More analogue creativity: "Fun Theory" ideas for school design
A few weeks ago I was listening in on a session from the Swedish arm of agency DDB, who had undertaken some experiments for VW on how one might inject fun into products and life: The Fun Theory. Two experiments made me smile, and I began thinking how ingenious they'd be for helping students in schools happily do the things we'd prefer them to.
For years, one of the behaviour touch points in classrooms and schools has been on the administration of movement and organisation. We've told kids: don't run, don't walk the wrong way up those stairs, don't bring the dirt into school - wipe your feet, take your jackets off when you're in the classroom... All this despite knowing with fifty years experience that telling people not to do stuff doesn't work.
With three videos, I started having some subversive ideas about how we could help youngsters change their behaviour at school and have great fun at the same time:
Management of movement: Management of clothing: Management of feet:
Saw these a week ago and showed them to my Grade 8 IB Design Tech class, my star designers who made this skateboard rack out of driftwood off the local beaches: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1477426/photo%20%2827%29.jpg Not sure what'll come out of our brainstorming session today, but the kids are excited about using design--and fun--to change behaviour.
Posted by: Brad Ovenell-Carter | March 30, 2010 at 04:28 PM