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Chapter �: Introduction i)ScopeoftheProject ii)WhyisPlayCrucial? iii)MindMapping iv)Conclusion

Chapter �: Disabilities Research i)Whatare‘IntellectualDisabilities?’ ii)HowareIntellectualDisabilitiesidentified inChildren? iii)StagesofDevelopmentinchildren

Chapter 3: Product Research i)TheHistoryofToys ii)ProductAnalysis iii)ExistingCompanies iv)Conclusion

Chapter 4: Approach/Methods i)AnalysisofInclusiveDesignprincipals ii)MarketAnalysis iii)ErgonomicResearch iv)HowtomakeanObject’susesObvious

Chapter 5: Scenario Building i)Scenario1:Interactionwithothercopies ii)Scenario2:Whatisachievedby interactingwithothercopies iii)Scenario3:Theoutsideofthetoy iv)Scenario4:Whatisinsidethetoy

Chapter 6: Design Work i)MindMapping ii)ConceptSketches iii)Mock-Ups

Chapter 7: Conclusion

Personal Reflections

Table of ContentsSECTION ONE (PREMAJOR STUDIO)

Personal Reflections

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Chapter 8: Concept Development i)InitialSketching ii)EarlyMock-Ups/Prototypes iii)RefinedSketching

Chapter 9: Concept Refinement i)ClayModels ii)Redesign iii)WoodModels

Chapter �0: Final Prototypes i)ElephantTrumpet ii)FrogToneblock iii)FishXylophone iv)SafariExplorerConductorsStick v)HippoCastanet vi)TurtleDrum vii)SnakeMaracas viii)MusicCards&Holder

Chapter ��: Design Details i)Manufacturing ii)Materials

Chapter ��: Development Aspects i)SinglePlayDevelopment ii)GroupPlayDevelopment

Chapter �3: ProjectChanges/Reflections

Bibliography

SECTION TWO (MAJOR STUDIO)

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Thisyearhasbeenagreatyear.Tobeabletochooseanarea/thingthatIwanttodesign,thenspendayeardoingithasbeenveryenjoyable.Andmorespecificallythissemesterhasbeenespeciallygreatforme.Ilovedesigningtoys,andithasbeenagreatexperiencetobeabletospendawholesemesterDESINGINGthetoys(asthebulkoftheresearchetcwasdonelastsemester).It’sbeenalotoffunsketchingoutdifferentanimalshapedtoys,thenfromtheregoingonandmakingthem.Iloveworkingwithmyhands,sotobeabletogetachancetodothatwasgreat.

ThethingthatI’vegotthemostoutofhasbeenthemakingstage.Ilovehand-makingthings,andloveallthethingsassociatedwiththat.ButunfortunatelyI’mnotthemostthoroughofpeople,soit’sbeenarealchallengeformetotryandmakemyfinalmodelsatasufficientlyhighleveloffinish.

I’vealsoenjoyedbeingabletosketchlots.Ienjoysketching,andespeciallyenjoysketchingcharacters,ratherthanstandard‘objects.’IfeelthatI’vegotquiteastylisedsketchingtechnique,soitwasnicetodoaprojectwherethatwasn’tahindrancetomywork(andwhichIcouldactuallyemphasisethestylisedsideofmysketching).

ThethingthathaschallengedmethemostthisyearismylackofCADskills.WhileIdon’twanttobeadesigner,sodon’treallyneedCADskills,itsstillbeenchallenginggettingthroughtheyearonbasicallynoCADskills.

Allinallit’sbeenagreatyear,fullofchallengesandsuccesses.I’mreally

happytohavehadthechancetospendsolongworkingonsomethingthatIfindsofunandenjoyable.

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Toys,andtheplayingthatisgeneratedbyinteractionwiththetoys,areanimportantpartofachild’sdevelopment.Motorskilldevelopment,vocabularygrowth,flexibilityandsharpeningofsensesaresomeofthebenefitstobegainedbyplayingwithtoys.Playcanalsohelptodevelopsocialskillsasitcanencourageinteractionamongstchildrenwhiletheyareusingthetoy/game.

Itisthereforereallyimportanttohavetoysthatareavailableforallkids,tohelpallkidsdevelopthesecrucialskills,nomatterwhethertheyhavesomeformofdisabilityornot.Thereforethisprojectfocusesmainlyonthedevelopmentaspectoftoys,lookingatthewaythattoyshelpkidstodevelopinthewayslistedabove(i.e.bothphysically,sociallyandmentally).Whatisitabouttoysthathelpchildrentodevelopskillsthatarenecessaryforlateroninlife?Andhowcantheseaspects

beharnessedtoincreasethebenefitsgained?Theseareallcrucialquestionsandideasfordevelopingatoythatstimulatesgrowthanddevelopmentinchildren.

i) Scope of The Project

Therearecountlessdisabilitiesthatachildcanhave/thatachildcandevelop.Abasiclistofsomeofthemis:

• Intellectualdisability• Physicaldisability• Sensorydisability• Acquiredbraininjury• Neurologicalimpairment• Dualdisability(oneoftheaboveandapsychiatricdisability)• Disabilitiesthatareunrelatedtoageing• Anycombinationofthese.

Becausetherearesomanydisabilitiesthatchildrencanhave,andthatcanthereforebeaimedatdesigningfor,itisimportanttolayoutthescopeforthisproject,otherwiseitcanenduptryingtotakeontoomuchandwindupachievingnothing.

Thereforethisprojectwillbeaimedatmentaland‘development’disabilities,ratherthanmorephysicaldisabilities.Inotherwords

itwillbelookingatthe‘IntellectualDisabilities’area.Theaimoftheprojectistolookintothisareatoestablishwhatexactlyan‘intellectualdisability’is,waystoidentifyitandhowtohelpchildrenwhohaveanIntellectualdisabilitytodevelopwell.Fromtheretheprojectwillaimtocreateatoythathelpsallchildren(bothchildrenwithIntellectualDisabilitiesandchildrenwhodon’thaveIntellectualDisabilities)todevelopproblemsolvingskills,handeyecoordinationandsocialinteractionskills.

Theaimistodevelopatoythathelpstostimulatedevelopmentinchildren,bothdisabledandnotdisabled.Toachievethe‘doublelevel’ofuse(i.e.tobeusedbybothdisabledandnotdisabledchildren)itwillbeusedatdifferentagesbydifferentchildren.Whereonechildmightusethetoyat4anothermightuseitat7.

Thisthereforeraisesanotherquestion:whatagegroupisthetoytargetedat?Averybroadansweristhatitisaimedatapproximately4-5yearsofage.Butratherthanbeingaimedataspecificagegroup,itwillinsteadbeaimedtohelpdeveloptheskillsthatatypicalchildwoulddevelopatthatage,andcanthereforebeusedatanyagebyanychild,eitherbeforethe‘recommended’ageorafterit.

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ii) Why is Play crucial?

Beforedefiningwhyplayisimportant,itisfirstcrucialtounderstandexactlywhatplayis.CollinsEnglishDictionarysaysthatitis“toamuseoneselfin[play].”Thisisaverybasic,andsomewhatlacking,definitionofplay.Togetabetterunderstandingofwhatexactlyplayis,itisimportanttoconsidermorewhatplayinvolves,ratherthanatechnicaldefinition.Inhisbook,Children,Play,andDevelopment,FergusHughessaysthattherearefiveessentialcharacteristicsofplay:• Itisintrinsicallymotivated• Itisfreelychosen• Itispleasurable• Itisnon-literal• Itisactivelyengagedinbytheparticipants

Thesepointsgiveagoodideaastothethingsthatplayinvolves,andisthereforealotmoreusefulthanthedictionarydefinitionofplay.

Therearetwo‘types’oftheoriesastothebenefitsofplay:traditionalandcontemporary(Children,Play,andDevelopmentp.23).Traditionaltheoriesemphasisethebiologicalandgeneticbenefitstoplay(e.g.thatitisthebodieswayofreleasingexcessenergy,orthatitisthewaythatthebodynaturallypreparesachildfor

adulthood).Morecontemporarytheoriesastothebenefitsofplaysuggestthatthebenefitsaremoretodowithsocial,emotionalandintellectualdevelopment(e.g.psychoanalytictheoriessaythatplayisawaytodefendagainstanxiety).

Itisthereforeveryimportanttomakesurethattoysareaccessibleforallchildren,asplayingandhavingfunwithtoysissuchacrucialstageinachild’sdevelopment.Asmentionedearlier,playingwithtoysbuilds

socialskills,withtheinteractionbetweentheuserandotherchildrenorbetweentheuserandtheirparents,aswellhelpingtodevelopgrossmotorskills,suchashand-eyecoordination,andcanevenhelpbuildbasicproblemsolvingskills.Thesethingsareallcrucialtodevelopinchildren,andallchildrenshouldbegiventhechance/abilitytoaccessthisvital‘resource.’Thereforeitisveryimportantthattherearetoysthataresuitableforallchildren,whethertheyhaveadisabilityornot.

Playisimportantbecauseitcanhelpchildrenbuildchildren’sproblemsolvingskills,by“increasingtheirbehaviouraloptions”(Bruner1972).Bruner’stheorysaysthatchildrenexperimentwithlotsofdifferenttypesofbehaviourintheirplay,andthatthesedifferenttypesofbehaviourcanbeusedlateroninlifetotryandsolveproblems.However,therelationshipbetweenplayingandproblemsolvingdependsonthetypeofplayandthetypeofproblemsolvingthatisbeingtalkedabout.Therearetwotypesofproblemsolving(PeplerandRoss1981).Thefirstis‘convergentproblems,’whichistalkingaboutproblemsthathaveonlyonesolution.Andtheotheroneis‘divergentproblems,’whichistalkingaboutproblemsthathavelotsofdifferentsolutions.Typesofplaythataretaskfocused(e.g.playingwithapuzzle)helptobuildupconvergentproblemsolvingskills,whiletypesofplaythatarenottaskfocused(e.g.playingwithLego)canactuallyinterfere

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withtheabilitytosolveconvergentproblems.Butthenon-taskfocusedplayhelpstobuildupdivergentproblemsolvingskills,asthechildrenhavenosetgoalwhichtheyaretryingtoworktowards,butareinsteadusingthetoyfreelyandcreatively.ThereforeItisimportanttoconsiderwhattypeofproblemsolvingthefinaldesignwantstodevelop,andtothenuseappropriategoalsandaimstoachieveit.

