Media designers Ann-Kathrin Ganzhorn and Nadine Langendörfer were awarded the Innovations award for digital education “delina”, under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior. Their thesis project “Anderwärts” , an interactive graphic novel for grandparents and grandchildren, was the winning entry in the category “Campus”, chosen by an interdisciplinary 23-member jury. The annual contest is sponsored by the German Digital Association Bitkom , a network of 2400 companies in the digital economy.
What makes Anderwärts special? The application combines fun play and exciting adventures with opportunities for diary writing and reading-out. This is an issue as many grandparents and grandchildren today live separate from each other in different cities or even countries. Regular contact in everyday life becomes scarce. This is where Anderwärts comes in. The app allows grandparents and their grandchildren to build a personal relationship over distance. In “Anderwärts” they meet in a fantasy world in which they solve tasks together and participate in an exciting interactive story. There are numerous opportunities for common activities and discourse, generating situations of teamwork, social contact and exchange between generations.
