With a shared understanding of technologies might be creatively deployed in learning environments and the challenges faced in studio based learning, our next step will be to explore possible connected device solutions that a) provide direct value in a scenario of use and b) through either the data they generate or functionality they offer have the potential to enhance the operation of other networked devices.
By the end of this exercise, students will:
The challenge is we’re designing for an eminently familiar space which is well explored and speculated on in terms of IoT solutions. This means it’s coming with a lot of design baggage… You’ll need to find ways to step back from or defamiliarize this design context: carefully test assumptions you might have about how things work in your design space, and try to identify non-obvious or overlooked opportunities to intervene (habituated behaviors, commonplace objects, etc.)
To explore alternative, unfamiliar approaches, we’ll use a forced brainstorming tecchniques. Each team will generate a small number of early stage ideas possible prototypes that could be introduced to the studio and then synthesize them into a possible direction. The process should take approximately 2 hours.
Before you begin, review the instructions below and get to know the process you’ll follow.
Goal: Generate a list of design dimensions for your brainstorming
You’re going to quickly generate a list of contexts and activities you’ll want to design for as part of your process.
In your group have each member generate 2-3 options for this silently and in 5 minutes. The options to generate are:
TECHNOLOGY ACTIONS: What are the primary but basic types of actions that a technology might support. For example, a RFID scanner can IDENTIFY people in the space, a camera or microphone could help CAPTURE or record events, if you’re builing an ambient device to indicate approaching buses or you want a door sign to show who’s in a room you’re going to _DISPLAY data; if you’re building a air quality monitor or monitor noise in the environment you’re going to SENSE primarily. You can use these types as starters for your group. See if there are other core types of action you imagine focusing on.
LEARNING PROCESS: What learning behaviors or collaborative practices should be supported? For example you might want to help facilitate CRITIQUING or feedback on work as it happens, helping to ARTICULATE what people are working on to set shared expectations or communicate progress, enhanced COORDINATING could improve group projects, while REFLECTING on outcomes or process could help understand what learning has taken place?
CONTEXTS: What locations and sites in the studio are you interested in intervening at? You could go broad and deploy across the ENTIRE STUDIO or you could look for locations like the SOLDERING STATION, FABRICATION STATION, a TABLE, WHITEBOARDS, a LOCKER or STORAGE. You might also consider some obvious areas like PIN UP BOARDS, DOORWAYS, the CEILING, the WALL, or even the FLOOR!
You can reuse any of these above - but feel free to customise them too. You should end up with something like this:
| ACTIONS | PROCESSES | CONTEXTS |
|---|---|---|
| IDENTIFY | CRITIQUING | SOLDERING STATION |
| CAPTURE | ARTICULATING | TABLE |
| DISPLAY | REFLECTING | LOCKER |
| … | … | … |
For this to be effective, don’t just choose easy options. Try and add some unconventional locations, processes or actions to the mix. And also add a wildcard option to each!
With your three categories popoulated you can move onto the next step of generating design possibilities. As part of this, you’ll randomly select one from each category and rapidly generate some concepts. So, you’ll need a way to randomly pick categories. You could use https://wheelofnames.com/# to do this. Three team members could load this onto their laptops, and add one category each. At each turn, you’ll need each of the team memebers to spin and select.
Goal: Generate possible devices in small groups (4-5 people) in a series of 5 minutes rounds.
As a group you’re going to brainstorm a small set of ideas. Afterwards, you’ll post them up and make sense of them. But… Before you begin take a look at the Worksheet. You’ll notice the ‘MadLib’ style: each of the first three components matches one of the categories you’ve brainstormed. Familiarize yourself with the attributes for each design.
Work in pairs for this exercise. You’ll conduct as many rounds as possible in 45 minutes and generate lots of different design options. Avoid discussing the outcomes of each round as you’ll have a conversation about them at the end.
At the start of each round: Randomly select an ACTION, a PROCESS and a CONTEXT. Randomising it means you could get some really challenging mixes that you’d never naturally explore. This forces some constraints and helps to open up and explore new design propositions. While some may be challenging, try it out and see what you can come up with… it might lead you to somewhere very interesting indeed! In Summary:
During each round: Work in pairs for 5 minutes to imagine new and different ways that technologies might be creatively deployed in your studio to improve learning or collaboration. Use the worksheet to capture your ideas. Include drawings and write notes about idea. Don’t focus on practicalities of implementation or realities of what technology can support at this point instead focus on solving problems in your studio in interesting ways. This doesn’t have to be practical: Out of box thinking, playfulness and silly ideas are not just OK but welcomed! In summary:
At the end of each round: Put the sketches to one side. Don’t discuss as you’ll post them up in the next step. Then, __choose three new items (one from each category) and begin agai__n. Repeated 6-10 times: time permitting and depending on the group size.
Note Liasons don’t forget to document your process!!!
Hint Refer back to the pain points and issues you generated over the past few days as resources for this brainstorming
They’ll generate ideas for potential technologies that could be used in their classroom/makerspace
You should have between 10 and 20 ideas generated through this process. On a whiteboard or surface draw a XY axis with:
This should give you a matrix like this:
| Low Value in Data High Value in Device |
High Value in Data High Value in Device |
| Low Value in Data Low Value in Device |
High Value in Data Low Value in Device |
Then
Provide some opportunity for the participants to respond to the ideas / discuss but don’t get stuck discussing each concept in detail.
Important: Keep share outs short as you want to be able to prioritize discussion on high value concepts.
As a group discuss the concepts. Prioritize discussion on what the group sees as high impact concepts i.e. pay attention to the top right corner (High Value in Data & High Value in Device).
Using this conversation, develop a concept proposal. You can choose to develop one of the concepts presented, aggregate ideas from multiple concepts or use the generative exercise to inspire an entirely new direction. Just document your decision making.
Hint Liasons don’t forget to document your process!!!
The outcome will be a concept proposal consisting of approximately 100 words. Be clear and explain the:
In addition to the written description, illustrate the design with a sketch or storyboard.
Create a Post in the #projects channel on slack.