AnotherthingthatPlayhelpstodevelop

isachild’ssocialinteractionskills.Play,andthesocialactivitiesassociatedwithit,isacrucialelementinchildrendevelopingtheirabilitiestointeractwithbothotherchildrenandtheirparents.Theylearnfromotherchildren,aswellasfromtheirparents,theskillsandattitudesneededtoplay(PlayandEarlyChildhoodDevelopmentp.39).Childrencanlearncrucialskillssuchastaking,sharingandcooperationbyinteractingandplayingwithotherchildren.Theycanalsolearnto

understandotherpeople’semotions,thoughtsandperceptions,whichisimportantforlateroninlife.

Playcanalsohelptodevelopmotorskillsinchildren.Certaintypesofplayincludethingssuchcatching,throwing,pushingbuttons,insertinglittlepiecesintoholes,spinningthingsandmanymore.Allofthesethingsrequiredifferentskills,butallrelatetotheabilityofthechildtousetheireyesandhandstogethertoachieveagoal.Thisisimportantfordevelopingbasichand-eyecoordination,whichwillbenefitthechildlateroninlife.

Itisalsoimportanttodevelopachild’simaginationearlyonasimaginationcanhelptodevelopcriticalthinkingabilities,whichareimportantlateroninlife.Italsohelpstodeveloptheabilitytoconsiderwhethersomethingispossibleornot,whichisanimportantthinglateroninlifewhenplanningandcreatingthings.Imaginationis,insomeways,similartotheproblemsolvingaspectofthetoy,asimaginationcanbeusefulinthe‘divergent’problemsolving.Thereforeitisimportanttomakesurethatplayinvolvesimaginationaswell.

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iii) Mind Mapping

Therearetwosidestothedesignsideofthisproject.Thefirstistheneedside(whichhasbeenbrieflyaddressedabove,andwillbeelaboratedonionlaterchapters).Thesecondaspectistheelementoffun.Alltoysneedtobefun.Toysneedtoengagechildren,capturingtheirimaginationanddrawingthemin,otherwisetheywontplaywiththetoy,anditwillthereforebeuseless.This(obviously)doesn’tmeanthatthetoyhastobeengagingorfun,andtoacertainextentitdoesn’tevenhavetobeappealing,toanadult.Anexampleofthiswouldbecardboardboxes:cardboardboxesaren’tinterestingto,anddon’tappealto,adults,yettochildrentheycanbea‘toy’thatgenerateshoursofplay,stimulatingtheirimaginationsandkeepingthementertainedforhours.Butitiscrucialthat,evenifitisnotfunorinterestingforadults,itisfunforchildren.Atoycouldbethemosttechnicallywell-designededucationaltoy,havingalltheaspectsthathelptoteachchildren,andyetstillbeafailureifitisn’tfun.Thereforetheelementoffunisakeyaspect,andhastobecarefullyconsideredthroughoutthewholedesignprocess.

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iv) Conclusion ThetermPlayisverybroadandopen,thereforemakingitdifficulttodefine.Whatiseasiertodoistolistthethingsassociatedwithplay(aslistedearlier).ThisthenhelpstogiveafeelforwhatPlayinvolves,ratherthangettingcaughtupontechnicaldefinitions.Fromlookingatthethingsthatplayinvolves,wecanseethatPlayhasbenefitsforchildren.Theobviousbenefitistheenjoymentthattheygainoutofrelaxingandhavingfun.Butplayalsohelpstodevelopchildren’sskills,suchasfinemotorskillsandproblemsolvingabilities.Italsohelpschildrentodevelopsocialskills,asthereisoftenalargeamountofsocialinteractioninvolvedinplay,bothwiththeirparentsandwithotherchildren.

Thereforeitisimportantthatallchildrenhaveaccesstothebenefitsthatplayprovides,notjustablebodiedandablemindedchildren.Allchildrenneedtobeabletorelaxandhavefun,aswellasdevelopproperly,sothereforeallchildrenneedaccesstoplayandtoys.Thisprojectwillaimtoprovideatoy,oraseriesoftoys,thatgivesallchildrentheabilitytodoso.Itwillaimtodevelopatoythatisbothfunandstimulatingforchildren,sothattheywillwanttokeepplaying,andthereforekeepdeveloping.

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i) What are ‘Intellectual Disabilities?’ Allchildrenlearnanddevelopatdifferentrates,duetodifferentupbringing,differentlevelsofintelligence,differentlevelsofeducation,andmanymorereasons.Butsomechildrenmaylearnanddevelopmuchslowerthanotherchildren.Onepossibleexplanationforthisisthatthechildmayhaveanintellectualdisability.IntellectualDisabilitiesrefertodifficultiesinlearninganddevelopingandarealsoknownas‘LearningDisabilities.’AysheTalay-OngansaysthatLearningDisabilitiesdifferfromotherconditionsthathave‘side-effects’oflearningdisabilities(e.g.mentalretardation)isthataLearningDisabilitydoesn’tdependontheintelligenceofthepersonwiththeLearningDefinition(EarlyDevelopmentRiskandDisabilityp.167).Languageandlanguage-basedactivitiesare

acrucialpartofLearningDisabilities:over90%ofschool-agedchildrenwithLearningDisabilitieshaveeitheraspeech,languageorhearingproblem(Gibbs&Cooper1989).ThereforemostchildrenwhoarediagnosedwithaLearningDisabilityarelikelytobelanguageimpaired.

AcurrentdefinitionofLearningDisabilities(NationalJointCommitteeonLearningDisabilities,1994)is:

“Learningdisabilityisagenericterm

thatreferstoaheterogeneousgroupofdisordersmanifestedbysignificantdifficultiesintheacquisitionanduseoflistening,speaking,reading,writing,reasoning,ormathematicalabilities.Thesedisordersareintrinsictotheindividualandarepresumedtobeduetothedysfunctionofthecentralnervoussystem,andmayappearacrossthelifespan.Problemsofself-regulatorybehaviours,socialperception,andsocialinteractionmayexistwithlearningdisabilitiesbutdonotthemselvesconstitutealearningdisability.Althoughlearningdisabilitiesmay

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occurconcomitantlywithotherdisablingconditions(e.g.sensoryimpairment,mentalretardation,socialandemotionaldisturbance)orwithextrinsicinfluences(e.g.culturaldifferences,insufficient/inappropriateinstruction),theyarenotthedirectresultofthoseconditionsandinfluences.”

Whilethisdefinitionisnotacompletelyaccuratedefinition(ittendstosaywhataLearningDefinitionisn’tratherthanwhatitis(EarlyDevelopmentRiskandDisabilityp.167))itgivesanoverallideaastowhata

LearningDisabilityis.AysheTalay-OngansaysthatahelpfulthingtolookatandconsiderwhentryingtodefinewhatexactlyaLearningDisabilityisthefollowinglistofcharacteristicswhicharecommonlyassociatedwithLearningDisabilities:

• MetacognitionDeficit• DisordersofAttention• PoorSpatialAwareness• ConfusionwithDirections• PoorMotorCoordination• Poorfine-motorSkills• InadequatesenseofTime

• InsensitivitytoSocialCues• SocialImmaturity• VisualPerceptualProblems• AuditoryProcessingDeficits• MemoryProblems• DifficultywithOppositeConcepts• ReceptiveLanguageDeficits• ReadingDifficulties• WrittenLanguageProblems

WhilenotallchildrenwithLearningDisabilitieshaveallofthesecharacteristics,itisstillausefultoolforhelpingtounderstandthekindsofproblemsthatchildrenwithLearningDisabilitiesmayface.Byidentifyingthecommonproblemsfaced,itbecomeseasiertodesignforthoseneeds,andtothereforemakeadesignthatismorerelevanttochildrenwithLearningDisabilities(aswellastochildrenwhodon’thaveLearningDisabilities).

ItisalsointerestingtonotethatchildrenwithLearningDisabilitiestendtohavemoredifferencesintheirindividualprofilesthansimilarities.ThistiesinwiththedifficultassociatedwithidentifyingLearningDisabilities:becausetherearebigdifferencesbetweenthesymptomsofLearningDisabilitiesitisthereforedifficulttodefinewhatitis.Asstatedearlier,itcanbealoteasiertosaywhataLearningDisabilityisn’t,ratherthanwhatitis.

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ii) How are intellectual disabilities identified in Children? Intellectual(learning)disabilitiescanbeidentifiedatanystagefromchildhoodthroughtoadolescence,butitisgenerallytruethatthemoreseverethedisabilityistheearlieritwillbefound.Thisisbecausethe‘symptoms’willbealotmoreobvious,andthereforeeasiertoidentify.However,withcarefulobservationmostIntellectualDisabilitiesshouldbeabletobeidentifiedbyusingdifferent‘check-lists’ofwhatachildcanandcan’tdo(EarlyDevelopmentRiskandDisabilityp.168).Thisisnotadefinitivething(achildmayjustbedevelopingsloweratacertainstage)butcanbeusefulforhelpingtoidentifythepossibility.Oncethathasbeendonetheparentscanconsultadoctorforfurtherteststodetermineifthechildhasadisabilityornot.

Ausefullistofthingsthatatypicalchildshouldbedoing,andatwhatage,is:

• By 6 months, babies will: frombirth,turntheirheadtoward

soundsandmovement reachuptoholdfeetwhenlyingontheir

backs watchanadult’sfacewhenfeeding smileatfamiliarfacesandvoices crywhenuncomfortableorhungry makemanydifferentsounds,including

cooing,chucklingandbabbling

laughatgamessuchasanadultpullingfacesorblowingraspberries

lookandreachforobjects holdandshakearattle puteverythingintheirmouths.

