the thinking behind - fisher-price · pdf filethe thinking behind the future of parenting ......

THE THINKING BEHINDthe FUTURE of PARENTING

© 2016 Mattel

For 85 years, stimulating early childhood development has been our mission. But the

world is changing rapidly. In just the past 5 years, the advancement of technology has permeated

aspects of all our lives in simple and complex ways – even for children. Some of the trends

we examined are about to happen. Some may never happen. But inspired by childhood itself,

in all its open-endedness, we set out to imagine the possibilities in a child’s development to set a

course for their bright future and ours.

CO N T I N U U MF I S H E R - P R I C E

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As a global innovation design consultancy, we partnered with Fisher-Price to imagine a future where technology gives parents the superpowers they need to encourage the universal pursuit of a happy child. But just what defines a happy child? We worked with futurists, product developers, technologists, and educators to understand the opportunities in personalized learning, early childhood development, and parent-child connections, as well as the societal challenges that lay ahead for tomorrow’s family.

Products shown within the Future of Parenting vision are conceptual and not yet available for sale.

© 2016 Mattel

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IN ORDER TO WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND THE COMPLEXITIES

OF THE FUTURE OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY,

we talked to the best and br ightest from the worlds of art , science, technology, and design. From early chi ldhood development special ists and innovators to futur ists and thought leaders, their insights took us to a l i fe a decade away from the here and now - where technology has heart and parents have help.

© 2016 Mattel

SKYLAR TIBBITSProfessor of ArchitectureMIT Self Assembly Lab

Skylar Tibbits is an American designer and computer scientist . He is best known for his work on self-assembly and pioneering the f ield of 4D Printing, having coined the term in his 2013 TED talk.

STEVE BROWNIntel Chief Evangel ist

ROSALIND PICARDDirector of Affective Computing Research, MIT; Founder/Chief Scientist , Empatica

DAVID ROSECEO, Ditto LabsVisit ing Scientist , MIT Media Lab Adviser, Memomi, Inc.

Steve Brown helps companies understand what technology and business innovation wil l make possible in the coming decade, how that wil l transform their markets, and what their customers wil l want.

Rosalind Picard has co-founded two businesses creating wearable sensors and analytics to improve health leveraging technology to help measure and communicate emotion.

David Rose’s research focuses on computer-human interfaces and a vision that technology wil l atomize, combining itself with the objects that make up the very fabric of daily l iving.

DAVID WEEKSFounder, David Weeks Studio

From wooden robots to sprawling sectionals, American designer David Weeks takes a hands-on approach to his work, driven by the belief that design must hold universal appeal.

GIANFRANCO ZACCAIFounder and CDO, Continuum

As co-founder of Continuum, Zaccai is responsible for some of the most groundbreaking design innovations in the last three decades, including the Reebok Pump, Swiffer WetJet and the Omnipod insulin pump.

KIM EDWARDSEarly Chi ldhood Educator

SEAN LALLYFounder, WEATHERS

Kim Edwards studies the impact of overload on the brain paired with hands-on motor ski l l development of the whole child.

Sean Lally leads a team of architects, engineers and researchers, to uncover how different forms of energy can be harnessed to create a type of sustainable architecture.

DEBBIE ECCLESTONSocial Worker

Debbie focuses her work on cl inical social work services based on bio-psychosocial perspectives.

OUR SUBJECT MATTER E X P E R T S

5 © 2016 Mattel

By speaking with NXT, experts in understanding how behavior impacts long term generational shifts, we understand how our concepts will evolve over time.

By uncovering the near term trajectory of tech evolution combed

from across various industries, we ensure

our concepts are grounded in a logical

hypothesis of relatable technology.

By speaking with futurists, innovators, and early childhood development specialists

across a diverse set of disciplines, we uncover how our initiative can authentically

craft a vision around learning and play.

CU LT U RA L B E H AV I O RST EC H N O LO GY T R E N DS

SU BJ ECT M AT T E R E X P E RTS

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INSIGHT DNA

The cross-sect ion of cultural behavior, outside the industry tech trends, and deep knowledge within the subject ensure our v is ion is grounded in diverse and deep learnings.

