Design Challenge 1

2020 Toys’ Factory

Hand-eye coordination is the skill that enables the eyes to guide the hands in accurate movement. Good eye-hand coordination can help children in many different areas of life, sports, handwriting, reading, life skills etc.
Students need to narrow down the age group and develop multiple rough prototypes to understand target users, create proper motivation and barriers.
The design needs to be playful and visually communicable; the overall form needs to promote manipulation or interaction with it in the proper way.
Fabrication constraints, cost, assembling, package and shipping need to be considered too so the design would be more business viable.
Be aware of the toy safety standard and regulation ASTM F963-17, especially the toys for little kids.

Objective

The purpose of this project is to develop a toy for kids between the age of 2-10, the design will make the target user stay participated and engaged. Encourage target users to use their eyes to direct attention and their hands to execute a task, which will improve their hand-eye coordination.

Resources

Design Method Card SUTD-MIT

Why Sensory Design? (2018)

marvelapp

Vacuum forming acrylic

ASTM F963-17

Design Journey

Research as a Group

divergent thinking

evaluation

convergent thinking

divergent thinking

validation

convergent thinking

Sample images

How

WHY

1. Benchmark Research

Focus on the best practice in the market and related area, performance, standards, price range, other benchmarks

1.Benchmark research including product from other fields in order to have a thorough understanding of the guidelines of the project

2.Understand the role and mindset of the target users and develop a list of criteria relevant to the project.

3.Collect the probable choice of mechanism, have knowledge of its maintenance and cost.

4.Regulation of toy design.

2. Brainstorming

make a plan

Form Scenarios in context, telling stories that are relevant to the project, come up context- or behavior-based concepts.

1.Mapping out the key elements that make kids are willing to engage

2. Role-playing and insight development. Get feedback from your peers with the help of visual aids.

3. Forming stories and measured by probable choice of mechanism.

3. Prototyping

basic usability testing

Evaluate the design proposals with prototypes (cardboard or any materials available) Learn from a simulation of the experience by using prototypes.

1.Create empathy tools (wear ski gloves etc.)

2.Understand target users behavior and mindset, focusing on the intuitive response prompted by the interaction.

3.Evaluate the mechanism, structure, weight, size, orientation, assembling and possible cost.

4. Low fidelity prototype (paper prototype or wire frame), if applicable.

4. Ideation

Think visually

Externalize your internal thinking processes by sketching and prototypes, design exploration needs to be presented in different fidelities– loose, tight, then move to the final.

1.Use sticky notes to draw thumbnail sketches. Depending on the direction you want to explore.

2.More fleshed-out design proposals with listed design elements in mind, map out all the thoughts about Proportion | mechanism and structure | Form language | User scenario | Features and details | Ergonomic | Usability | Assembling | the choice of materials | storage | Cost | Cleaning |

3. Enhance target user's sensory experience, activate the five basic senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

5. Fabrication

Create a full-size final model with assembling instructions or user guide.

Use explanatory sketch to create product manual, show context for your ideas, what is this and how does it work.

6. Evaluate the Proposed Design

with target users

Observe target users interacting with the refined full-size prototypes with a real or imagined context.

1.Narration--ask users to describe aloud what they are thinking why using to understand their mindset, perception, reasoning.

2.Analyze their subconscious behavior and bring back something tangible to refine the design.

7. Refinement

8. Final Evaluation

Form Scenario with Proper Context

bicycle pedal-powered washing machine

Eco-Friendly Washing Machine

Spincycle washes clothes via an attachment which is put on the back of a bicycle and filled with water and detergent.

IF Award_Elephant_washer01

2020 Toys’ Factory

Design Journey

Research as a Group

divergent thinking

evaluation

convergent thinking

divergent thinking

validation

convergent thinking

Sample images

How

WHY

1. Benchmark Research

Focus on the best practice in the market and related area, performance, standards, price range, other benchmarks

1.Benchmark research including product from other fields in order to have a thorough understanding of the guidelines of the project

2.Understand the role and mindset of the target users and develop a list of criteria relevant to the project.

3.Collect the probable choice of mechanism, have knowledge of its maintenance and cost.

4.Regulation of toy design.

2. Brainstorming

make a plan

Form Scenarios in context, telling stories that are relevant to the project, come up context- or behavior-based concepts.

1.Mapping out the key elements that make kids are willing to engage

2. Role-playing and insight development. Get feedback from your peers with the help of visual aids.

3. Forming stories and measured by probable choice of mechanism.

3. Prototyping

basic usability testing

Evaluate the design proposals with prototypes (cardboard or any materials available) Learn from a simulation of the experience by using prototypes.

1.Create empathy tools (wear ski gloves etc.)

2.Understand target users behavior and mindset, focusing on the intuitive response prompted by the interaction.

3.Evaluate the mechanism, structure, weight, size, orientation, assembling and possible cost.

4. Low fidelity prototype (paper prototype or wire frame), if applicable.

4. Ideation

Think visually

Externalize your internal thinking processes by sketching and prototypes, design exploration needs to be presented in different fidelities– loose, tight, then move to the final.

1.Use sticky notes to draw thumbnail sketches. Depending on the direction you want to explore.

2.More fleshed-out design proposals with listed design elements in mind, map out all the thoughts about Proportion | mechanism and structure | Form language | User scenario | Features and details | Ergonomic | Usability | Assembling | the choice of materials | storage | Cost | Cleaning |

3. Enhance target user's sensory experience, activate the five basic senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

5. Fabrication

Create a full-size final model with assembling instructions or user guide.

Use explanatory sketch to create product manual, show context for your ideas, what is this and how does it work.

6. Evaluate the Proposed Design

with target users

Observe target users interacting with the refined full-size prototypes with a real or imagined context.

1.Narration--ask users to describe aloud what they are thinking why using to understand their mindset, perception, reasoning.

2.Analyze their subconscious behavior and bring back something tangible to refine the design.

7. Refinement

8. Final Evaluation

Form Scenario with Proper Context

Other Reference Images