. Its color depends on each kid’s rank, also working as a badge to distinguish one group from another.

These speculative design pieces served as a way to understand the intrinsic connections between play and risk, especially in extreme environments. In the chapter below, I’ll go into more detail about how they relate to one another.

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CHAPTER 5

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Blip, time-out for parents Kids with special needs Cue, therapeutic toy Parenting under a microscope Reckless, service design

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BLIP, TIMEOUT FOR PARENTS It’s a widespread parenting practice to put kids in timeout whenever they are acting

Blip is a smart device that connects to all

out; it works as a way for parents to tell

other smart devices around the house.

their kids when a behavior is not okay and

When the kid applies pressure to the pro-

to give them time to reflect on why. But kids

duct, all devices turn off, and whenever

have no way to give their parents feedback,

the kid releases the pressure, devices go

and the idea of them telling their parents

on again. Whenever they feel like their pa-

that they want attention or communica-

rents need a timeout, they press the device

ting discomfort seems like an infamous and

to turn off all household items, signaling to

even dangerous idea, because kids are not

parents that they are in trouble.

supposed to tell their parents what to do.

This project is an outlier from the rest of An essential aspect of play, in addition to

my thesis in terms of audience. However,

risk, is the ability to be vulnerable and crea-

it served as an exploration of agency and

te different scenarios and worlds. What if

an inquiry into how kids can show their fe-

kids could explore being on their parents’

elings to caregivers, which in many ways

side for a while, and what if parents could

inspired the product below.

get feedback from their kids in a lighthearted, playful way?

For this design intervention, I’m exploring what it would look like if kids had the power to put their parents in timeout. Of course, this is a provocation targeted more towards thinking about why we feel uncomfortable with the idea of children having more agency and a voice, rather than a real, ready-for-market product.

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KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND SENSORY SENSITIVITY Adversity can take many forms, and for some

As Nancy Peske points out,

kids, it means that they have different needs that contradict and compete with those of the mainstream. After the co-creation workshop, I realized that the way we interact with the world does not work for some kids and that quotidian interactions we take for granted can be too overwhelming for them. As author Nancy Peske

“It’s like a traffic jam in your head, with conflicting signals quickly coming from all directions, so that you don’t know how to make sense of it all.”

explains, when these kids flee from a room or have a horrible, prolonged tantrum, it is likely linked to how they perceive the environment.

It’s very hard to handle yourself when all you want to do is run from that situation.

“They’re having a neurological ‘panic’ response to everyday sensations the rest of us take for granted.”

Communicating how they feel might be challenging when they are always triggered by the environment. But what if children had more agency over their surroundings? What if they could communicate to their parents that they are overwhelmed? What if there was a way for them to help themselves calm down?

Kids on the autism spectrum or with sensory sensitivity process the world in a different way—everything gets amplified, and their brains have trouble discerning all that stimulus.

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CUE, THERAPEUTIC TOY These questions guided the development of Cue. For parents with kids on this spectrum, understanding what triggers and calms them down could be a huge game-changer, as it means they can minimize these experiences and work together to develop coping mechanisms. Expanding to a broader audience, the toy could also work for kids who are experiencing emotional changes: kids who are going through bullying, parents’ divorce, or moving could also benefit, as it allows children to signal the need to have their parents around without feeling the pressure to explain why.

Cue is a toy that helps children communicate with their parents when they are feeling overwhelmed or triggered by the environment but can’t express it verbally. The toy allows them to initiate the calming process by pressing on the soft foam material, which would activate a shell to cover the toy—just like a tight hug or a turtle retreating into its shell—thus signaling the need for their parents’ help.

The toy helps kids experiment with pressure as a tool to relax and begin the process of calming down, maintaining agency over their emotions but allowing for parental support. Squeezing and applying pressure are proven techniques used for therapeutic toys.

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The project took many turns and went through several form explorations and prototypes, as seen in the images above:

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CHAPTER 5: PLAYING WITH FIRE

PARENTING UNDER A MICROSCOPE During my research, I’ve talked to several

kids’ future, especially when they are facing

experts working with children in underprivi-

dire circumstances, as if one small decision

leged environments, which here means facing

could derail their children’s lives. I knew

discrimination, disability, economic hardship,

this phenomenon had incremented with

or trauma. From these conversations, I’ve

exposure to social media. However, I wasn’t

learned that many of their parents are

expecting the numbers to be this high.

not only struggling to make ends meet, but are also facing ruthless judgment from their network. Each of their decisions is analyzed under a microscope, adding to the stress they are already under, which translates in them prioritizing academic readiness above play.

