2.00b Toy Product Design
In spring of 2013 I taught 2.00b Toy Product Design, an introduction to product design class. The class has 80 students split into 16 teams. Before and throughout the semester, I planned lectures and labs with my co-instructor Geoff Tsai and advisor David Wallace. Geoff and I alternated giving lectures. We ran lab times each week and had workshops on weekends, since many freshman don't yet have experience with Arduino, laser cutting, CAD, etc. We helped teams with their ideation, early stage prototyping, and fabricating their alpha prototype to present at the end of the semester. All toys from the semester are here. The slideshow below shows a bit about the class' syllabus.
Course Instructor
2.00b Toy Product Design, Spring 2013
Product Design
There are a handful of product design classes for MIT undergrads. We want to teach students the methods and benefits of design thinking. By the end of the semester, they will make something they are proud of, and that builds their skills set.
Visual Skills
Sketching and storyboarding were presented as ways to communicate and refine ideas. Students used these skills during ideation and refining stages.
Graphic Design
We taught graphic design as a way of communicating your idea without words. Teams started with three concepts, and pitched them all during a poster presentation.
Sketch Models
We defined sketch models as something that answer a "critical question" that should take as little time and money as reasonable. The first round of sketch models often used foamcore or blue foam.
Workshops
Many students in the class lacked the skills to implement their designs, so we hosted many workshops: on Illustrator, Photoshop, vector cutting, Arduino, PCB fabrication by etching. This is a slide from an Arduino workshop I ran. We made it goal-based so students could work at their own pace.
Prototypes
Students were trained in some machine shop tools (drill press, sander, hand tools) and made these pull toys. The second round of models were more refined.
Final Prototypes
Students presented their final prototypes at the end of the semesters. The ran the gamut from an inflatable comforter, to a plushy marshmallow that lights up and heats up when you hug it, to a board game that teaches the basics of analog circuits.