• Between 6 months to � year, babies begin to move about to explore the world around them and:

movefromsittingwithsupporttosittingalone

rolloverfromtheirtummytotheirback begintocreep,crawlorshuffleontheir

bottom pullonorpushagainstadulthandsor

furnituretoreachastandingposition becomedisturbedbystrangersand

mayclingtofamiliarpeople showaffectiontofamiliarpeople turnandlookupwhentheyheartheir

name makedistinctandseparatesounds imitatesomesoundsandwordssuch

as‘dada’and‘bubba’ patandpokeobjectswhenplaying passobjectsfromhandtohand enjoydroppingthingsandwatching

themfall lookforthingsthathavebeenhiddenor

dropped playturn-takinggameslikepeek-a-boo respond(sometimes)totheword‘No!’.

• Between � to � years, children: begintowalk feedthemselves pushandpulltoyswhilewalking becomelessfearfulofstrangers playaloneoralongsideotherchildren defendtheirownthings:donot

understandsharing wavegoodbye pointormakenoisestoindicatewants enjoyapicturebook shakeheadfor‘No!’ useseveralrecognisablewordsandtry

tosaynewwords.

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• Between � to 3 years, children: begintoshowapreferenceforusing

theirrightorlefthand scribblewithacrayonorpencil pourfromajugorcarton usethetoiletwithhelp learntorideatricycle knowthenamesoffamiliarpeople saytheirname stillhavedifficultysharingandtaking

turns arekeentodothingsforthemselves,

‘Medoit!’ begintospeakinshortsentences usethenamesofobjects copythebehaviourofothers clapintimetomusic followsimpleinstructions enjoylisteningtostories puttogetherasimplepuzzle.

• Between 3 to 4 years, children: walkandrun jumpwithfeettogether rideatricycle cantoiletthemselves begintoplaycooperativelywithother

children shareandtaketurnssometimes canlistenandidentifyknownsounds

(cat,dog,vacuumcleaner) cansingorsaysomesongsand

rhymes

askendlessquestionsbutmaynotstayaroundtoheartheanswers

askthemeaningofnewwords speakinshort,clearsentences.

• Between 4 to 5 years, children: begintorideabicycle balanceononeleg hop holdapencilbetweenthumband

forefinger candressthemselvesexceptfortying

shoelaces developmorefriendships,especially

friendsofthesamesex showsomeunderstandingofother

people’sfeelings answerquestionsclearly giveinformationandtalkaboutpast

experiences,butmayfinditdifficulttosaywhathappenedduringthedaywhenasked

tellstories,jokesandriddles(theirjokesmaynotmakesensetoadults)

passonmessages movefromscribbletolinedrawings enjoymakingthingsoutof‘oddsand

ends’ usethewords‘and’and‘but’. Ifachilddoesnotdevelopinlinewiththeabovepointersitdoesnotautomaticallymeanthattheyhaveadisability.Asstatedearlier,allchildrendevelopatdifferentrates,andthereforeitisonlyaguidelineastowhat

childrenshouldbedoingatwhatage.Butthepointsgivenareusefulbecauseofthis:theygiveanideaastowhatistheaverage,orstandard,rate/levelofdevelopment,sothatthereissomekindoflimitsastowhatthefinaloutcomeshouldbehelpingtostimulate.

AnotherusefultoolforidentifyingLearningDisabilitiesisthelistofcharacteristicslistedintheprevioussection.Allofthecharacteristicsareabletobediscernedatanearlyageifcarefullyobserved(LearningDisabilities,Literacy,andAttentionDisordersp.168).ThisisespeciallyhelpfulwithLearningDisabilitiesbecausethereareusuallynophysicaldifferencesbetweenachildwhohasaLearningDisabilityandonewhodoesn’tMarkLindsey;OverviewofLearning[Intellectual]DisabilityinChildren).Thereforeitisnotalwaysoutwardlyobviousonfirstglance,soamoreindepthobservationisneeded.

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ii) Stages of Development in children

Thereareanumberof‘stages’inachild’sgrowthanddevelopment.Theseare:The‘Experience’Stage,the‘Discovery’stageandthe‘ExpandingImagination’Stage(http://www.fisher-price.com/US/special_needs/default.asp).Theseareusefulguidestousewhenassessingtheemphasisesthatareneededwhendirectingplay,asallchildrendevelopatdifferentstages(allchildren,includingchildrenwithandwithoutdisabilities).Thereforebyknowingthedifferentstagesofdevelopment,itcanhelptheparentstomaketheplaymoreappropriatetowhatthechildneeds.

The‘Experience’stageinvolvesthechildusingtheirsensestotouchandfeelthetoytoworkoutwhatthetoyis.Thechildusestheirownsensestoexploreandfindout,ratherthanthetoy‘showing’orguidingthemastowhatitis.

Inthe‘Discovery’stagethetoyitselfhelpstoleadthechildtofigureoutwhatitisandhowitworks.Itisaboutthechilddiscoveringwhatitisthatthetoydoes,andhowitdoesit.Itisimportantthatthetoyshouldbeablehelpleadthechildtodiscoverhowitworks.E.g.whatthechildneedstopushtomakeanoise,orwherethechildneedstoputablockin.

The‘ExpandingImagination’stageiswherethechildusestheirownimaginationtocreatewaystoplaywiththetoy.Thedifferencebetweenthisstageandthepreviousstageisthatherethechildisfiguringouttheirownwaysofdoingthings,ratherthanbeingledtherebythetoy.

Thesethreestagesaretodowithwhattoyschildrenshouldbeplayingwithatwhatstages(ratherthanatwhatages).Bylookingatitintermsofstagesratherthanagesithelpstogiveafeelastowhatlevelachildisat,asallchildrendevelopatdifferentspeeds,andthereforewhatmightbeappropriate

foronechildatacertainagemaynotbeappropriateforadifferentchildatthesameage.

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i) The History of Toys

Toyshavehadalongandcolourfulhistory.Toyshaveexistedsinceearlytimes,withlargevariationsrightthroughtheirhistory.Gameslikechessandcheckershavebeenaroundforliterallycenturies,whileGameboysandPlayStationsarenew(ish).Toysaregenerallymovingtowardselectronictoys,buttherearestillclassicgameslikeMonopolythatarepopularwithchildren.Legoisalsoatoythathasbeensuccessfulforalongperiodoftime(althoughtheconceptofbuildingblockshavebeenaroundsincethebeginningofthehumanrace).Thetimelineshowntotherightgivesabriefoverviewofsomeofthekeystagesinthedevelopmentoftoys,althoughthemajorityofthetoys/overallitemsarefromthelastcenturyorso.Thisislargelyduetotheabilitytomassproducenow,whichhashelpedthetoymarkettogrowalot,astoyswerethenabletobemadeeasierandquicker,withalotlesseffort.Sincethenthetoymarkethasgrown,andsohastherangeoftoysavailable.

ClassicToyssuchastheslinky,whichisveryeasytomake,evenwithbasicmachinery,havehadalotofsuccess,aswellasactionfiguresforboys,anddollsforgirls,astheygivealotofspaceforimaginationandcreativity,allowingthechildtocreatetheirownworld.

Thenewtrendfortoysiselectronicgamingmachines,whichprovideaworldfor

childrentoexploreandplayin,withouteverhavingtoleavetheircouch.Therearealsoalotoftoysthatarecombiningmoreoriginaltoyswithmorecurrentelectronicstocreateanin-betweentypetoy.

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What’s in Ned’s Head What’sinNed’sHead(ByFundexGames)helpschildrentodeveloptheirtactileidentificationskills.Theaimofthegameistocollecttheitemsfrominside‘Ned’s’Headthatmatchthecardthateachplayerisgivenatthestartofthegame.Thewinneristhefirstpersontocollecttheiritems.What’sinNed’sHeadhaswonalotofawardsincludingToyoftheYearin2005.

What’sinNed’sHeadhelpschildrentobuilduptheirtactileidentificationskills.Thisisbecausechildrenhavetotryandidentifytheirobjectbytouchandfeelratherthanbysight.Theymustsearchfortheiritemsthatareintheheadbystickingtheirhandsinsidetofindthem.Thishelpsthemtoidentifythingsbythefeel,shapeandsize,ratherthanbyjustlookingatthem.

ii) Product Analysis

Analogue Toys: Water Trumpet WaterTrumpet(ByALEX)isanunusualtoythataimsto“fosterpersonalexperienceandbuildself-esteem.”WaterTrumpetis(asthenamesuggests)averybasictrumpet.Itletschildrenplayandcreatetheirownexperiences,withtheaimofcreatingfunexperiencesthat“opensachild’smindtonewskills,newideasandnewworlds.”

Pop-Up Pirate Pop-UpPirate(ByTomy)isaturn-basedboardgamewheretheplayerstaketurnsputtingswordsintothebarrel.Theloseristhepersonwhoputtheirswordinlastwhenthepirate‘BlackBeard’popsoutofthebarrel.Pop-UpPiratehelpschildrentodeveloptheirhand-eyecoordinationskillsaswellassocialskills.Pop-UpPirateisforchildrenagedfourandabove.Pop-UpPirateHelpschildrentodeveloptheirfinemotorskills,astheyneedtoperformprecisemovementsastheyputtheswordintothebarrel(becauseiftheydon’tthenthepiratewillpopup).Italsohelpsthemtolinktheiractionswiththingsthatresultfromthem:theylearntolinktheswordsgoingintothebarrelwiththepiratepoppingout.Pop-UpPiratealsohelpstodevelopsocialskills,asthechildrenareinteractingwithoneanotherwhiletheyareplaying.

