FK&Y and IKEA talk at the MRS Kids and Youth Research conference on 25th January

This year’s MRS Kids & Youth Research conference is focusing on all things Generation Z, looking at young people’s media habits and how to engage and co-create with this new generation of consumers.

Dr Barbie Clarke from Family Kids & Youth will be presenting with Magnus Thuvesson from Children’s IKEA about our ongoing research with children and the methodology that puts children at the centre of everything IKEA does.

Event details: MRS Kids & Youth Research conference – ‘Engage, empower and inspire Generation Z’. See the full programme and get tickets here. #mrslive @TweetMRS

Talk details: ‘How IKEA puts children at the centre of design’. The talk presents a case study of our ‘IKEA Kids’ Advisory Panel’, a panel that includes face-to-face workshops, ‘store tours’ and regular updates from the children telling us about their lives. Barbie and Magnus explain how IKEA approach their most important customers, and talk about how the findings are fed into the Children’s IKEA team and help to develop and co-create innovative new products.

When & where: Thursday 25th January, 11:50am, Etc.venues, Riverside Building, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 7PB

About our talk: Children’s IKEA was launched 20 years ago, and it takes children and their lives very seriously, putting them at the centre of all it does. Family Kids & Youth has worked closely with them since 2009, interviewing over 30,000 children and parents in 12 countries to discover what play means to children and their families. More recently IKEA has set up the IKEA Kids’ Advisory Panel with children around the world. We communicate with the Panel face-to-face, taking them on ‘store tours’ using go-pro cameras, and film, and through using regular online communication, asking children to tell us about their lives. Having children work closely with Children’s IKEA allows for co-creation and instant feedback, and a deeper understanding of how children think and behave. The children can tell us about their everyday activities, their hopes and dreams, and the practicalities of their lives. In our talk we explain about the methodology used, and, importantly how the findings are fed into the 80-strong Children’s IKEA team, and the impact this has had on the way Children’s IKEA has developed.