I mean, why wouldn’t they, if the benefits of school readiness have been the main focus for years?

As Jamila Larson from the Homeless

According to the Zero to Three Organization and the Bezos Family Foundation, 9 out of 10 parents feel judged by their network, meaning by their coworkers, parents, friends—and shockingly even their partners.

Children’s Playtime Project mentioned, when parents are stressed and trying to get their kids to catch up with other children, they can’t focus on giving them space and time to

Feeling like they’re lacking a support system

play, no matter how valuable they think it is.

to turn to when they make mistakes can

Alleviating parents’ stress and workload could

be isolating and generate more stress

help make playtime more accessible.

and pressure, which often translates into parents demanding more from their

A key factor contributing to their stress is

children, pushing them to perform better

that parents are often questioned about how

at school and removing playtime from

the little choices they make will affect their

the equation.

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raised by wolves

RECKLESS, SERVICE DESIGN Parents are often judged and scrutinized over every parenting decision they make, and this is only exacerbated for parents who are encountering adversity, as their network puts much more pressure on how even the tiniest of decisions could impact their kids’ future. On average, parents spend 5 hours and 18 minutes a day worrying about their kids, and only one out of ten parents feels like their networks support their parenting decisions.

To counter this, I’ve developed a service for parents to rebel against societal pressures by playfully amplifying their “mistakes.” Reckless is a service that lets parents off the hook for not being perfect—encouraging them to celebrate and find joy in minor parenting mishaps and become their kids’ partners in crime. The service works as a monthly subscription where families get a different storybook each month, access to an app, and a supportive community of parents.

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HOW IT WORKS Once a month, families receive a new storybook. However, they are only not able to see the ending just yet. With the subscription, parents receive a guide to what a mishap is as well as access to an app to record their own mishaps.

Every week the app sends a check-in notification for parents to input what they think was their mishap during the week.

This triggers the app to send a suggestion of how to take the misbehavior further and embrace “reckless behavior.�

The suggested activity is meant to be done with their children. For example, if the mishap was having take-out two nights in a row, the app suggests they go and have dessert before dinner—making them accomplices in a little mischief. Once they complete the activity, parents register this into the app, and the app provides instructions for what shapes to scratch. Parents and kids can now uncover the ending of the story by scratching it out.

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ONBOARDING Since the service has the potential to go horribly wrong, the first package includes a comprehensive welcome guide to familiarize parents with what misbehaving looks like, essentially setting boundaries and limits. The last thing I want to do is to promote neglect or actual dangerous behavior.

The first thing users see when they unpack the package is a postcard that serves as a guide through the service, giving examples of common mishaps as well as access to the app.

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THE APP Once they have access to the Reckless app, users are shown examples of mishaps, as well as ways to capture them and gain access to a community of parents who support each other when their networks fail to do so.

At the end of each week, Reckless sends a notification reminding users to input their week’s mishap. They can either record it via a photo/video, a voice note, or text. Once they input their mishap, the app suggests a related activity, encouraging them to take the behavior further. I’m inviting parents to be mischievous with their kids.

When they finish the activity, they mark it as done and receive instructions to scratch certain pieces in the book to reveal the ending.

The app also gives users access to a community of parents who cheer for each other. Within this part of the app, there’s a section for parents to set goals for what mishaps they would like to get rid of.

Here, they can record the progress they make while acknowledging that making mistakes is not that bad.

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THE STORYBOOK The book includes three stories each month. Kids can start reading the story, but they can’t see the ending until their parents have inputted a mishap and completed the activity. To uncover the ending, they scratch the shapes indicated by the app.

The service helps parents take their minor mistakes less seriously so that they can focus on spending time with their kids, which, in the end, will have more impactful consequences on their lives.

Reckless’ revenue comes from the subscription plans.

