Prompt
Create a physical artifact that represents you and your unique interests! Share your creation with the people around you and build relationships!
Competencies:
Collaboration, Concept Development, Iteration, Prototyping, Empathy
Materials
Cardboard sheets, paper, cardstock paper
Tape, hot glue gun, fasteners, zip ties
Box cutters, scissors, paper clips, popsicle sticks, markers.
Instructions
1. Tools and Materials
Individually:
Have a look at the resource table set up in your classroom and list as many items as you can in three minutes.
As a group:
Share your findings with the group. What materials or tools do you notice and how you might use them to make an object? Each student shares. Teacher opportunity to provide ideas or demonstrate how to use certain tools or materials - cutting, tapping, gluing, etc.
02. Brainstorming
Individually:
On the back of your paper create a list of 5 - 10 different characteristics that represent you. Aim for 5 as a minimum. Tips: Write down things you are interested in: hobbies, activities, specific games, shows, movies. Characteristics such as: Are you funny or serious? Do you enjoy reading or playing basketball?
In small groups:
Pick a person to share with what you wrote. Ask your partner follow-up questions about what they shared with you. Make it a conversation. Take turns sharing with each other. Repeat with two other people, three total. Put a circle or square around characteristics you have in COMMON!
03. Concept Sketch
Individually Sketch:
Select three of the unique characteristics you wrote down. Quickly, create a concept sketch for each of them. You should have three sketches by the end.
A concept sketch is a quick and rough sketch that communicates the most important elements of your idea. It does not have to be detailed. Keep it simple!
4. Sketch Models
Individually Prototype:
Now it's time to start prototyping small scaled prototypes of two of your three sketches. These will not look finalized and are supposed to rough, and do not need to include detail! The prototypes should simply communicate your idea!
This prototype can be very rough and does not need to include detail. Use materials such as paper, tape, and cardboard.
A sketch model is one of the first prototypes a designer creates using very basic materials such as paper and cardboard. The sketch model should communicate your idea in three dimensions!
5. Partner Up and Share Out
Now! Find a person you have not yet talked to in the class. Remember, this exercise is about building relationships and learning about others as much as it is about using the design process to express your ideas!
Share your sketches and prototypes with a classmate and talk about what you made and why. What did you learn during the process?
Presenter: Tell them about what you made and why?
Listener: Ask the presenter: How could they improve their prototype? How could they clarify their idea? What do you like about their ideas?
After sharing: Start to discuss ideas for bringing your two concepts together to make one unique object that represents both of you.
6. Iteration 01 - Hybrid Sketches
As a team:
Sketch with your current partner begin sketching ideas on how to incorporate your ideas into one hybrid object that uniquely represents both of you! Create three unique thumbnail sketches each! 6 total. Once complete, share with your partner. Circle the two you like best!
Sketch out a hybrid design of your object - so that your two ideas become one idea that represents both of you in a unique way. Be creative!
Try to abstract your ideas so that they don't directly model your idea, for instance instead of modeling or sketching a basketball, try sketching how you feel when you play basketball.
7. Critique and Feedback
Critique and feedback is the process of sharing our ideas with others in effort to get specific feedback on how to improve our ideas, sketches, and prototypes. Sometimes this feedback can take us in a slightly new direction, recommend ways to increase the quality of our prototypes, or drawings, or exploring the same idea but in a new way. The goal of feedback is to help us iterate and improve our current ideas. Feedback can vary depending on who you talk to!
Partner with another group. Share your favorite idea with them and get feedback on how you can: improve the making of your prototype, add detail to your prototype, and make your idea better integrate your individual ideas into a shared hybrid-prototype.
Write the feedback down on a sheet of paper.
Repeat this process 2x so that you have a wide range of input.
08. Iteration 01 - Hybrid Prototype
Part 02
Create two small-scale paper prototypes of your circled sketches. The prototypes can fit in a 3 inch x 3 inch x 3 inch box. Be as creative as possible! There are NO wrong answers.
Tips
Think about the various ways you can integrate your ideas for example:
If one of your ideas was a dog and the other a giraffe, could your model be of a hybrid animal with a dog body and giraffe upper body.
Maybe your ideas include soccer and art: could your near hybrid-collaborative-creation be a new game that incorporates elements of both soccer and art?
9. Final Prototype (Iteration 02) - Hybrid Prototype
With your partner, create a final prototype of your hybrid creation!
With your teammate use at least 3 or more materials to create a physical prototype of your idea. The prototype should fit in 6inch x 6 inch x 6 inch volume or box.
Design Criteria - Goals for Final Prototype
Incorporate more detail than your initial prototypes.
Each person's ideas or concept should be incorporated into the design.
The final prototype, as an idea, should be greater than the sum of its parts.
The final prototype should incorporate at least 2 pieces of feedback you received during the critique process.
10. Reflect
In Groups:
Partner with a new group who you have not yet interacted with. Take turns sharing your creation with each other! Share with each other how it felt to make your own prototype compared to the hybrid prototype.
Talk about what you would do differently if you had more time.
Pick a new partner and repeat!