LIFELONG INTERACTIONSDesigning online interactions: what kids want and what designers know

Last year I was invited to my child’s school to celebrate her birthday. When I walked into the classroom early, I was surrounded by 7and 8-year-olds with stuffed animals in their hands, on their laps, and hanging from their shoulders. The children were sitting under tables, curled up in the book area, crawling by the math blocks, all with their stuffed animals. My daughter greeted me from the book area with, “Mom, you came in time for Webkinz School. ” Since I knew this was not the name of her school, I was a bit confused. What I came to find out was that these children were actually “acting out” an online environment for children! During “free choice time,” and without prompting from their second-grade teacher, the children initiated dramatic play with their stuffed animals. This had started with just a few children, but had grown into a classroom-wide activity. Boys and girls were carrying their stuffed Webkinz everywhere they went. Webkinz is a “convergent toy” and brainchild of Toronto-based Ganz. Children 6 to 13 years old access an online environment (www.webkinz.com) via a password that is provided through the purchase of a stuffed animal. At that time, my own child was not using Webkinz. However, she had decided she wanted to be a part of the fun, and so she brought in her own “regular” stuffed animals to Webkinz School. Later that year, she became an official Webkinz user, going online to see her plush animal in the form of a virtual pet. There she cared for her screen pet, furnished virtual rooms, and played games to win “KinzCash” to “buy” pieces for her room. Today, she has 10 Webkinz animals; she also has Webkinz trading cards and a Webkinz charm that lets her into special places in this world. Her collection is small in comparison to those of her friends, who have amassed a huge quantity of the animals, cards, and trinkets. What has truly amazed me, both as a parent and as a researcher, is how loyal (or “sticky”) these children are to this online environment. According to Science and Strategy, “Between April 2006 and January 2007 kids spent an average of two hours per visit on Webkinz. YouTube, by contrast, averaged 32 minutes per visit during the same period. [1]” How can we learn more about interaction design from these online environments for children? Webkinz is just one of these many new environments; others include Club Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com) and Shining Stars (www.shiningstars. com). Many of these worlds, such as Kookeys (www.kookeys.com) and Ty Girlz (www.tygirlz. com), have physical toys associated with their online experiences. Webkinz has enjoyed a level of popularity that is unchallenged by these other environments. This toy was introduced first, and Ganz quickly moved its business model away from the traditional “software subscription” and into a gift and specialty market. There was essentially no traditional advertising, with the popularity spreading via word of mouth (keep in mind that those doing the “viral marketing” are six-year-old children). Had I not walked into that classroom last year, I would have never understood the power of children’s online environments. Webkinz was not virtual, but a real and integral part of the child’s whole day. According to the Ganz communication manager, Webkinz “. came from an examination of who kids are and what they like to do and how we can give them all of it in one experience. There are other toys with virtual components on the market, but our concept was to simultaneously offer a plush toy with a Web site, not to introduce a plush, then roll out a Web site [2]. ” When I first read this article, I was curious how [1] “Webkinz, the Bridge to Real and Virtual. ” April 4, 2007. Science and Strategy. <http:// www.science. nl/blog.ph p? categorie%5B5%5D= on&PHPSESSID=1873d e0c57a8fcec3338e8c56 6e40bc1&taal=EN&PH PSESSID=1873de0c57 a8fcec3338e8c566e40 bc1%20>