PROCESS The project formed around the insight of how pressured parents feel to raise little geniuses who excel at everything or else they won’t stand a chance in the future. By giving parents the agency to stand up and even mock their networks’ criticism, I’m hoping they will become more comfortable taking risks and embracing play.

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CHAPTER 6

THE POLITICS OF PLAY

Scout, music making app Gioca Daily, playset

CHAPTER 6: THE POLITICS OF PLAY

SCOUT APP After talking with experts, the majority of them pointed out that advocating for play in schools is an uphill battle. We conceive of education as structured; we learn to follow the rules instead of exploring and experimenting.

As Maria Altamirano from the Lego Foundation said,

“It’s

hard to argue for free play at school because it looks entirely different to our mental model of what school should be like. We are used to silence and obedience, and play looks the opposite to that.”

It makes perfect sense that arguing for play scares a lot of people; they imagine things getting out of control if children are allowed to more freedom and agency, which are intrinsic to play.

Bringing more play into education can help children better handle uncertainty—play helps develop strategic and future thinking, giving children the ability to adapt and become more resourceful in the face of adversity.

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Adam Rutherford points out how schools are failing to teach children these types of abilities.

“We don’t teach uncertainty in schools. It should be the absolute bedrock of what we teach children—how we come to know and how we describe reality. In fact, we teach the exact opposite.”

In response to this, I developed an educational app that lets kids explore and deal with uncertainty in a playful but controlled environment. After creating projects that fall on the riskier side, I realized that if I wanted play to be implemented within institutions, I had to design within their constraints rather than against them.

Scout is an app for elementary schools.

Its purpose is to help kids embrace risk and uncertainty through the process of making music. It works as a combination of an app, an AR component, and user-created content.

I envisioned Scout as an app to be implemented as part of the school curriculum, similar to the math apps that many schools are using.

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HOW IT WORKS: As AR might not be a well-known feature, the onboarding process is crucial to leading children through the app. So I created a character, Scout, who works as the guide through the whole user journey.

ONBOARDING: In these three initial screens, Scout explains the basic features of the app: 1. Making your songs using the sounds provided by the app.

2. Recording your sounds using objects from the classroom (using AR).

3. Sharing your playlists with your classmates.

The app allows children to choose two sounds to start making a song. They can use a sound they previously made, select a sound that has been preloaded with the app, pick one of their friends’ sounds, or create an entirely new one.

If they choose to make one, this triggers the AR component where Scout will guide them through the classroom in search of new sounds made by everyday objects. Once kids are happy with a sound, they record it and it gets added to their library.

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To make a song, kids must choose two sounds and add a third one that will be assigned by Scout and over which they have no control. Kids have to use this sound in whatever way and for whatever length they choose. Once kids are ready, they record their song and can share it with other classmates.

The purpose of Scout is to provide kids with the agency to make decisions within a constrained and seemingly preset environment, allowing them to use their imagination to overcome restrictions.

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GIOCA DAILY, PLAYSET After looking at the education system and how play could help improve academic performance, I wondered if I could not only encourage schools to implement more play, but could also encourage parents to engage in play as well. So I started looking into when, what, and where parents and children play together.

And after surveying parents and doing desk research, I realized they don’t do it that often.

Parents don’t get to spend that much time playing with their kids. Most of them spend less than 4 hours a week playing together. Because so many other things take priority in their lives, increasing the time they spend together is unrealistic and unsustainable.

So I looked at how I could help them make the most of it, reducing potential barriers that keep them from playing together.

One of these barriers, as Hanne Jensen from the Lego Foundation mentioned, is that parents are aware of the importance of play and do want to foster it, but they feel unsure how; they need inspiration for what to play. This is one of the biggest barriers—having to plan and come with ideas and games consumes a lot of the already limited time.

With this in mind, I have developed Gioca Daily, a parent-kid playset that incorporates play opportunities into their daily routine through game ideas and educational materials that make the most of their time together, like commute activities or playful chores.

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This is similar to a subscription model but within the school. The playset is delivered by the school to families, reducing the amount of logistical work the parent has to take on.

At the end of the month, families will trade kits with other families, sharing what worked most for them and what didn’t. This will be recorded through the kit in collaboration with their kids.

The playset provides parents and kids with inspiration for games and ideas to implement play in their daily routines, allowing them to share with each other and with other families what they think works best for them, thereby creating a network of knowledge.

