Design Experiments
A toolkit to foster a sense of curiosity, experimentation and play with design and technology tools in
order to uncover new ideas and encourage an openess to discovery.
Students will investigate an architectural technique and technology activity as employed by design
professionals and academics. They will then use design thinking and the methodologies they have
explored to investigate future needs of the Brisbane urban environment.
AUTHORS
BENCHMARKS
CURRICULUM
TEACHING LEVEL
Design Minds
Australian Curriculum
Arts, Graphics, Industrial Technology and Design
Year 10–12
EXPECTED DURATION
35
MINS
EXERCISES
RESOURCES FOR COMPLETION
x4
This toolkit has been structured as four activities to fit within one period
of class time but can be extended or shortened as required.
1. Experiment 1: Optimised Geometries
3. Immersive Ideation
2. Experiment 2: Introducing Interaction
4. Rapid Prototyping
• Sketch book or visual diary
• Pencils, pens, markers, staplers, glue, pins
and scissors
• Coloured Post-it notes
• Bluetac
• Butcher’s paper, sheets of coloured card and
recycled materials (e.g. boxes, paper plates, straws, paddle pop sticks)
• Pushpins
• Placticine
• 1 x ideation sheet (included in this toolkit)
per group
• Approx. 10m of 1-2mm thick wire per group
• Approx. 10m of 0.3-0.5mm thick wire
per group
• Approx. 10m of twine per group
• 2m2 of lycra per group
• 3-4 x pairs stockings per group
• 2 x A3 sheets of thick cardboard to act as
bases for the models per group
• Approx 15 x 8mm dowel rods of varying
lengths per group
• Makey Makey Kits (available to buy online)
• Laptop
Alternative to Makey Makey Kits
• Small light bulb (or a flashlight bulb)
• 2 x batteries (with the correct voltage for
your light bulb)
• 2 x alligator clip wires or aluminium foil*
• Paper clips
• Electrical tape
RESOURCES FOR DOCUMENTATION
•
•
•
•
DESIGN AND CAPABILITIES
Capabilities for creating successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and
Document student reflections in a folio or other method preferred by the teacher
Digital camera or scanner to document brainstorming, sketches and prototypes
Digital video camera to record final presentations (optional)
Upload photos or video to class wiki (try www.wikispaces.com)
informed citizens.
Literacy
INQUIRE
IMPLEMENT
IDEATE
Visit Design Minds for more info on design phases.
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
1
2
3
4
5
8
9
10
6
7
8
9
10
6
7
5
Numeracy
1
2
3
4
ICT capability
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Critical and creative thinking
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Personal and social capability
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Ethical behaviour
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Intercultural understanding
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Visit the Australian Curriculum website for more info on general capabilities.
Experiment 1:
Optimised Geometries
35 minutes (one period)
Inquire
Ideate
Implement
METHOD
Small groups or pairs
MATERIALS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ACTIVITY
This is a hands-on practical activity in which students are encouraged to think about and
experiment with the process of making in relation to architecture. At this stage, students should
not be too focused on trying to fulfil a specific brief. As such, the primary ‘how might we question’
investigated by the toolkit is not to be introduced just yet.
Pushpins
Placticine
Approx. 5m of 1-2mm thick wire per group
Approx. 5m of 0.3-0.5mm thick wire per group
Approx. 5m of twine per group
1m2 of lycra per group
1-2 x pairs stockings per group
1 x A3 sheets of thick cardboard to act as bases for the models per group
Approx 15 x 8mm dowel rods of varying lengths per group
A good introduction to the excercise may involve investigating visual examples of experimental
pavillions and installations such as:
Green Ladder
As part of Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation’s (SCAF) Fugitive Structures series,
Green Ladder was a gridded bamboo structure with a floating transparent ceiling which
was on display at SLQ in 2016 as a part of the Asia Pacific Architecture Forum. More
details here
Sulcus Loci
Sulcus Loci is an immersive interactive installation designed and built by students from
Interaction Design and Master of Architecture courses at The University of Queensland in
collaboration with artist Svenja Kratz. More details here
Students are then asked to make 3D structures of their own using defined materials. The primary
materials suggested for use here are:
Base/foundation
• Thick cardboard
• Dowel rods
• Wire (varying thicknesses)
• Twine
Skin/external cladding
• Lycra or nylon stockings
REFLECTION
Prompts for reflection:
•
•
DOCUMENTATION
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
How is the material you are working with influencing what you are making? What happens if
you try another material? How does that change the structure?
How might the structures you are making be used to provide information? How might it do
that? What kind of information would they provide?
Scan or photograph students’ research and reflection responses and include in a folio or an online wiki
for the project.
