As schools worldwide embraced the use of digital technology as a consequence of the pandemic, Logitech began developing a sturdier, more easy-to-use stylus for children.
According to a report in Yahoo News, the Swiss tech company partnered with the Panama Central School in western New York state for the development of its Logitech Pen.
“We worked with students early on around form, shape and size to understand what the different needs were from a student perspective and an educator perspective,” Gaurav Bradoo, Logitech's head of portfolio for education, told Yahoo News.
The company listened to feedback from 100 students at the school on the size, comfort, and particularly the shape of the new pen. The Logitech Pen, which was launched this January, features a triangle-like form that the students were instrumental in helping to bring about.
“Talking with representatives from Logitech, they said it really was the students’ feedback that helped determine the shape,” said Panama Central's fifth-grade math teacher Pamela Warner. “The younger elementary students said it was more beneficial to them and allowed them to hold it easier. It fit in their hands better, they weren’t slipping with it and it felt more natural. Looking at the data, a good majority of my students picked the triangle.”
The pen has a number of other features designed specifically for a school setting.
For example, it automatically connects to USI-enabled Chromebooks with no pairing required, meaning multiple students can use the same device or share pens. It is also water-resistant, has a damage-resistant plastic tip and is colored yellow like a traditional pencil.