Digital Picture Book

Shiritori…ri…ri…ri…rin…rin…ringo!!

　Tap the tablet’s screen, and watch as the colorful grains scattered around the screen gather together like magnetic sand to form a picture, as if your finger were a magnet. Sounds also come together to form words.
　
　Tap it once more, and the completed apple picture explodes, breaking back into grains that scatter across the screen.
Go…go…go…gori…gori…gorilla!!
Ra…ra…ra…
What will come next? What will you be able to see?

　This is an app called “tap*rap Shiritori,” developed by Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. and Digitalehon. Shiritori is a Japanese game in which words are broken down into sounds; the player then takes the last sound of the word and uses it to form another word that begins with that sound. The concept of this app is to enable this through digital interaction. Words, images, and the movement of your finger are synchronized; all you need to do is tap the screen. The app has won both the Good Design Award and the Kids Design Award.

　According to a fact-finding survey titled “Childcare Among Today’s Moms,” conducted by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation in 2009, the number of new parents who go online before taking their child to the park for the first time—those who download picture books from the Internet and play lullabies from YouTube—began to rise from that time onward. Some reports suggest that new mothers are even content to send videos over the Internet rather than return to their parents’ home after giving birth, and that more questions are being asked online than to mothers-in-law. Whether this is a good or a bad thing, mothers’ behavior is changing.

　Of course, children’s behavior is changing as well. The shift among the children who have attended workshops over the past few years is evident. Try enlarging an illustration from a standard picture book. When children look at a screen—whether it’s a computer or a television—they tap it with their finger. Parents now give their old smartphones and tablets to their children to use as educational tools. My child mastered smartphones around the age of 1 and can now launch his favorite apps and play on his own.

　We wanted to help pioneer new forms of digital expression and educational materials for smartphones and tablets, so in 2011, we began creating digital picture books. “Can’t we make it easy to do creative things at home with your family?”—it all started with a thought like this.

　“Digital picture book” is the generic term for digital forms of expression aimed at children and designed for use on new devices such as tablets, e-readers, electronic whiteboards, digital signage displays, and smartphones—anything other than televisions and computers. “tap*rap Photo Shiritori” is a tool for creating your own digital picture shiritori. Its sequels are ‘tap*rap Henshin’ and ‘tap*rap Tsukuru Henshin’. We’ve also taken great care in adapting books such as “The Noticer” into digital picture books for use on digital signage displays.

Digital technology has opened up various new avenues for expression.

　First of all, anyone can now “create” things. This offers everyone the opportunity for high-level expression. Making movies, creating anime, and other forms of expression—which until now were impossible without gathering a lot of expensive equipment—can now be done with a computer, by yourself, at home. The barrier to entry for expression has been lowered.

　It’s now possible to play musical instruments without actually learning them, or to write music without knowing how to compose. Even children who aren’t good at drawing can now become skilled at design. Now you can even create animations at home by yourself.

It’s also now possible for everyone to share their ideas with the world. We can connect to the internet at home and express ourselves in a boundless space. We can showcase and share our ideas and creations instantly with the world through the internet, and receive immediate feedback from other internet users. We can then use this feedback to inform our next creation. This has turned everyone into a creative person.

　The spread of tablets and smartphones has brought about huge changes in the way we live. The keyboard and mouse—which had long been staples of computers—have been replaced by a new interface where we can actually touch the screen; an interface that even children can operate immediately and intuitively. As devices have become smaller, the distance to the network has shrunk, allowing us to carry them around and stay connected to the world at all times.

　Thanks to extremely simple interfaces, we can now access the world through intuitive operation using only our fingertips. Devices on which everything can be done with the index finger have become widespread; various applications have been developed, and even now, new solutions are being sought to address this new reality.

　Of course, many tools for creation, expression, transmission, and communication are being developed. This pursuit of simple usability makes it easy for children to express themselves and be creative, placing new tools for expression right in their hands.

　There is no need to acquire specialized knowledge in fields such as computers or programming; you can create things with a simple touch. The process of making things blends seamlessly into children’s existing play, creating a world that connects play, expression, and creativity. By using a tablet for creative activities, anyone can create an original work simply by having an idea.

The goal of “tap*rap Photo Shiritori” and “tap*rap Henshin” is to provide children with tools that allow them to easily create things at home while they play. “Photo Shiritori” lets children use the camera to photograph familiar objects or pictures they’ve drawn and easily create their own original shiritori. “Henshin” lets children create an original face with around 1,000 possible variations while they play.

　In a world where digital technology has become a familiar medium, children can create while they play and learn many things through this process. Even if you’re not a professional creator, engaging in activities that allow you to express yourself and be creative brings great satisfaction. There is another form of communication that goes beyond words.

　We aim to pioneer new digital experiences that foster children’s imagination and creativity, captivate and enchant them, and can be enjoyed together with parents. We want to contribute to building a rich society through the creative lifestyles that digital technology can help create.