Experiment 1:
Optimised Geometries
Cont.
IMAGES
Images—examples of experimental pavilions and installations
1. Green Ladder Pavillion, Vo Trong Nghia Architects
2. Sulcus Loci installation, University of Queensland Architecture and Svenja Kratz
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Experiment 2:
Introducing Interaction
35 minutes (one period)
Inquire
Ideate
Implement
METHOD
Small groups or pairs
MATERIALS
• Pencils, pens, markers,
• Coloured Post-it notes
• 1 x ideation sheet (included in this toolkit)
ACTIVITY
The ideation session is where a design challenge is introduced. As the teacher you may choose to
define the “how might we...” challenge in advance or you may wish to develop one for themselves.
Once the core question is decided on, students are to undergo an ideate task and an implement
task to develop potential responses to the question.
Defining the question
Makey Makey is a small kit developed by Jay Silver of joyLabz that assists students studying
art, engineering and design in understanding the basics of creating interactive technologies.
Information on how to use and purchase these kits are widely available online. More details
on Makey Makey kits can be found on the Makey Makey website here.
Alternative to Makey Makey—Making closed circuits
If Makey Makey kits are a bit cost/time prohibitive, it may be possible to investigate similar
questions by making simple closed circuits. To do this use the above materials:
Make a circuit
•
Connect one end of each wire to the screws on the base of the light bulb holder. (If
you’re using foil, screw enough to fit a foil strip under it.)
•
Connect the free end of one wire to the negative (“-”) end of one battery. Does
anything happen?
•
Attach the free end of the other wire to the positive (“+”) end of the battery. Now
what happens?
Add power
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
•
Disconnect the battery from your circuit. Stand one battery so that the “+” end is
pointing up, then set the other battery next to it so that the flat “-” end is pointing
up. Tape around the middle of the batteries to hold them together.
•
Set a paperclip across the batteries so that it connects the “+” end of one to the “-”
end of the other. Tape the paperclip in place with a narrow piece of tape (do not
tape over the metal battery ends).
•
Turn the batteries over and tape one end of a paper clip onto each of the batteries.
Now you can connect one wire to each paper clip. (The bottom of the battery pack
should only have one paper clip - do not connect a wire to it.)
•
Connect the free ends of the wires to the light bulb.
Experiment 2:
Introducing Interaction
Cont.
REFLECTION
Prompts for reflection:
• In what ways do we experience space, other than sight (sound, light, touch, smell)?
• How might you incorporate a interaction into a design? How might you design an object/space
that responds to the user? In what way would there be action/reaction?
DOCUMENTATION
Scan or photograph students’ research and reflection responses and include in a folio or an online wiki
for the project.
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Introducing the Challenge
Immersive Learning
35 minutes (one period)
Inquire
Ideate
Implement
METHOD
Small groups or pairs
MATERIALS
•
•
•
•
ACTIVITY
It is in the ideation phase that we are looking to introduce a “how might we...” design task. In the
ideation phase, the “how might we question...” gets written and content is gathered for use in the
rapid prototyping phase.
Sketch book or visual diary
Pencils, pens, markers, staplers, glue, pins and scissors
Coloured Post-it notes
Butcher’s paper, sheets of coloured card and recycled materials (e.g. boxes, paper plates, straws, paddle pop sticks)
• 1 x ideation sheet (included in this toolkit) per group
The “how might we...” question should look to investigate how an interactive structure may help
an audience to reconsider a specific space. In developing the “how might we question...”, the first
step is determining the audience you would be looking to design for and what space the interactive
structure will be designed for. In deciding on a space to design for, an additional consideration for
this exercise is that it should be a space that teachers and students can easily visit. Teachers may
wish to pre-define this audience and space before the class starts or they may wish to get students
to write their own.
Examples of “how might we...” questions:
• How might we enable tourists to “re-see” the cultural precinct utilising an
interactive structure?
• How might we enable new students to “re-see” the school grounds utilising an
interactive structure?
• How might we enable children to re-see King George Square using an
interactive structure?
Once the question has been set, it’s time to develop ideas about how/what their
audience might “re-see” about the space. This task requires students to explore out of
the classroom and they are asked to immerse themselves in their chosen space.
In the investigation of their space, students are to develop ideas and make decisions
about three key elements:
• Placement
• Further specifying the audience
• New site perspectives
Each of these sessions is intentionally fast-paced. Teachers should encourage students
to develop as many ideas as possible and to make key decisions quickly without dwelling
too much.
Placement (10 mins)
Firstly, students decide on the location of their possible structure. Secondly, students
visit their intended location. As a group, investigate available spaces within the location
by walking around the location and making note of potential viable spaces.