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Digital Toys:

Hot Potato. HotPotato(ByFundexGames)isaninteractivetoythatworkstodevelophand-eyecoordinationandsocialskills.HotPotatoisplayedbytossingthetoy(whichisshapedlikeapotato)aroundamongsttheplayersuntilthemusicstops.Theplayerthatisholdingthepotatowhenthemusicstopsistheloser.Thetoyitselfgeneratesthemusic,notanoutsidesourcesuchasaCDplayer,whichmakesiteasytouseanywhere.HotPotatoisforagesfiveandup. HotPotatohelpstodevelophand-eyecoordinationbecausethemainaimofthegameistocatchthepotatowhenitisthrownatyou,andtothenthrowitawaytosomeoneelseasquicklyaspossible.Catchingandthrowingarebothimportantinhelpingtodevelophand-eyecoordinationinchildrenwhenyoung,soit’sgoodtodevelopatanearlyage.HotPotatoalsohelpstobuildsocialskills,asit(obviously)can’tbeplayedwithonlyoneplayer,sothechild/childrenplayingwithitlearntointeractwithotherpeople(bothotherchildrenandadultsiftheyareplayingitwiththeirparentsetc).Byplayingwithotherstheygetusedtotheideaofnotalwayswinning,andlearnhowtoacceptthis.Italsohelpstogenerategeneralinteractionwithotherchildren/adultsastheyplaytogetherandhavefuntogether.

MathShark MathShark(ByEducationalInsights)isanelectronicdevicethatdevelopschildren’sMathsskills.Itdoesitbyquizzingaddition,subtraction,multiplicationanddivision,aswellasquizzingfraction,decimalsandpercentages.Ithaseightdifferentskilllevelstocontinuallykeeppushingchildrenastheyworkanddeveloptheirskills.AswellashelpingthemtolearnanddevelopviathequizsectionMathSharkalsohasacalculatorfunction.MathSharkisa‘standalone’devicethatdoesn’tneedacomputer/TVetctorun.MathSharkisforchildrenagedsevenandup. MathSharkhelpschildrentodeveloptheirmathsskillsbymakingitfunandinteractivetodomathsproblems.Italsousesnicevisualaestheticstomakeitmoreappealingtochildren.ThetransportabilityofMathSharkalsomakesiteasytotakeanywhereanduseanytime.Thedifferentskilllevelsalsohelpschildrentobecontinuallydevelopingtheirskills.Astheylearnandgrowpastthefirstleveltheycanmoveontothenextlevel,whichmeansthattheirthinkingandmathsskillsarebeingcontinuallypushed.

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iii) Some Existing Companies:Leapfrog OnoftheleadingtoycompaniesforeducationaltoysisLeapfrog.Theydesigntheirtoysinawaythatisinterestingandexciting,whilestillbeingeducational.Theydesigntheirtoyssothatthey‘grow’alongwiththechildren:asthechildagesanddevelopsthetoys‘develops’(byhavingdifferentwaysofusingitthatsuitchildrenofdifferentages)alongwiththem,meaningthatitcanbeusedforalongerperiodoftime.

Parents AcompanythatusesgraphicsandvisualaestheticswellisParents.Theyuselotsofbrightcoloursandchunkypieceswhichgivethedesignsareallyappealingfeel.Thechuckylookandfeeloftheirpiecesalsohelpstoaccommodateforchildrenwithspecialneedswithoutbeingoutwardlyfor‘disabledchildren.’Theirdesignsareveryeasyandsimpletouse,yetstillworkatdevelopingthemotorskillsofthechildrenusingthem.

Fundex Games FundexGamesIsoneoftheleadingcompaniesintheworldingamesdesign.Theymakeboardgames,dicegamesandcardgames.Thestrongestsidetotheirworkisthecreativityandfunthattheyincorporateineverygame.Theytendtostickawayfromthestereotypicalboardgame(aflatboardwithpiecesthatmovearoundviarollingdice)insteadgoingformoreinterestingandexcitingboardsthatare3D,orevengamesthatdon’tuseaboardatall.

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iv) Conclusion: Thereareacoupleofthingsthatstandoutfromthesedesigns,makingthemgoodexamplesoftoys,andthereforeusefultolookatwhen.Thesearethevisualaestheticsofthedesigns,theintuitive-nessofthedesignsandthewaythattheyallkeeptheelementoffun,whilestillhavingalearning/developmentaspecttothem.

Itisveryusefultolookatthevisualaestheticsusedtomakethesetoysmoreappealingtochildren,as,byanalysingthewaythattheydoit,itcanbeusefultoenhancethefinaloutcomeofthisproject.Allofthesedesignsusebrightcolourstobeeyecatching,andtogenerateasenseoffunandhappiness.Thedesignswouldbemuchlesseffectiveiftheyuseddarkcolours,suchasgreysandblacks,asthesecolourstendtogiveamoresombrefeel.Thebrightcolourscatchthechildren’sattention,andhelptostimulateimagination.Theyalsohavegreatshapes/bodies.Theactual‘bodies’ofallofthedesigns(i.e.themainpartofthetoy)arefairlysolidandchunky,whichallowschildrentoholdandinteractwiththetoywithease.Onlyoneofthetoys(MathShark)hassmallbuttonsthatthechildrenneedtopushanduse,whichmeansthatingeneraltheydon’tneedtotryandworksmall,complicatedbuttons.Thechunkyfeelofthetoysalsohelpstogivethemanalmostcartoonyfeel,whichhelpsincreasetheplayfulnessofthetoys.

Thesecondpointthatcanbeusedfromthesetoysisthewaythatthetoyshelpchildrentointuitivelyknowwhattodo.Someofthedesignsdothisbetterthanothers:ThewaterTrumpetisonethatdoesitreallywell,whileHotPotatodoesn’tdoitquitesowell.Butallofthetoysusefactorstohelpchildrenautomaticallyknowandunderstandhowtoengagewiththetoy.But,havingsaidthis,noneofthetoysaretooobvious,whichwoulddecreasesomeofthefunlevels,astherewouldbeno‘challenge’ormysterytodiscoveringexactlywhattheydo.EventheWaterTrumpet,whichisfairlyobvious,stillhassomelevelsofmystery(e.g.whatdothecolouredtubesdo?).Thisintuitiveness,whilestillhavingsomedegreeofmystery,isanimportantfactorwhendesigningtoys,anditisimportanttokeepitinmindwhendesigningthefinaloutcome.

Andthefinalthingthatisusefultolookatistheelementoffun.Allofthesedesignskeeptheelementoffunasalargepartofthetoy,whilestillhavingsomelearningordevelopmentaspecttothedesigns.Thisisachievedmainlybecauseoftwofactors:theactualactivitiesinvolvedinplayingwiththesetoysareengagingandfun,andbecausethereisanelementofmysterytothem.Theelementofmystery(asdiscussedabove)isimportantbecauseitcreatesintrigueandmakeschildrenwanttoexplorethetoy,sothattheycanfindoutmoreaboutit.Theywanttoexplorewhatthetoyiscapableof,andfindouthowtouseit.Theactualactivity,orthe‘mainpoint’ofthetoysisoneofthemostcrucialaspectsofatoy.Ifthemainactivityofthetoyisnotfunandengaging,thenthetoywon’tsucceed.Itisthereforeveryimportanttokeepthisinmindwhendesigningthefinaloutcome.

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i) Analysis of Inclusive Design Principals InclusiveDesignisamethodofdesigningthatstatesthatthingsshouldbedesignedforallpeople,notjustablebodiedorablemindedpeople.TheCentreforUniversalDesignstatesthattherearesixprincipalsofUniversal(Inclusive)Design.ThissectionexploreshowthedifferentprincipalsofInclusiveDesignarerelevanttothisproject,andhowtheycanbeusedtodesignan‘inclusivedesign’toy.

ThefirstprincipalofInclusivedesignisEquitableUse.Thismeansthatallpeopleshouldbeabletouseanobjectinthesamewayifpossible,andifitsnotpossiblethentheyshouldstillbeabletouseitwiththesamelevelofease.Thisisimportantwhendesigning

toysbecausechildrenwithdisabilitiesneedtoplay,andtogainallofthebenefitsassociatedwithplay,justasmuchaschildrenwhodonothavedisabilities.Itisthereforeimportantthattoysdonotdiscriminateinthewaythattheyareused,orintheeaseofuse.

ThesecondprincipalofInclusiveDesignisFlexibilityinUse.Thismeansthatthedesignshouldbeabletobeusedindifferentwaysbydifferentpeople.Ifthereisonlyone‘way’tousethedesignthenitmeansthatanyonewhoisnotabletousetheproductintheexactwaycannotuseitatall.Thereforeitisimportantthatthereareanumberofwaysthatanitemcanbeused,orrather,thattheitemdoesnothaveonespecificwayofusethatMUSTbefollowed.Thisisrelevanttodesigningtoysbecausetoysaremeanttostimulatecreativityandimagination,sothereforeitcanbedifficulttopredicteverywayinwhichachildmayplaywithatoy.Becauseofthisunpredictabilityinuseitisthereforeimportanttodesignatoythatisopenandfree,andcanbeusedbychildreninthewaythattheywanttouseit,sothattheycangetthemostoutofit.

ThethirdprincipalisthattheobjectmustbeSimpleandIntuitive.Thismeansthatitisveryeasytounderstandhowtoengagewiththeobject.Itdoesnotmeanthatwhattheobjectdoeshastobeobvious,onlythat

itiseasyandsimpletoengagewith.Thisisimportantfordesigningtoysbecausethetoymustbeeasyandobviousforthechildtoengagewith.Ifatoyistoocomplicatedanddifficulttounderstandthenthechildwon’tplaywithit,andthereforeitcannothelptostimulatethechild’sgrowth.Beingsimpleandeasytoengagewithdoesnotmeanthatthetoyhastobebasicornotprovideanychallengetothechild.Itisimportantthatthetoychallengesandengagesthechild,asthiswillhelptogettheminvolvedandwantingtokeepplayingwiththetoy.Thedifferencebetweenbeingeasyandsimpletoengagewithandbeingeasyandsimpleingeneralisthatthefirstonestillchallengesthechild,anddoesnotgiveawaywhatthetoydoesimmediately,whilestillengagingthechild,andprovidingsomekindofchallengetokeeptheminterested.Thesecondoneisjustsimpleandeasy,thereforeprovidingnochallengeorsenseofwonderabouthowthetoyworks,meaningthatthechildislesslikelytowanttocontinueplayingwiththetoyaftertheinitialtime.

