Beyond the screen: designing immersive collaborative experiences for children through digital and physical interaction

This paper summarizes key points and findings of an interaction design research project coordinated between Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design (USA) and Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (The Netherlands). The interactive system concept introduced in this paper reflects focused research on collaborative play and presents an opportunity for children of various ages to cooperatively explore shape grammar, cause and effect, and story telling through interdependent digital and physical interaction. This concept named "Lila," embodies the notion of "purposeless play," and promotes inquiry, spontaneity, and causality as children explore the relationships of physical components with their subsequent digital visualizations. "Lila" is a continuing research project that serves as a link to joint ventures between these two universities that deal with digital interaction beyond a screenbased format.