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CHAPTER 7

PLAY ISN’T A LUXURY

Play in the ordinary The Hidden Playground Assumptions

CHAPTER 7: PLAY ISN’T A LUXURY

PLAY IN THE ORDINARY Throughout the year, the conversations that

my next project, I wanted to show that

I had about my thesis started with parents

play can be fostered out of the ordinary.

and caregivers stating that they didn’t have

This led me back to my interview with

the resources to get more toys or to choose

Erin Davis, producer and director of

schools that implemented more play. They

the documentary The Land; she thinks

weren’t the only ones with this perception,

designers often get in the way of play,

as I discovered later; most people saw play

creating more toys, bigger and more

as expensive, and even as a luxury that

impressive playgrounds that often miss

could not be prioritized until everything

the point. During our conversation,

“necessary” was taken care of.

she explained how designers are often the ones encouraging this perception,

The general understanding is that play too

using design as a stylistic intervention

expensive for everyone except affluent,

that limits access.

highly educated demographics.

With this in mind, I envisioned a public As a result, play gets relegated for leftover

experience that uncovers potential

time, viewed as a filler because it doesn’t

playgrounds from everyday objects.

seem to provide palpable benefits; at least, that’s the perception. This misconception drove away many parents, especially in lower socioeconomic populations, as they thought any intervention fostering play would be out of their reach.

Play, contrary to popular belief, is not about toys or high-end solutions; it’s more about allowing mental space and a safe environment to experiment and ideate. With

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THE HIDDEN PLAYGROUND The Hidden playground is a public event

On the other side, parents narrated

for parents and kids to uncover potential

what they saw projected on stage. To

opportunities for play in everyday objects.

guide them through building a story,

During the event, families work together

they were given a set of sentences to

to create a story using the shadows and

help construct a story timeline, such

sounds made by objects found in their

as “Once upon a time, in a kingdom far

houses—uncovering the hidden

away…” and so on.

playgrounds in their daily life. It’s basically like a puppet show with a twist.

Throughout the event, a set of prompts disrupted their stories in a play manner. Parents were given four prompts

HOW IT WORKS:

as a deck of cards and had to add them to the story no matter what they got;

During the experience, parents and kids

this made the story at times ridiculous,

worked as a team, where parents took on

which encouraged them to loosen up

the narrator roles and kids became the

and have more fun.

creators. Kids went “backstage” to choose a puppet to start making a story with, while

Prompts included directives and

parents sat in front of the “stage” to

narrative elements like: “Sing your

narrate what they saw.

favorite song,” “A frog jumped into the story,” “Make an elephant sound,” etc.

Puppets were made out of kitchen utensils

Parent and child had to work together to

and other household objects that could

incorporate these elements, which made

project character-like shadows. While

them feel like a team.

a utensil may have seemed like just another spoon, its projected shadow looked like a monster.

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TEXT / GRAPHICS ABOUT THE EVENT BACKSTAGE

Sets of cards, guest book

Examples of stories (Once upon a time...)

TOOLS

Once upon a time there was a um house...

Examples of stories (Once upon a time...)

PUPPETER

NARRATOR

CHAPTER 7: PLAY ISN’T A LUXURY

PROTOTYPING THE EVENT The event was held for the first time

These events will take place at the end

at Madison Square Park with around 10

of April and the beginning of May; while

participants. It created an exciting and

no documentation could make it into this

unintended research moment as I observed

book, the prototype allowed me to make

that parents were more interested in

corrections for future events.

watching than in participating. While kids were excited and found the cards fun, many

After running the event, I decided on

parents, reluctant to engage as narrators

two main iterations. First, the puppet

at first, preferred to watch their children

theater should be bigger and stronger,

do the activity with other kids.

as it broke towards the end of the Madison Square Park event.

As I learned previously, working with kids is challenging—you plan one thing and then

Second, in case a parent doesn’t want to

adjust based on their responses. Most

participate, I should have a backup plan

were just really interested in watching the

that would allow the child to complete

shadows and creating the stories themsel-

the activity alone, while still showing the

ves, often forgetting about the narrator or

parent the value in using everyday

directing them to their vision.

objects as toys.