ThefourthprincipalisPerceptibleInformation.Thismeansthatalloftheinformationonthedesignshouldbeeasytoseeandunderstand.Itshouldnotbetoosmall,toolighttoreadetc.Thisisrelevanttodesigningatoybecauseitisimportantthatalloftheinformationisreadilyavailablefor

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thechildrentointeractwithsothattheycanunderstandhowtouseit.Theinformationdoesnothavetobetext:itcanbedifferentcoloursorshapesetcthathelpguidethechildastohowtouseit.Thereforethisprincipalcan,tosomedegree,linkinwiththethirdprincipal,astheybothhaveaninterestinmakingsomethingintuitive.

ThefifthprincipalisToleranceforError.Thismeansthatadesignmustminimisethatpotentialforhazards,andthenegativeeffectsofaccidentalorunintendedactions.Thisisimportantfordesigningtoysbecausetherearechildreninvolved.Itisveryimportantthattherearenopotentialhazardsthatmaycomefromthetoybeingusedinawaythatwasnotintendedbecausechildrenarelikelytousethetoyinwaysotherthanwhatitwasdesignedfor(aswellasusingitinthewaythatitwasdeignedtobeused).Becauseofthisitisimportantthatwhentheydosomethingwiththetoythatitwasnotmeanttodothetoydoesnotcauseinjuriesetc.

ThesixthprincipalisLowPhysicalEffort.Thismeansthatanobjectshouldnotrequirelargeamountsofphysicalexertiontouseit.Itshouldbeabletobeusedeasilywithcomfortandminimalfatigue.Thisisimportantfordesigningtoysbecausechildren(obviously)havelessstrengthandstamina

thanadults.Thereforethetoymustnotbeoverlycumbersomeordifficultforthemtomanage.

TheseventhprincipalisSizeandSpaceforApproachandUse.Thismeansthattheobjectshouldhaveappropriatesizeandspaceprovidedforeaseofuse,nomatterthebodysize,postureormobilityoftheuser.Thisisimportantfordesigningtoysbecausechildren(dependingontheagethatisbeingdesignedfor)havelessmobilitythanadults,andthereforeitisimportantthattheyareabletoengagewiththetoyseasily.

Whilstalloftheprincipalsareusefulwhendesigningtoys,theprincipalsthatarethemostrelevantareFlexibilityinUse,Low

PhysicalEffortandSimpleandIntuitive.FlexibilityinUseisimportantbecauseofthehighchancethatchildrenwillplaywiththetoyinawaythatisnotplanned.Thereforeitisimportanttomakeitflexibleinthewaysthatitcanbeused.LowPhysicalEffortisimportantbecausechildrenarenotfullydeveloped/fullygrownandthereforedonothavethestrengththatanadulthas.Itisthereforeimportanttomakesurethatthedesigndoesnotrequirelargeamountsofphysicalmovements.AndmakingsurethatthetoyisSimpleandIntuitiveisimportantbecauseithelpstocreateatoythatisbothfunandchallengingforchildren,sothattheywillcontinuetoplaywithit.Thereforethesearetheprincipalsthatwillgovernalargeamountofthedesigningofthefinaltoy.

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ii) Market Research

Itisimportanttoanalysethemarkettrendsfortoystogainagoodunderstandingofwhat’sgoingon,whichwillthenhelpthefinaloutcomestoberelevanttothewaythatthemarketisgoing.

Thegeneralsalesfiguresfortotaltoysin2008was$21.7B,downfrom$22.3Bin2007,whichisapercentagechangeof-3.

ThethreebiggestareasfortoysalesovertheperiodofJan2008–December2008aretoysforInfants/Preschoolers,DollsandOutdoorandSportsToys.Butallthreeoftheseareas’salesfiguresfellfromtheJan2007–Dec2007results.

Itisinterestingtonotethatthefastestgrowingareasoftoysalesbetween2007–2008areBuildingSetsandPlushtoys.Bothgrewbyover20%fortheperiod,withthenextclosestgrowingby1%(withmanyoftheareasevendecreasingoverthetimeperiod).Thisisveryimportanttolookatandconsiderwhendecidingwhat‘area,’orwhat‘type’oftoy,todesignfor,asitshowswhichareasaremorelikelytocontinuetogrow(accordingtocurrentfigures).TheYouthelectronicssectionfellby14%overthe2007–2008period,secondonlytotheVehiclessection,whichfellby16%.Thesewerethetwobiggestfallersfortheperiod.Itisalsoveryimportanttokeepthesesection’sfiguresinmindwhenlookingatwhat

areastogointo,astheyhavebothfallenbyaconsiderableamount.Thiswouldthereforesuggestthattheyareless‘popular’atthemoment,andthereforeanytoysdesignedinthat‘area’mayhavelessimpact(astherearelessbeingsold).

ItisalsointerestingtonotethatVideoGamesgrewby19%overthe2007–2008period,tobeonly$300Mlessthanthewholetraditionaltoyindustrysalesfigures.MeaningthattheVideoGamesindustryaloneisalmostthesamesizeastherestofthetoyindustry.

Theseareallimportantfigurestokeepinmindwhendecidingwhich‘area’thefinaldesign(s)willfallinto,astheaimofthe

outcome(s)istohelpstimulatedevelopmentandincludeallchildren.Ifno-oneisbuyingthetoysthenit(obviously)can’thaveanimpact,soitsimportanttoconsiderwhichareasarecurrentlypopulartounderstandwhatchildrenareplayingwithatthemoment,andthereforewhichareasaremostrelevant.

ItisimportanttonotethatthesefiguresarefromtheAmericanToymarket,andarethereforenotnecessarilyexactlythesameinAustralia.Buttheyarestillusefultogiveanoverallideaofthemarketingeneral,toseewhereithascomefromandwhereitisgoing.ItisalsolikelythattheAustralianmarketwouldbefairlysimilartotheAmericanmarket.

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iii) Ergonomic Research Asthefinaldesignistobeaimedathelpingdevelopskillsthattheaveragechildwoulddevelopataround4-5yearsofage,itisthereforeimportanttolookatthegeneralstatisticsforhandsizesetc.ofchildrenatthatage(andslightlyaboveandbelowthatage).

Theaveragehandlengthsforchildrenatage3½yearsofageis10.9cm.Thismovesupto11.1cmforchildrenatage4;11.4cmforchildrenaged4½;11.8cmforchildrenaged5;12.1cmforchildrenaged5½;and12.4cmforchildrenaged6yearsofage.

Theaveragehandwidthsforchildrenatage3½yearsofageis5.1cm.Forchildren4yearsofageitis5.2cm;5.3cmforchildren4½yearsofage;5.5cmforchildrenwhoare5;5.6cmforchildrenwhoare5½and5.7cmforchildrenwhoare6yearsofage.

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iv) How to make an Objects uses Obvious Thereareanumberofelements/characteristicsthatcanmakeitobvioustoauserhowtheobjectismeanttobeused.Thesecanincludecolour,shape,size,textandtexture.Theseelementsworkeitherseparatelyortogethertohelpguidetheuserwithouteverspecificallytellingthemwhattodo.Thisisespeciallyimportantwhendesigningforchildren,as,becausetheyarenotfullydeveloped,theyhavelesscomprehensionskills,andthereforeneedthingstobeeasiertoengagewith.

Colourcanbeusedtohighlightdifferentpartsofanobject.Byhavingsomethingadifferentcolouritautomaticallydrawstheusersattentiontothatsection,makingthemwanttoexplorewhatitdoes.Anexampleofthisisapen:penlidsarequiteoftenadifferentcolourthanthebody.Becauseofthisitdrawstheusersattentiontothedifferentcolouredpart,showingthemthatthereissomethingspecialaboutit.

Shapecanalsobeusedtoshowtheimportanceofacertainpartoftheobject.Bybeingacertainshapeitcanhighlighttheuseofthepart,andalsothatitisanimportantpart.Anexampleofthisisadoorhandle.Byhavingadifferentshapestickingoutfromthedooritshowsthattheobjectisimportant.Andby

beinganobvioushand-sizedobject,itshowsthattheuserismeanttodosomethingwiththeirhands.

Byhavingapartofanobjectadifferentsizeitcanhighlighttheimportanceoftheobject.Thepartthatislarger/smallerstandsouttotheuser,astheyimmediatelynoticethesize.Anexampleofthisisthepowerbuttononakettle.Bybeingalotsmallerthanthekettleasawhole,itimmediatelydrawstheusersattentiontoit,showingthatthereissomethingsignificantaboutit.

Textcandrawausersattentiontoit,butcanalsogivebrief(orlengthy)explanations

astowhattodoorhowtouseit.Anexampleoftextasan‘eyecatcher’isawarningsignonafireextinguisher.Itautomaticallydrawstheusersattentiontoit,andcanthengointomoredetailunderneathtoexplainexactlywhatthewarningis(the‘information’sidetothetext).

Texturescanalsobeusedtohighlighttheimportanceofcertainpartsofanobject.Texturescanalsoshowhowanobjectistobeused,aswellashighlightingcertainparts.Anexampleofthisisknives.Kniveshaveadifferenttextureonthehandles,whichhelpstoshowthattheyaremeanttobeheldthere.Thetexturesshowthedifferentpartsoftheobject.

