Alison Meier Design Journal

The final prototype!

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:07:56 -0500

The final prototype!

Prototype discs—trash, recycling, and compost objects

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:44:40 -0500

Prototype discs—trash, recycling, and compost objects

Posters for tradeshow

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:14:34 -0500

Posters for tradeshow

Prototype pieces assembly

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 15:04:03 -0500

Prototype pieces assembly

Final prototype build

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Final prototype build

Ways to reduce noticeability of size differences in discs

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

give one at a time
increase size of discs
let all go through the chutes initially (so that too big ones fall through too)
don’t show the size of holes
use varied colored backgrounds to distract

Product Name and Description

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Green Challenge: A game for Waste Management to educate children on appropriate recycling practices

Testing materials

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Testing materials

Final design sketch

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Final design sketch

Green plastic for toys

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:41:53 -0500

Green plastic for toys

Mission Statement

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Create an engaging tool that Waste Management Outreach Coordinators can easily use to educate children on appropriate recycling practices, with the goal of reducing recycling stream contaminants in order to improve Waste Management’s operational efficiency.

Testing the functional prototype helped us realize that kids...

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:07:27 -0500

sketch of weighting option

Brian thinking hard about ways to sort

Playing with tracks and gears

the solution!

the sketch!

Testing the functional prototype helped us realize that kids figured out very quickly that they could sort by size rather than item. It’s also problematic that the small balls can fit in the larger holes, even though they haven’t been sorted correctly.

We considered a lot of ways to sort using different methods—shape, color, weight, magnet—but eventually settled on a plan to use barely different sizes to sort, and to sort items twice so that smaller items end up in a “try again” pile when they are put in large holes.

Notes: Testing Functional Prototype with Kids

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:43:00 -0500

Location: Table inside the entrance of Lawrence Hall of Science

3 kids. Ages ~3 and 4

has to stand on stool to reach
dropping balls on floor, rolling away
have to hold up prototype so it doesn’t fall over
putting balls in bins without thinking
one kid holding on to ball (just holding not putting in bin)
excited to make stickers

3 girls, ages ~6-7

how did you know this was compost “because it’s leftovers”
later, after playing for a few minutes, how did you know this was compost? “because it’s small”
do you know what happens when you recycle? “it becomes new things”
tried to walk her through pictures. she saw the garbage truck but then jumped to the end where it becomes new things
other girl has glass bottle ball. first goes for trash. I asked her where else could it go, and she selects compost. I ask if she thinks it could be something else. She says no for recycling, and I point to the new glass picture and she puts it in recycling

3 girls, ages 10, 10 and 11

how do you know? “sizes”
what happens when you recycle? “turns into new things”
rushing to try to put them in all of the holes. just seeing if they fit, not whether they can be recycled

boy and girl, ages 7 and 7

boy spends time working with Brian to put things in bins
tries to but the hose in the recycling
I ask him where else it could go, and he looks with hesitation ans waits for confirmation from me before dropping it in the recycling

boy, ~age 4

puts one in slowly
2 other kids come by (~ages 4 and 5): “I want to do this” adult says “wait your turn”
younger boy is putting the ball in his mouth (note: choking hazard!)

boy, age 10

first one he tried was puting the hose in the recycling
the ball say there and didn’t do anything, but he didn’t seem to notice that he had made the wrong decision (i.e. nothing went down the tube)
asked him why he thought the hose could be recycled and he said because it can be melted
I walked him through why it should go in the landfill
then he started going really quickly and putting all of the compost in the compost bin.
asked him how he knows “because they are small”
do you know what happens when you recycle? “it gets burned and then turned into something else”
what could we do to make this more challenging? cover up holes so you can’t see them. make balls really close in size but just a little different

3 boys, ages 10, 10, and 10 (friends)

competing against each other’s times
Brian making sound when they choose the wrong one
first boy gets a lot wrong
boys laughing (with him, not at him) when he gets them wrong
taunting each other about their times
other kids crowding around to watch
one kid who had already gone, looking over his friend’s shoulder “matthew’s gonna win. look at the time. oh, matthew probably won”
“It’s actually pretty fun”

3 boys, about 10

puts one in, Brian makes sound. boy asks “is it wrong?” other boy “it doesn’t fit there”
boys all working together to put them in bins
keep asking “who won?”
Brian tells them the last team beat you. boys seem bummed but aren’t interested in playing again

6 kids, mix of boys and girls. all 10ish. decide to play 3 against 3

first group looks carefully at each item
boy “a hose? I think you can recycle” Brian makes sound. boy “Oh I guess landfill”
after first group finished, other 3 lose interest and walk away

one girl, age 10

much more creaful
examines each one
Brian gives her a lot of encouragement after each one
at the end, tells her time is 1 minute 34 seconds, and she says “yay!” (even though she has nothing to compare it to)

Takeaways:

kids notice differences in sizes
balls roll everywhere, bounce, are a choking hazard
timing seemed to be an encouragement, especially for older kids (boys competing against each other)
young kids were excited about the stickers
needs to be impossible for incorrect balls to go down wrong tubes
kids didn’t pay much attention to process information
many knew that recycled things can turn into something else
one kid’s knowledge of recycling made him make the wrong decision (wanted to recycled the hose because it can be melted)
feedback about wrong choices is useful
need a takeaway (brochure? informative sticker?)

Functional Prototype Testing Plan

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:42:00 -0500

Goals

Test visualizing recycling process.
Test make-your-own sticker.
Test timed competition.

Phase 1: Focus on recycling process. Talk to kids about the what happens when something is recycled as they play.

Phase 2: Let kids make their own stickers from stamps.

Phase 3: Time kids and have them compete against each other. Make a buzzing sound when they guess incorrectly.

Functional prototype Acrylic balls of different sizes represent...

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:41:00 -0500

board with "paths" in between acrylic

acrylic balls with pictures of items

bag of chips = garbage (large ball)

bottle = recycling (medium ball)

bone = compost (small ball)

recycling track depicts process

Make-your-own sticker stamps

Functional prototype

Acrylic balls of different sizes represent items that should be placed in trash, recycling, or compost. Kids place the items in the correct bucket, and correct items fall down the track (holes in buckets are based on correct size of ball). Pictures in the middle track (recycling) depict the recycling process. The game is timed with a stopwatch. At the end of the game, kids can either make their own sticker with stamps or get a pre-made sticker.

Lifecycle of an aluminum can....

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:06:22 -0500

Lifecycle of an aluminum can. From http://www.novelis.com/NR/rdonlyres/550E09BA-D602-48D2-AEDE-016C72022260/0/lifecycle.jpg

What happens when you recycle? Image...

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:54:31 -0500

What happens when you recycle? Image from http://www.which.co.uk/environment-and-saving-energy/environment-and-greener-living/guides/what-happens-to-your-rubbish/what-happens-to-your-recycling/

Story of Electronics

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 19:35:50 -0500

Story of Electronics

Tablet for kids--Science education

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 19:32:41 -0500

Tablet for kids--Science education

Revised Prototype Plan

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:00:00 -0500

Demonstration/Games concept direction

Prototype: build an acrylic “sorting” prototype to test different aspects with kids.

Testing:

timed game aspect
visualizing process aspect
creating your own sticker aspect