© 2016 Mattel

THE INSIGHTS

1 3 52 4 6

These 6 key insights provide a roadmap of foundational e lements and technical themes for the Future of Parenting project to inspire features and formats rooted in solut ions, play, learning and development.

DYNAMIC SIMPLICITY

KEEP IT HUMAN

NO BOUNDARIES

CONTEXTUALIZED RESPONSE

IMAGINATIVE IMMERSION

QUANTIFIED SELF

• Experiences that evolve with people, generating meaningful new life through intuitive and constant updating over time.

• Responsive learning and play inspired by what is happening at a specific moment in time and place.

• Technology that becomes invisible reflecting and reacting to human expression.

• Experiences do not live in isolation but connect and flow in the spaces between redefining open-ended and contextual play.

• Environments become a threshold where anything can be an immersive display.

• Meaningful intelligence that collects and connects the data driven insights between what people are saying and why they are doing it.

7 © 2016 Mattel

INSIGHT 1 | DYNAMIC SIMPLICITY

Dynamic s impl ic ity ampl i f ies the current day to day use of basic objects, act iv it ies and technology through effort less interact ions guided by who, how or when they are experienced. Experiences wi l l evolve with people, generat ing meaningful new l i fe through constant updating over t ime. Having contextual ized control over future tech embeds del ight and magic into learning opportunit ies, constantly transforming s imple interact ions into tai lored, col laborat ive experiences. The future wi l l cal l for having better instead of having more.

“The core nature of product design has changed with connected devices: an object can receive bug patches or new features through software updates. This means that objects can stay relevant for longer, and we can be constantly delighted by new functionality. It’s a new thing with each update!”

- DAV I D ROS E , F U T U R I ST

8 © 2016 Mattel

C U LT U R A L T R E N D S T EC H N O LO G Y T R E N D S

Identity is no longer something assigned to you, it’s something you dynamically discovered along the way. With this approach to self, products need to accommodate human fluidity. This translates to the utmost simplicity, or evolution, of products and experiences that change with their owners.

Often times when a new way of making emerges, we immediately jump to figuring out how it can be personalized. This creates logistical issues and doesn’t necessarily make a better product. We need to find the right balance of control and freedom over the things we create or risk creating overly engineered, poorly design products.

I D E N T I T Y I S DY N A M I C OV E R - P E RSO N A L I Z AT I O N

DYNAMIC

SIMPLICITY

Future play experiences wi l l seamlessly merge the physical act iv it ies with enhanced digital experiences throughout di f ferent environments. As the people that use them grow, so too wi l l the experiences.

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MEMORY TREE

From dynamical ly measuring height to capturing durable memories of ski l l based growth across three dimensions (social-emotional , cognit ive, and physical) , the Memory Tree reacts to the need of the person interact ing with i t whi le being harmoniously integrated within the home’s environment.

© 2016 Mattel

INSIGHT 2 | CONTEXTUALIZED RESPONSE

The future is responsive, not cumbersome. Learning and play wi l l be enhanced by contextual ized discovery inspired by what is happening at that specif ic moment in t ime and place. Future tech wi l l d issolve into the environment, augmenting famil ies’ l ives by al lowing basic core objects—like windows or wooden toy blocks—to be react ive and intuit ive. This means that humble toys and consumer products have the power to catalyze parent-chi ld interact ions, contextual ize learning moments, develop motor ski l ls, and spark open-ended play.

“New technology is enabling people to communicate emotion in ways never before possible.”- ROSA L I N D P I CA R D, F U T U R I ST

10 © 2016 Mattel © 2016 Mattel

Answers and information are accessible at all times thanks to personal tech. We don’t need to do upfront research and our expectation is that what we need to know is accessible wherever and whenever.

Sophisticated technology is being used to create systems that appear only when required: interfaces are no longer screens, they are intuitive and reactive. Invisibility means that when a system is not in use, it can disappear. Energy-based experiences create a larger experience than their physical object, creating a flexible and upgradeable component.

