86 JUNE - JULY 2019
LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: ADITI AGRAWAL; ANJALI MENONWhat’s the story behind the name ‘Gudgudee’?
We wanted a name that’s synonymous with fun, that
instantly makes you think of children and laughter.
Gudgudee means ‘tickle’ in Hindi, and we thought it was
perfect for our brand. It has great recall value, and elicits a
giggle from people the first time they hear it.Why is it important for kids to access open spaces?
While technological devices do help children learn better
and faster, their unchecked use can do a lot of harm.
Essential social, motor and emotional skills can only be
developed in a playground. The problem is that some
parents and schools do not know the importance of
unrestricted playtime. Unstructured play boosts children’s
creativity, their ability to navigate the uncertain, and
develop the skills that will be most required in this age of
AI (artificial intelligence). It’s been scientifically proven that
play boosts academic performance.What are the main things to keep in mind when
designing spaces and products for children?
One needs to remember that the product or space should
be relevant and fun. The design has to be age appropriate
— children have different developmental needs at different
ages, so requirements for play will also vary. We steer clear
of cartoon characters and specific stories and imagery.
Keeping our products and spaces open-ended allows
the children to reinvent them and experience a different
outcome each time. This boosts their imagination and
encourages them to build narratives on their own. Another
important thing is safety. While the spaces need to be
safe, if they are too simplified, children can lose interest.
There needs to be a healthy amount of challenge involved,
for children to feel a sense of achievement. We pack in
elements of sensory, cognitive, physical, imaginative and
social play in every space we design.Could you share the biggest challenges you face?
Since we design play elements that have never been seen
before, parents are often skeptical about them. But you
just have to allow children to interact with the products
to show you the numerous ways that they can have fun.
Our main challenge has been to fight mindsets. In the
beginning, we struggled quite a bit to convince people to
invest their money and resources, and think beyond the
typical. Now, it’s much easier since we have a few projects
under our belt and people see their value.Take us through your work process. How long does
each project take?
We do a site assessment to understand the user group, the
number of children and the time they will play. We keep
developmental goals and fun aspects in mind. For schools,
we try to understand their curricula and pedagogies to
be able to design better. Materiality and thoughts about
execution go hand in hand. Typically, the design process
takes about two months, followed by the execution.UMA DAMLEUMA DAMLE