After this first prototype, I was fortunate to be able to partner with the Brooklyn Community Services to run the event again.

PARTNERSHIP The Brooklyn Community Services got on board and agreed to let me run the event three more times, twice during their after-school programs and the third time at their annual Spring Into Health Fair.

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CHAPTER 7: PLAY ISN’T A LUXURY

ASSUMPTIONS After runningThe Hidden Playground,

vorite things to play as children,

talking to parents, and conducting surveys,

and their kid’s favorite games. As I

I learned that, while well-intentioned, some

discovered from the event, most spent

of my projects had fallen short because I

less than two hours playing together,

failed to consider a family’s daily routine

meaning that the obstacle, in addition to

and day-to-day time constraints.

feeling unsure about what to play, is that they have very little time to do so. And

The Hidden Playground served as a reality

no matter how much they like the

check. I discovered that, although parents

projects, if my work depends on

were interested and seemed to be excited

them spending time together, it

about their kids participating, they were

won’t really work.

personally reluctant to participate and often asked me, siblings, or other kids to

After gaining a better understanding

do it instead. This wasn’t due to a lack of

of not only children but also the daily

interest or because they did not want

routines of their parents, I went back

to spend time with their children; it was

and made changes to many of my

more about them being tired and taking

projects. Even after a year of e

some time for themselves while their kids

xploration, it feels as if I’ve only scrat-

played. They were still attentive, but from

ched the surface of the potential that

the spectator role. I wondered how I could

play has. I hope to continue working on

use this insight to utilize the little time they

getting these projects in the hands of

had together as an opportunity for more

families in order to develop them further

play. With this in mind, I went back to

and make the necessary interactions.

conduct more user research—this time from the parents’ perspective.

I surveyed parents about how much time a week they spent playing together, their fa-

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CHAPTER 8

LOOKING FORWARD

Final thoughts Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 8: LOOKING FORWARD

FINAL THOUGHTS For the past year, this thesis has allowed me to

transparency—being open about my thesis, the

push myself harder than I thought I could. I got to

questions I had, and why their input mattered

test my technical skills and my critical thinking,

to me helped build trust. This trust gave me

trying not only to understand the landscape but

insights into how to best approach users, and

also to envision potential services, strategies,

construct questions or research methods.

and opportunities. Through it, I’ve learned the importance of testing my assumptions early in

After this year, I feel like I have new questions

the process and how essential talking to users

and areas I’d like to explore, such as how to

is. Before my thesis, talking to users seemed like

use daily routines as little play interventions

a daunting and even scary task, one that, while

(commute, morning routine, etc.), or how

I knew it was necessary, I felt like I had very

to implement play as part of the school curricu-

little experience with. This thesis allowed me to

lum. I also didn’t get a chance to address policy;

engage with a wide variety of users with equally

I would like to create design interventions that

various needs and motivations.

are targeted towards governments, parks, or the healthcare system.

I choose a user group that was challenging to gain access to, and although this put me behind

This thesis helped me see design’s potential as

on deadlines quite often, I’ve learned so much

a social impact tool, and I can’t wait to keep

from it. Now I understand the importance of

working on this area in the future. Throughout

having multiple plans in case the original one

this journey, I got to develop my point of view as

fails. I can confidently say that this experience

a designer and affirm my interest in working in

gave me the time management skills and agility

the social innovation area of design.

necessary to resolve setbacks rapidly.

Most of my thesis work was inspired and informed by my conversations with experts, users, and organizations. I often relied on organizations as connectors and mentors.

From them, I came to understand the value of

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mom, thank you for being the best example of hard work, kindness, and resilience, and for the constant check-ins to make sure I ate or slept. Dulce and Jessy, thank you for all the help and advice. Thank you three for being the best role models I could ask for.

Mom, Dulce, Jessy, Isabelle, Ale, Scott, & Alessio, thank you for believing in me even when I don’t. These past two years were only possible because of your love and support.

Paz DurĂĄn, Ariadna Mendoza, Maricarmen Curiel, & Sarai Morales, thank you for all the laughs and for the genuine friendship even from afar.

Allan Chochinov, thank you for all the honest advice, opportunities, resources, and care you put into helping us grow.

Andrew Schloss, thank you for transmitting your joy for design and giving us the autonomy to explore ideas.