R E A L T I M E EV E RY T H I N G A P PA R E N T LY A N A LO G + I N V I S I B L E


CONTEXTUALIZED

RESPONSE

WINDOW TO THE WORLD

Windows wi l l sense objects outside the home and become a canvas of magical and dynamic v isuals, presenting the chi ld with a personal ized and age appropriate teachable moment. These r icher, sensorial experiences wi l l have the power to create deeper contextual teachable moments based on what is happening r ight then and there.

As the environment outside the window changes in real t ime, the window contextual ly reacts, creat ing a digital ly augmented play experience that grows with the chi ld.

11 © 2016 Mattel

INSIGHT 3 | KEEP IT HUMAN

The future isn’t cold. In the age of the materia ls revolut ion, humanized technology wi l l not def ine the choice of materia ls. Instead, i t wi l l ref lect and react to human expression through self assembl ing matter, smart, home-inspired materia ls, and gestural interact ion. Chi ldren have ideas and need to be able to share them. Expression is cr i t ical and materia ls have the power to shape how future generat ions wi l l inst i l l l i fe l ike qual i t ies into their ideas.

“The future smells like wood. Toys and games are no longer made of wood and paper they’ve all been replaced with plastics. I imagine a future where toys and objects are made of natural materials like wood, but still engage with technology through RFID and projection.”- DAV I D ROS E , F U T U R I ST

Our lives online hold just as much weight as our ‘real lives’. For young kids, the distinction is becoming increasingly blurred. Parents will need to help their children navigate this sophisticated landscape so that their ideas are expressed across any medium.

Products that come alive and react to people have a magic quality, especially when they add to the emotional and human relationship with experience. The same way the 19th century was the machine revolution, the 20th century was the beginning of the computer revolution, the 21st century will be the materials revolution, instilling lifelike qualities into the materials to make them more dynamic and useful.

L I F E A M P L I F I E D M AT E R I A L S R EVO LU T I O N

01

02



KEEP IT

HUMAN

Products with subtly integrated digital intel l igence adjust seamlessly to human needs. The materia ls revolut ion wi l l not only expand the palette of materia ls we wi l l interact with, but a lso provide l imit less ways technology wi l l natural ly evolve with human expression.

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DIGITAL BOUNCER

As baby s leeps, the bouncer moves into s leep mode. When baby wakes, the bouncer br ings digital f loat ing elements to l i fe, natural ly evolv ing with human expression. These digital e lements are subtly integrated within home-inspired materia ls l ike wood and warm felt ref lect ing the family’s environment.

© 2016 Mattel

INSIGHT 4 | IMAGINATIVE IMMERSION

The future is not screen based. As peoples’ sensory capabi l i t ies are being rapidly augmented, the def init ion of space is changing. Rather than understanding an environment as a physical barr ier, i t wi l l become more of a threshold with an energy barr ier. People are accustomed to mediat ing their l ives by touching smal l backl i t rectangles. But anything can be a display. Designing the image and i t ’s medium of display together wi l l open up new ways of seeing giv ing extra-sensory perception.

“Our current technologies and AI systems exist in cages. In the future they will be more integrated into our everyday lives and become autonomous within our environments.”

- ST EV E B ROW N , F U T U R I ST

People are struggling to figure out how to incorporate tech into their lives. They fear it makes us less human and more distracted. We’re predicting a shift to a heightened consciousness of things where future tech becomes invisible and intentionally reintegrated so that human touch, face to face communication, and unspoken emotions rise to the forefront.

We have complete control over sound, temperature, light and color today. Tomorrow, we will create adaptive and immersive environments in our own homes where that control is intuitively and automatically tuned to our needs at any given moment. Infra Red and electromagnetic integration, measurement, and adjustment are just the beginning of immersion that breaks free from the screen.

I N V I S I B L E T EC H N O LO GY T U N I N G P E RSO N A L S PAC ES



IMAGINATIVE

IMMERSION

As chi ldren play with physical p lay prompts, their digital ecosystem reacts, growing, changing and react ing to their natural p lay patterns. These environments can vary from wi ldly imaginat ive to playful ly l i fe- l ike and provide new and evolving experiences over t ime, directed by the chi ld.

