Designing for play that inspires movement and imagination
Wiggle Room
- Design Research
- UX Design
- Website Design
- Service Design
- Design Education
Play through collaboration
Wiggle Room, created by Boom Clap Play, is a multi-sensory installation that gives children new ways to play, explore, and imagine. Combining light, sound, sculpture, and a responsive environment, it invites children to move, explore, and create in ways that spark imagination and joy. To ensure the experience reflected the input of children, parents, and educators, Big Motive led the research and co-design process.
Listening to families and educators
We talked to parents, guardians and teachers to uncover what makes a fun, engaging day's activity for the whole family. Their insights shaped a framework of dos and don'ts, such as providing clear wayfinding, balancing digital technology with tactile elements, and ensuring that there's something for everyone. Visits to existing interactive exhibitions gave us further evidence of what delighted and inspired (or frustrated) families.
An immersive space for movement and discovery
The result is Wiggle Room: a dynamic environment where body and object tracking technology transform movement into a vibrant digital world. More than an art installation, it sets a new benchmark for child-centred cultural experiences that are inclusive, memorable and meaningful.
Children are co-designers
The heart of the project was collaboration with children aged 6 to 11. Guided by our Kids First Report principles and supported by playworkers from PlayBoard NI and YMCA Bangor, we ran playful workshops in which children brainstormed, sketched their ideas, voted on their favorites, and made their own prototypes of what the experience could be. Their creativity directly shaped the design of the installation.
