When it comes to kids and content creation, everyone seems to have an opinion. One side says that keeping children from technology would mean keeping them from learning the very tools that will inspire the future. While the other side urges children to stay away from smartphones and tablets because they keep kids from learning the fundamentals of childhood. Kid’o, a children-specific filmmaking toolkit, brings some compromise to that two-sided argument. Kid’o is a simple product design that provides today’s younger generations the chance to experiment with film and content creation without the added complexity that accompanies multi-functional cameras and online communities.
Receiving the 2020 Grand Prize award from K-Design, Kid’o affirms children’s dreams of filmmaking by providing the tools necessary in order to bring them to fruition all while prioritizing childhood’s playfulness. Based on the vibrancy of crayons, the final product is a colorful, detachable physical lens and smartphone holder. Using an app, children can pair a Kid’o lens and monitor using their parent’s or their own phone, so that the lens’s frame appears on the smartphone’s screen. By merging the product with the app, children have the chance to continue developing today’s ever-changing technological language on an interface that maintains the integrity of childhood. Features such as ‘Another Me’ and ‘Twin Me’ are similar to some of TikTok’s features and, as simple video effects, can easily transform any video clip. Once a video is created and tailored by a kid filmmaker, they have the option of sharing it with friends on the Kid’o app or other social media platforms, such as Instagram or YouTube.
Kid’o embraces simplicity in its user-friendliness and portability – kids can bring the lens and smartphone holder anywhere. The product also pays homage to a less techy and more present childhood by moving in time with the growing technology of today, while cultivating the creativity that instills within every child a desire to create. Kid’o takes children and their interests seriously by designing a space and product that inspires creative experimentations and responsible self-expression. This filmmaking tool kit designed specifically for children is not only a compromise but a distinct recognition of the changeability and cultivation of childhood.
Designers: Hanseul Kim, Junwon Ko, and Yeonjun Song