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DIGITAL GROVE

Vivid, textural watercolor animates an immersive scene to l i fe in layers. Chi ld created characters balance clean, l inear, graphic world elements conveying a playful ly sophist icated Digital Grove. Always al ive, the grove takes over the room surrounding the chi ld in their own imaginat ion.

© 2016 Mattel

INSIGHT 5 | NO BOUNDARIES

Interact ions are bigger than any one device. Connecting disparate elements means that learning and control isn’t just centered around physical buttons, but can cross senses, be inf luenced by context and mood, at any moment, anywhere. Future mindsets aren’t governed by wal ls and single-use products, but have the capacity to interconnect and f low in the spaces between, redef ining open-ended and contextual play.

Parents are acknowledging an increasing focus on the individual child, as well as allowing for unique quirks and preferences between multiple children, instead of trying to create a family “tribe”. This means that while one product may know and work well for one unique family member, it will need to adjust and connect to the many unique things and preferences each other family member has.

The biggest innovations will happen at the Micro Scale and will profoundly effect the things we do at the Macro Scale. We see a persistent trend of embeddable computing and capabilities being installed in new materials and existing form factors.

STA N DA R DS A R E G O N E M I C RO I N N OVAT I O N

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“Rethink the use of energy and make it a medium that is malleable and capable of being designed in a way that provides a sense of place the same way a traditional building would.”- S E A N L A L LY, F U T U R I ST

© 2016 Mattel © 2016 Mattel


NO BOUNDARIES

Play, learning and development wi l l be enhanced with the seamless integrat ion of physical and digital experiences. These objects and experiences wi l l extend beyond their indiv idual moments and create context and continuity as they become part of the overal l home environment.

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DIGITAL WALKER

Digital p lay elements encourage physical development by f lowing from the walker into the space around. As the projected numbers are gobbled up by the walker and explode into del ightful bubbles of l ight, gross motor ski l l movement is encouraged in a seamless integrat ion of physical and digital experience.

© 2016 Mattel

INSIGHT 6 | QUANTIFIED SELF

Tomorrow wi l l see insights from data ref ined into meaningful intel l igence that col lects and connects the dots between what people are saying and why they are doing i t . These relatable stor ies cut through the information overload, ensuring that parents aren’t guided by fear and numbers, but by relevance. Meaningful data f i l ters the facts to convey the benef its—like wel lness, growth, and durable memories—with the intent of streamlining peoples’ l ives in a way that emotional ly resonates.

“We need to think about what are the innately human elements in the experiences we create and the things that can be automated or made easier or better. Embrace humanity, don’t replace it.”

- ST EV E B ROW N , F U T U R I ST

We have less money and less space for stuff. So when we do buy stuff, it is more precious and needs to convey more meaning. Societal shifts like current generational movement to living in the city and the ability to know more than ever behind the workings and ethics of companies means that the future product or service we buy into must bring meaning and relevance within our lives. The consumer influence has given way to benefit driven conversations.

Understanding large quantities of data is becoming a formidable challenge. More and more, deep learning techniques will be deployed to derive meaning and analyze data in a new way. This involves teaching computers learning techniques by which they can autonomously find meaning in data without a set of programmed instructions.

M E A N I N G F U L CO N SU M PT I O N D E E P L E A R N I N G A N D B I G DATA



QUANTIFIED

SELF

Everyday objects wi l l offer a meaningful conversat ion and benef it to the future family beyond simple data dr iven tracking of what is happening. As family members engage with future solut ions, they wi l l intuit ively understand the why, what, and how behind a development moment.

19 © 2016 Mattel

MONITOR RING

Beyond basic tracking of family s leep habits, the Monitor Ring v isual ly communicates the reason why chi ldren wake, what they need, and ensures that the parent responds whose REM cycle is most c losely a l igned with waking. Gestural hand interact ion controls response and act ion.

AS WE MOVE INTO THE FUTURE,

Peoples’ att i tudes and values surrounding parenting, digital experiences, and meaningful connection are changing quickly. Our journey to help create the Future of Parenting doesn’t end here. Fueled by imaginat ive immersion and adaptive context, the groundwork is la id for a br ight future that is ours to create.

20 © 2016 Mattel

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