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Thissectionusesdifferentscenariostoexploresomepossibilitiesastowhatthefinaltoycoulddo,andhowitactuallyworks.Byusingscenariostoexplorethepossibilities,ithelpstokeeptheprojectfocusedontheaimsandgoals,ratherthanoncreatinga‘product’thatlooksnicebutdoesn’treallydoanything.Thevisualaestheticsaresomethingthatwillbeworkedonlaterintheproject,butthebeforethatcanhappenitisimportanttogetthefunctionsofthedesignright.

Thescenariosalsohelptogetthingsoutofthemindandontopaper.

Therecanbelotsofideasfloatingaroundwhenthinkingofthepossibilitiesofthetoy,soitisimportanttofindawaytogetthemontosomethingsolidandreal.Fromtheredifferentideascanbegeneratedanddeveloped,resultinginafinisheddesignthatisbothvisuallypleasingANDachievesthespecifiedgoals.

Thescenariosarealsousefulforquickideageneration.Theyareaquickandsimplewayofgettingthingsdownonpaper,andarethereforehelpfulwhenfacingamentalblock,asideascanbequicklyputdown,andfromtherenewideascanbegenerated.Theyhelptogetthoughtsflowingandideasgoingaround,andfromtheretheideascanbeexploredfurther,andthenrefinedintosolid,usefulthoughts.

Therearefourdifferent‘ideas’orconceptsexploredinthissection:Interactionbetweendevices,whatthatinteractioncouldachieve,whattheoutsideofthetoycouldpossiblydo,andwhattheinsideofthetoycouldpossiblydo.These

fourareasareexploredbecausetheyarethekeyelementstothedesign,sotheyarecrucialtogettingtheproductworkingwell.Eachofthefourareashasmultipledifferentoutcomesexplored,toseewhichwayisthe‘best,’ortoseeifacombinationofthemworksbest.

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i) Scenario �: Interaction with Multiple Devices Thisscenarioexploresthewaythatthetoycouldinteractwithotherversionsofitself(i.e.whatthetoydoeswithothercopiesofitself).Thereareanumberofwaysthatthetoycouldpotentiallyinteractwithitself.Theseare:

a)Thefirstisthatitneedstobe‘linedup’withtheothercopy.Thiswouldmeanthattherewouldneedtobeacertainspotorpartonthetoywhichallowsittocommunicatewithothertoys(viaBluetoothetc).Onceitislinedupwiththeothertoyitwouldthenswapinformation,whichallowsittodosomething.Thisisprobablythestrongestofthefourmethodsexplored.Themainstrengthisthefactthatthetoyis‘fullycontained’withinitself:therearenoadd-onsneededforthetoytobeabletointeractwithothers.Thechildrensimplyneedtolineupthesectiononthetoy

anditwillautomaticallyspeakwithothertoys.Theweaknesswiththiswayofdoingitisthatitwouldbeoneoftheharderwaysofcreatinginteractivity.

b)Thesecondwayisfortheretobea‘port’or‘base’devicewhichallofthetoysareabletotalkwith.Thereforetointeractwitheachothertheywouldfirst‘dump’alloftheirinformationintotheport/basedevice.Oncetheinformationhasbeendumpedintotheport/basethenthetoysareabletopulltheinformationbackoutagain,therebygettinginformationofftheothertoys.Thisisprobablytheweakestofthefourmethodsexplored,asitmeansthatthechildrenalwaysneedtohavetheport/basewiththemwherevertheytakethetoy,makingitahassletotryandinteractwithothers.Ontopofthat,theport/baseislikelytobefairlyexpensivetoreplace,andthereforeitcanbecomeexpensiveto‘maintain’thetoyifthechildloses/keepslosingtheport/base.Butthestrengthofthisdesignisthe‘fullness’ofthetoy:itfeelslikeitismorecompleteifthethingthatthetoysinteractwithispartoftheoverallproduct,ratherthansomethingthatthetoyhasbeenadaptedto.

c) Thethirdwayisfortheretobeacordthatcanplugintobothtoys,therebyconnectingthem.Oncetheyareconnectedbythecordtheycouldswapinformationwith

eachother(viathecord).Thismethodisnotideal,asitmeansthatthechildrenalwaysneedtohavethecordwiththemwherevertheytakethetoy,asiftheydon’tthentheyarenotabletointeractwithothers.Howeverthecordwouldbefairlycheap,andthereforeitisnotahugedealifthechildrenloseit.Thestrengthofthismethodisthatitisverysimpleandeasytosetup.

d)ThefourthwayistohavethedevicesabletointeractwithcomputersviaBluetooth,meaningthattheywouldbeabletodumpinformationontothecomputer.Oncetheinformationhasbeendumpedontothecomputertheycanthentalktoitagaintopullinformationbackoffit(therebyreceivinginformationthatsomeoneelsehasputontothecomputer).Thismethodisfairlystrongbecausemostplaceshavecomputers,andthereforethereislessneedforthechildrentotakesomethingaroundwiththemtobeabletointeract.Theweaknessissimilartosomeoftheothersthough,because,whilemanyplacesdohavecomputers,therearestillplacesthatdonot.Ontopofthisthetoyisforchildren,sothereisalsothequestionofwhethertheywouldbeabletoaccesstheycomputersbythemselves.

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ii) Scenario �: What is achieved by interacting with multiple devices

Thisscenarioexploresthepotentialforwhatcouldbeachievedbyinteractingwithothercopiesofthetoy.Itisnicetohavethepossibilityofinteractionbetweentoys,butwhatexactlydoesthatinteractionachieve?Inwhatwaysdoesitbenefitthedesigntobeabletointeractwithmultipledevices?Thereareanumberofdifferentpossibilitiesexploredherethroughdifferentscenarios.

a) Thefirstpossibilityisthatthechildrenareabletoplaymusictogether(comingoffthemusicversionofthetoy).Theyareabletosharestoredsoundsandmusicwitheachothertocombinetheirsoundsintoonenewandbiggersound.Aswellasthistheywouldalsobeabletoplaythetoysseparately(i.e.theirowntoy)whilepoolingthesoundtogethertocreateanoverall‘song’orsound.

b)Thesecondpossibilityisthattheyareabletohavecompetitionsagainsteachother.Bycollectingandstoringinformationfrompreviousplay‘sessions’theyarethenabletouploadthemontothecomputer/otherdeviceandthereforecompareinformation.Theycanalsothencompeteagainsteachotherin‘live’battles(ratherthanjustonstoredinformation).Thiscouldbeinsomeformofdigitalcharacteretc.

c) Thethirdpossibilityisthattheycancompeteagainsteachother,orworktogethertogetsetgoals,withthe

‘collectingballs’version.Theycouldhavecertaingoalsthattheyneedtoget(e.g.collect100ballsin30seconds).Ortheycouldcompeteagainsteachother(e.g.whocancollectthemostballsin30seconds).

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iii) Scenario 3: The outside of the toy

Thisscenarioexploresthepossibilitiesforwhatthetoycoulddousingits‘outside’features.Whatcanthetoydousingknobs,leversandlights?Thefollowingscenariosexplorethepotentialwaysthattheoutsideofthetoycouldbeused

a)Thefirstscenarioexploresthewaythattheoutsideofthetoycouldbeusedtoactasan‘instrument.’Therecouldbelotsofdifferentknobs,leversandswitchesthatwouldallmakeadifferentsound.Thechildcouldthen

fiddlewiththedifferentpartstomakedifferentsounds,thusactinglikea‘band.’Thechildcouldalsomakesoundsbyshakingtheactualtoyitself,whichwouldusemotionsensorsetctomakesoundswhenshaken.

b)Thesecondscenarioexploresthewaythatthetoycouldbeusedasagametypedevice.Thetoywouldsplitintwo,witheachplayergettingoneofthetwohalves.Eachplayerwouldusetheirhalfasascooptypethingtoscoopupballsfromthefloor.Thewinneristheonewhogetsthemostballs.Thechildrencouldalsoworktogethertotryandachievecertaingoals(i.e.seehowmanytheycancollectinasetamountoftime).

c)Thethirdscenarioexploresthetoyasaspinningtoptypething.Theknobsontheoutsidearetwistedaroundandarounduntilthetensionisbuiltup.Thechildthenstandsthetoyuprightonthefloorandletsgo.Thetoyspinsitselfout,usingalloftheenergy

builtup.Thechildrencouldalsotryandgetittospinintoacertainareaetc.tocreatedifferentwaysofpayingwithit.Thiscouldbeagoodfeaturetobuildoffotherdesigns(asitisunlikelytobeenoughbyitself).

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iv) Scenario 4: What’s ‘inside’ the toy

Thisscenarioexploresthepossibilitiesforanotheraspectofthetoy:theabilityofthetoyto‘snap’opentorevealanotherfeatureinside.Thisscenarioexploresthepossibilitiesforwhatexactlyisinsidethetoywhenitsnapsopen,asthereareanumberofdifferentpossibilities.Theyare:

a)Thisscenarioexploresthewaythat,onceithasbeenopenedup,thetoycouldthen‘break’inhalftogivetwoseparatepartsofthetoys.Onceithasbeenbrokenintwothetoycan

thenbeusedbytwodifferentchildrenatthesametime,withthembeingabletointeractwitheachother.Thetwohalvescouldbejoinedbymagnets,whichholdthetoytogetherwhenlinedup,butgiveaneasywayforthiechildrentopullitapartwhentheywantto.

b) Thisscenarioexploresthepotentialfortheretobeakeyboardandscreeninsidethetoy.Thechildopensthetoyupandplayswiththekeyboardonthebottomhalfofthetoy.Thismakesthescreenonthetopdothingsandinteractwiththeinformationbeingputinbythechild.Childrencouldalsointeractwithotherchildrenwhohavethetoy.

c)Thisscenarioexploresthepotentialforthetohavethingsstoredinsideitwhichcanbeaccessedbyopeningitup.Itcanhavepiecesthatconnectontotheoutside/insidetogivethechildrenevenmorepossible

waysofusingit.Italsogivesasenseoffreedomtothetoy,asthechildrenthemselvesareabletohavean‘input’intowhatthetoylookslike,andwhatitdoes.