Sinclair Smith, thank you for all the honest critiques, ample references, crazy videos, and all the jokes. Every class you taught was incredibly fun.

Jennifer Rittner, thank you for pushing us to question more, be critical of our work, and be open about the shortcomings, and thank you for giving thorough feedback.

To the Products of Design staff: Alisha Wessler, Marko Manriquez, Krithi Rao, and Kristina Lee, for all the care, support and hard work, and for always making PoD feel like a home away from home.

CHAPTER 8: LOOKING FORWARD

To the Products of Design faculty for your expertise and guidance: Ayse Birsel, Matthew Borgatti, Jason Servers, Hannah Calhoon, Micheal Chung, Bill Cromie, Emilie Baltz, Steven Dean, Andrew Dent, Marc Dones, Elizabeth Galbut, KT Gillett, Kathleen Bakewell, Brent Arnold, Hlynur Atlason, Paola Antonelli, Claire Hartten, Rachel Abrams, Kenneth McFarlin, Toshi Mogi, Rebecca Silver, Becky Stern, Cordy Swope, John Thackara, Rob Walker, James Wynn, Richard Tyson.

To the Visible Futures Lab staff: Oya Kosebay, Maya Ragazzo, John Heida, Tag Cheung, Chester Dols and Elizabeth Meiklejohn, for all patience, help, and laughs. Thank you, class, of 2019 for all the learning, laughter, and friendship.

Class of 2018, thank you for setting the bar high.

Class of 2020, thank you for being an inspiration.

Thank you to all the experts who generously shared their knowledge and network.

Thank you, Jamie McGhee, for editing my book. I learned so much through your edits.

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CHAPTER 9

APPENDIX

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY -Pfefferbaun, Betty. Postraumatic Stress disorder in children: A review of the past ten years. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7285805_Posttraumatic_stress_disorder_reactions among_children_with_learning_disabilities_exposed_to_terror_attacks - Brown. “The Evolution of Play” Spring Edition, 1995 Volume 17, #4.

- Brown. “Through the Lens of Play” ReVison Magazine, Spring, 1995, Vol. 17, #4 - Brown. “Play, How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.”

- Panksepp, Jaak. “The Archaeology of the Mind” - Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture - Vygotsky.“The role of play in development” - At Play in the Fields of Consciousness: Essays in Honor of Jerome L. Singer.

- A.M, Leslie. Pretense and representation: The origins of theory of mind - http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Encyclopedia:Play_Science - Kiel, Steive. A manifesto for play - Jonhson, Steven. Playful wonderland of inventions - Behncke, Isabel. Evolution’s gift of play, from bonobos to humans -The Playground Project -Playwork Podcast -Davis, Erin. The Land, documentary - Kelley, David & Tom. Creative Confidence - Timsit, Annabelle. Traumatizing children is very much the “American Way” - Timsit, Annabelle. “The only buffer you have is a parent, take that away, and everything falls apart”

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- Luiselli, Valeria. “Tell me how it ends: An essay in 40 questions.”

- Bogot, Ian. “Play Anything.”

- Wilson, Penny “The Playwork primer” - Singer, Dorothy G. with Singer, Jerome L. The House of Make-Believe: Children’s Play and the Developing Imagination. 1990.

- Singer, Jerome L. Child’s World of Make-Believe: Experimental Studies of Imaginative Play.

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- Singer, Jerome L. and Switzer, Ellen. Mind Play: The Creative Uses of Fantasy. 1980.

- Sutton-Smith, Brian. The Ambiguity of Play. Cambrige, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997.

- Sutton-Smith, Brian. Play and Learning. 1980.

- Sutton-Smith, Brian. Toys as Culture. 1992.

- Paley, V.G. (1992) You Can’t Say You Can’t Play. Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press - Bekoff,M and Byers J.,(Ed.s) (1998) Animal Play, Evolutionary, Comparative, and Ecological Perspectives,: Brown, S. Play as an Organizing Principle, Ch 12, p. 243-259 Cambridge Univ Prsll - Gross, J.J., Mauss, I.B., Levenson, R.W., Wilhelm, F. H. The Tie That Binds? Coherence among Emotion, Experience, Behavior and Physiology. Emotion (2005) Vol. 2, 175-90

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