DECISION POINT—students are to decide where their structure will go.
At about about the seven minute mark, students are to decide on one space to work with
and then to situate themselves in that place for the remainder of the session.
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Introducing the Challenge
Immersive Learning
Cont.
ACTIVITY
Audience (5 mins)
Students are to rapid ideate more specific demographics within the specific group. For
example, if their audience is “tourists” get them to decide on a more specific target
i.e children, families, local visitors or international visitors. Use Post-it notes and ask
students to write one idea per Post-it note. Try to get students to think of as many as
they can in five minutes.
DECISION POINT—Students are to decide which of the specific audiences they identified
that they will look to capture with their interactive structure.
New site perspectives (15 mins)
In this last exercise, students are to make observation of their site by considering it from
a new scale perspective, working from micro to macro scale in three stages (about five
minutes each). Using the New Perspectives: Mapping sheet (overleaf), students are to
sketch, note and map the presence of each of the three scales on the site. Things to
encourage them to consider are:
1. Micro
- Microscopic, small plants, materials
2. Meso-level
- Individual, Neighbourhood, City, State, Nation
3. Macro-level
- Globe, Universe, Cosmos
REFLECTION
Prompts for reflection:
• This session should end with a quick reflection with each group looking to finalise notes on
their chosen space/audience and to go over insights that were uncovered from the ideation
session and how they might look to include them in the design of the interactive structure.
• By the end of this reflection session, students are to write three key highlights from the
ideation activity to keep in mind for the next exercise.
DOCUMENTATION
Scan or photograph students’ research and reflection responses and include in a folio or an online wiki
for the project.
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Applying Experiments:
Implementation
35 minutes (one period)
Inquire
Ideate
Implement
METHOD
Small groups or pairs
MATERIALS
• Pushpins
• Placticine
• Approx. 5m of 1-2mm thick wire per group
• Approx. 5m of 0.3-0.5mm thick wire per group
• Approx. 5m of twine per group
• 1m2 of lycra per group
• 1-2 x pairs stockings per group
• 1 x A3 sheets of thick cardboard to act as bases for the models per group
• Approx 15 x 8mm dowel rods of varying lengths per group
(N.B Teachers are encouraged to recycle materials from the first activity for use in this exercise).
ACTIVITY
In this final exercise, students are looking to Rapid Prototype a response to their “how might we..”
question. This implementation process will occur in two phases:
Implementation Phase 1 —Rapid Prototyping
Students are challenged to combine the experimentations they explored in activity 1 with the three
insights from reflection session in activity 2 to investigate the primary “how might we...” question.
The “outcome” of the design is up to the students but it must be rapid prototyped in some way that
combines the principles of optimised geometries and interaction design. Students should also be
encouraged to supplement this with other prototyping practices.
Implementation Phase 2 —Designing the Pitch
The student task in 15 minutes is to:
1) Give their prototyped idea a bold name
2) Describe it in 25 words or less
3) Communicate it in three dimensions so that others can clearly understand
They will then “pitch” their idea to the rest of the group in a two minute presentation.
REFLECTION
Prompts for reflection:
• How does your idea apply the concepts learned by the optimised geometries?
• How does your idea apply interaction design concepts?
• How would your audience’s perspective of the space change with the presence of your design?
DOCUMENTATION
Photograph students’ prototypes and scan or photograph students’ research and reflection responses
and include in a folio or an online wiki for the project.
Version 1-30 April 2014
© 2014 State of Queensland (State Library of Queensland)
Feedback
We truly appreciate your contribution to furthering Design Thinking in education through the use of this toolkit. To thank you we would like to send
you a FREE book courtesy of State Library of Queensland. Just include your full contact details below and we’ll handpick something special for you!
ABOUT YOU:
Teacher name:
Postal Address:
School:
Email:
Phone:
No of students involved:
Age of students involved:
Would you like to receive occassional updates from APDL? (please tick)
S
ABOUT THE TOOLKIT:
How well did the toolkit align with and support your existing learning benchmarks?
How easy was the toolkit to use?
How easily understandable did you find the the language and concepts presented?
How well did students enjoy the activity? (Please provide any examples of student feedback or anecdotal evidence)
Anything else to share? (Your experiences, learnings or suggestions)
HELPING OUT:
WHAT’S NEXT?
I’m interested in being contacted further for:
(please tick)
Providing ongoing feedback S
Authoring future toolkits
S
Becoming a
Design Minds ambassador S
Return your completed feedback form to the Design Minds team:
E: [email protected]
M:
Asia Pacific Design Library
State Library of Queensland
PO Box 3488
South Brisbane QLD 4101
And we’ll get to work selecting a special book, just for your school!