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i) Mind Mapping

Oncetheinitialscenarioshavebeenusedtoexploretheareaandthoughtsbehindthetoy,amindmapismade,tohelporganisealloftheinformationgained.Theinformationisallputdownonapage,withcommonideas

andthoughtslinkedtogether.Thishelpstomaketheinformationaccessibleandeasytousefortheconceptsketchingstage.Itisalsousefultohelpfigureoutwhetheranythinghasbeenmissedinthescenariobuildingstage,andifithasthenitisimportanttogobacktothescenariobuildingstageandworkthrough

thenewideas/information.Thisstagehelpstomakesurethatnothingismissed(whichhelpstocomeoutwithamorecompleteandfinishedfinaldesign),andthattheideaslinktoeachother.Italsogetsnewideasdownthatmayhavebeenthoughtofaftertheinitialmindmappingstage.

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ii) Concept sketches Theinitialconceptsketchesexploreinavisual,‘product’like,waywhathasbeendiscussedandexploredinthescenarios.Itexploresthewaysthatthesedifferentfeaturescancometogethertocreateafunctioningtoythatisbothfuntoplaywith,andbeneficialtothedevelopmentprocess.

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iii) Mock-Ups TheMock-Upshelptogiveafeelforhowthedesignswouldworkin‘reallife.’Theygivesomethingthatcanbeheldandfiddledwith,sothattheproportionandperspectiveofthedesignsisexplored,andthereforethedesignsareabletobechangedslightly(orlargely)

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Conclusion of the Semester:

Playisacrucialstageinachild’sdevel-opment.Itisthereforecrucialthatallchildrenbegiventheopportunitytoplayandhavefun.Theskillsthatcanbedevelopedatsuchanearlylifeareimportantforahealthydevelop-mentandcanhelpthechildtogrowwell.Thisprojectwillaimtohelpchildrentogrowanddevelopwhilehavingfun.Itwilldothisbycreatingatoy,orseriesoftoys,thathelpschil-drentodevelopsocialskills,buildhand-eyecoordinationandmotor-skills,andtodevelopproblem-solvingskills.Itwillalsohelpthemtodevelopasenseofimagination.Thefinalout-comewillnotbebiasedtowardsablebodiedorablemindedchildren,butwillinsteadaimtodesignatoythatisaccessibletoallchildren,helpingallchildrentogrowanddevelop.

Atthisstagethefinaldesignisatoythatworkssimilartoaninstrument.Bytwist-ingandfiddlingwithleverschildrenareabletomakesoundsandnoises.Whenthesearecombinedtheyareabletocreatesongsandmusic.Thebuildingofsocialskillsishelpedbecausechildrenareabletoengagewithotherchildrenwhohavethetoy,andthetoyitselfcanbesplitintotwopieces,sothattwochildrencanplaywiththesametoy.Thishelpsthemtoworktogethertocreatesongsandmusic,thusdevelopingtheirsocialskills.Themotor-skillsdevelopmentcomesfromtwistingleversandknobstocreatetheactualmusic.Thereisalsothepossibilityofshakingthetoytocreateadifferentsound,whichhelpsbuildmotorskillsaswell.Theproblemsolvingas-pectoftheoriginaloutlineisstillbeingworkedat,toseehowitcanbeworkedintothetoy.Theimaginationaspectiscoveredbythefreedomandopennessofthemusicaspect:thechildrenarefreetomakewhateversoundsandmusictheywantto,thereforehelpingthemtodeveloptheirimagination.

Thetoywillalsohopefullybeabletocommunicateandinteractwithacomputer,toallowchildrentostoreorrecordsongsthattheymake,tothenshowthemtofriendsorjust

enjoylisteningtothematalaterstage.ThiswillhopefullybeachievedviaBluetooth,withthechildrenbeingabletostoreallofthemusicandsoundscordlessly.

Theprojectdoesnothaveanyspe-cificshapesofrefinedlooksatthemoment:itismoreonaworkingslevel,ratherthanalookslevel.Theaestheticsofthedesignwillbecoverednextsemester,aswellasrefiningtheactualconceptitself.ItwillthenbemadeinCADandmodelledinreallife,toproduceaworkingprototype.

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ThissemesterhasbeenreallyusefulformebecauseItendtoskimovertheinitialresearchphaseofdesigningandgetstraightintosketchinganddesigning,sohavingtomakeaDVRwithalloftheresearchinithasforcedmetodocumentallthatIdo,andtospendmuchmoretimeontheresearchphasethanIotherwisewouldhave.ThishasthereforehelpedmetogainamuchbetterunderstandingoftheareathatI’mworkingin,andwill(hopefully)resultinamuchbetterfinaloutcome.

Themostenjoyablepartofthesemesterformehasbeenworkingthroughtheexistingtoydesigns,andanalysingwhat’sgoodandwhat’snotsogoodabout

them.Ithasbeenreallyinterestingtolookatwhatotherpeoplearedoing,andtoseeallofthereallywelldesignedtoysthatareonthemarket.Andbydoingthisithashelpedmetogetafirmgriponwhat’soutthere,andthereforethatwillmakemyfinaldesignalotstronger.

I’vealsoenjoyedthe‘thesis’parttotheproject.I’vefoundthat,byhavingaworkingdocumentwhichIamcontinuallyaddingthingsinto,thatIamdoingalotmorework,andgettingalotmoreoutofthesubject.

SomethingthatI’vefoundfairlydifficultistheresearchintoarduinoandotherprogrammingthings.I’mnotreallythatinterestedinelectronicsandprogramming,sothathasbeenabitofachallengeformethissemester.Butdespitenotreallyknowingmuchaboutit,ithasstillbeeninterestingtohavealookatwhatpeoplearedoingwithelectronics,andtothenthinkabouthowthiscanbeusedindesigningatoy.

OverallIfeelthatthishasbeenmymostproductivesemesterfrommywholetimeatuni.IfeelreallyhappyabouttheprogressI’vemadesofar,andI’mlookingforwardtofinishingofftheprojectnextsemester,andseeingwheretheprojectgoes.

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Oncethegeneralconcept/ideahadbeenestablished,itthenneededtobedevelopedfurther,intoaworkingideathatfulfilledallthesetgoals.Thisinvolvedsketchingideas,refiningthoseideasbybasicmock-ups,sketchingagain,thenmakingmorerefinedprototypes.Oncetheprototypeshadbeenmade,thefinalworkingPrototypescouldbemade.

i) Initial Sketching

ThefirstaspectoftheConceptDevelopmentstagewastosketchoutideasandconceptsforwhatthetoycouldlooklike,andhowitcouldwork(indetail:thebasicconcepthadbeendevelopedintheinitialdesignstage).

Initiallythedesignwaslookingvery‘product’ish,whichwasnotthewaythatitwasmeant

tobegoing.Bygoingdownthatpathitcanbeveryeasytolosesightofthegoals(whicharetohelpchildrendevelopvitalskills)andfocusinsteadonmakingitappealtoparentsvialooksetc.Whileitisdefinitelyimportanttohaveavisuallypleasingaspect,thishastocomesecondbehindfunction.But,byexploringthissidetotheproject,itbecameobviousthattheprojectshouldn’tgodownthe‘fancygizmo’aspecttotoydesign.Sofromthereotherwaysofdevelopingtheprojectwereexplored.

Sotomoveawayfrom‘product’lookingitemstwothingsweredone.Firstly,theitemwassplitup.Initiallyitwasgoingtobeone

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objectthatproducedallofthesounds.But,asstatedearlier,itwasstartingtolookvery‘producty.’Sobysplittingupthedifferentsoundsintoseparateinstruments,ithelpedtomakethemlookmoreuniqueandunusual.Italsogavealotmorefreedomforwhattheycouldlooklike,becauseeachitemwasastand-alonething,sodidn’tneedtobesquashedontoonebody.Unfortunatelythisalsotookawaysomeofthemysteryofthetoys,butthatwasbroughtbackabitbythevisuallookofthefinaltoys.Andsecondly,inspirationwasdrawnfromsafarianimals.Thishelpedbecauseitpulledthedesignawayfrombeingatypicalblob-typeshapeandmoveditinto‘actual’shapes(determinedbywhatanimaltheywereandwhatsoundtheyhadtomake).Thefactthateachanimalhadtomakeasoundhelpedaswell,asitgavea‘purpose’tothem,andthereforeakeyfeatureofeachone.

Oncethesetwothingshadbeendone,thedesignstartedtodevelop.Differentanimalsweresketchedouttoseewhatanimalscouldbewhatsounds/instruments.Atthisstagethedesignswerestillfairlybasic,andweremoregeneral,ratherthanhighdetailedsketches(whichcamelater).

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ii) Early Mock-Ups/Prototypes ThenextstageoftheConceptDevelopmentwastomakeroughmock-ups/prototypesofthedesign.Thesewereusedasawaytoexplorethedesignsvisuallyin3D(asopposedtosketchedoutonapieceofpaper),checkingthattheywouldallworkliketheyweremeantto,andhelpingtoseeareasthatcouldbebroughtouttohelpcreatebetterdesigns.Itwasalsogoodtogetafeelforthesizeoftheobjects. Thisstagedidn’ttakelongtodo:itwasmeantasaquickexercisewhichwouldgivevaluablefeedbackonshapes,sizesandfunctionswithoutspendinglargeamountsoftimemakinghigherqualitymock-ups.Thiselementofspeedisdefinitelythekeypartoftheearlyprototypes:itsquickandeasy,andgivesafeelforwhattheobjectlookslikein3D,andwhatitfeelslikewhenheld.Bydoingthisitalsohelpedtoworkoutsmalldetails,suchashowthelegswouldjoinintothebodyoftheelephant,howthefrogwouldmakeitsnoiseandwhattheshapeofthefishwouldbe(intermsofcurvesandfaces).

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iii) Refined Sketching

ThefinalpartoftheConceptDevelopmentstagewastodosomerefinedsketching.Thiscombinestheinitialsketcheswiththeideas/informationgainedbymakingthemock-ups/prototypestocreateamorerefinedconcept.Thisstagealsohelpstodevelopthelookandpersonalityofthedesigns.

Becausetheroughmock-upshadconfirmedthefunctionandsizeofthetoys,themoredetailedsketchingcouldnowbedone.Thisinvolvedthingssuchashowthesnakemaracaswouldgotogetherandhowtheel-ephantwouldmakeitsnoise.

Thepersonalitiesandcharactersofthetoyscouldalsonowbedeveloped.Thishelpedtomakethetoysanddesignsalotmore‘child-friendly,’astheaspectsthatappealtochildrenweredeveloped.Thiswasbasedoffcartoonanimals,andtriedtoexaggeratekeyaspectsofeachanimaltohelpthemtobecharacter-churesinsteadofrealisticanimals,withtheaimbeingtomakethemappealtochildren,andthereforegetthechildrentoplayandde-veloptheskillsinvolved.

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Oncetheinitialconcepthadbeendevelopedthroughtohigh-levelsketches,itthenneededtoberefined.Thisinvolvedanumberifstages,namelymakingfull-scalemodels(clayandwood)ofthedesigns,thengoingfromthere.Thisstageisimportantbecauseittakeswhatisbasicallyafinaldesignandmakessurethateverythingworksasitshould,istherightsize/scaleandthattherearenootherproblemsthathavebeenmisseduptothisstage.

i) Clay Models ThefirststageoftheConceptRefinementwastomakefull-scaleclaymodels.Thesewereusedtogetafeelforthesizeofthetoys,andtogetagoodfeelforwhattheywouldbelikewhenheldandused(as

opposedtowhattheywerelikesketchedonapieceofpaper).Thesemodelsweremadetobeasclosetowhatthefinalmodelwouldlooklikeaspossible(oratleast,thefinalmodelasitwaslookingatthistime).

Thiswasimportantbecauseclayisaquickyetaccuratematerialtoworkwith,whichmadeiteasytomakerealisticlookingmodels.Thisisespeciallyrelevantbecauseallofthedesignsareveryorganicshapes,sousingsomethinglikewoodwouldhavebeenalotmoretimeconsuming,anditwouldhavebeenmuchhardertogetthemasaccurateasclay.

Themainthingthatcameoutofthisstagewasthesafariexplorerconductorstick:thewholelookofitchangedaftermakingtheclaymodel,withthebodychangingtobecomemuchmorecylindrical,andquiteabitlessdetailed.Thiswastohelpwiththemakingofit,andalsotomakeitfitinbetterwiththecartoon-ishfeelofalltherestoftheanimals.

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ii) Redesign Bothin-betweentheclayandwoodprototypestageandafterthewoodstagetherewereanumberofchangesmadetothedesigns.Thiswasbecauseofproblems/thingsthatarosefrommakingworkingmock-ups/prototypes.Byredesigningsmallelementsofthedesign/thewaythattheywouldbemadeithelpedtocomeoutwithamuchmorerefinedfinisheddesign.

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iii) Wood Models Thenextstagewastomakeaccuratewoodversionsofthedesigns.Thisstagewasafinaltestofeverything,makingsurethateverythingworksasitshould,andthatitisinfactdo-abletomakethem.Alloftheanimalsweremadeinthewaythattheyweregoingtobemadeforthefinalpieces.Bymakingthewoodversionstherewereanumberofproblemsthatarose,butwhichweresolvedtomakethefinalpiecesmuchbetter.

Themainthingthatcameoutofthefirstsetofwoodentoyswasthewaythattheyweregoingtobefinished.Originallytheyweregoingtobepainted.But,afterlookingatthefirstsetofmodels,itwasdecidedthattheywouldinfactbeleftnatural,withjustacoatofoiltofinishthemnicely.

Anotherthingthatcameupwaswiththeelephant.Initiallyitwasgoingtobehollowontheinside.But,aftermakingahollowbodythentryingtodrilloutholesforthelegs,itquicklybecameapparentthatthatwasnotthewaytogo.Soforthefinalpiecethebodywasnothollow,insteadaholewasdrilledthroughfortheairtogothrough.Thesizeoftheelephantwasalsochangedabittomakeiteasiertoworkwith.

Thefrogalsohadtobeupdated.Thefirstversionmadewasquitedifferenttothesketches,becauseofthewayitwasmade.Butwhenitwastimetomakethefinalfrogthemakingprocesswascompletelysketchedoutonpaper,toseewhatareascouldbeimprovedtomakeitlookmorelikethesketches.Becauseofthisitturnedoutmuchbetterthesecondtimearound.

Ontopofthese,thesnakeonthemaracaswasquiteconcerning.Initiallythesnakewasgoingtobemouldedandmadeoutofsomethingflexibleandrubber-like(mostlikelysilicon).Butbecausethedesignwasnolongergoingtobepainted,butratherwasgoingtobejustnaturalwood,itwasunclearifarubbersnakewouldsuitit.So,aftermakingasiliconsnakeandcomparingittoalloftheothertoysandwhatthey’dlooklike,itwasfairlyobviousthatthesnakedidn’tsuitthefeelofthedesigns.Sofromthereitwasamatteorthinkingaboutdifferentwaysthatthesnakecouldbemadetokeepthe‘hand-madefeelofthetoys.

Anotherthingthatcameupwastheturtle.Whileitwasmadeinthesamewaybothtimes,theactualshapeofthebodychangedfromthefirstmodeltothesecond.Withthefirstonethebodywasovalshaped,whereasthesecondversionwasacircle.Bymakingitmorethanonceithelpedtoshowwhichshapeworkedbest.

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ThefinalworkingPrototypesaremadeasaccurateversionsofwhatthefinaltoyswouldbelikeiftheyweretobemadeandsold.Duetotherestrictionsofworkinginasmallworkshopwithlimitedtoolsandalimitedbudget,someofthetoysdonotmakethesoundsthattheywouldifmanufacturedproperly.So,ratherthanspendhugeamountsoftimetryingtomakesurethatthesoundswererightwiththeprototypes,moretimeandeffortwasspentmakingsurethattheylookedexactlyliketheywouldwhenmassproduced.Therearealsomusiccardsthatgowiththeinstruments,whicharefullydesignedandcompleted.

i) Elephant Trumpet

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ii) Frog Tone block iii) Fish Xylophone

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iv) Safari Explorer Conductors Stick

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v) Hippo Castanet vi) Turtle Drum

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vii) Snake Maracas

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viii) All

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ix) Music Cards & Holder

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Aswithanydesignthereareanumberofthingsthatmustbeknownifthedesignistobemanufactured.Thetwomostimportantarehowitwillbemade,andwhatitwillbemadeof.Thesetwothingsareimportanttokeepinmindwhendesigninganobject,sothatitisabletobemadeattheend.

i) Manufacturing

Ifthisprojectwastobetakentothenextstepandmanufactured,thenthewaythatitwouldbemanufacturedisamajorthingtobethoughtabout.Initiallytheideawasthatitwouldbemachinemadeonalargescale.But,afterthestagesthatthedesignhasgonethrough,itwillnowstayasahandmade,lowerquantitydesign.Thisisforanumberofreasons.

Firstly,thedesignismeanttohavea‘handmade’qualitytoit.Whileitwon’tneces-sarilylosethatfeelifitismadeonalargerscalebymachines,it’stheprincipalsthataretheimportantthing.Ifsomethingisdesignedtohaveahandmadefeel,thenitslikecheat-ingtonotmakethembyhand.Therefore,froma‘moral’pointofviewitisimportantthatthetoysstayhandmade.

Andsecondly,ithelpsgiveahome-madefeeltothetoys.Theyaren’tperfect(duetobeingmadeinasmallworkshopwithlimitedtools)butthatjustaddstothecharac-terandfeelofthetoys.Thetoyshavebeenspecificallydesignedtofeelhandmade,sothereforeitsimportanttokeepmethods/thingsthataddtothehomemadefeel.

Havingsaidallofthis,ifthetoysweretogointoproduction,thentheywouldbemadeinaworkshopthathasmuchbettermachines,andtheywouldbetoucheduptomakesurethatsomeofthelittleimperfec-tionsareeliminatedfromthemanufacturingprocess.Thiswouldnotreducethehandmadefeel,andwouldhelptoimprovethequalityofthetoys.

Thestepsusedtomakethetoysare:

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Elephant• Latheaballofwood• Drillholesforlegs• LatheLegs,trunkandtusks• Finishofftheshapingoftusksandtrunk byhandsanding• Drillholethroughtheelephantsbody• Glueinlegs,trunkandtusks• Polish• Stickoneyes,earsandtail

Frog• Latheaballofwood,withanothercircle onitforthehead• Handshapetwolegs• Latheupbackspines• Finishoffshapingthespikesbyhand sanding• Drillholesforthebackspikes• Gluethebackspikesin• Glueonlegs• Polish• Stickoneyes

Fish• Handshapeablockofwoodtothe bodyshape• Takeaholeoutofthemiddle• Edgetheholewithlightwood• Cutoutafinslotonthebottomofthe body• Handshapefins• Glueonfins• Cutmetalpieces• Drillholesandfitthemetalpieces• Polish• Stickoneyes

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Turtle• Splitapieceofwoodthenglueitto getheragainwithpaperinbetween• Lathethewoodintoaball• Splitthepieceintohalvesagain(where thepaperlineis)• Hollowoutthehalf-ball• Stickonbottompiece• Lathelegsandhead• Drillholesforlegsandhead• Attachsprings• Fitandgluelegsandhead• Polish• Stickoneyes

Safari Explorer• Cutwoodandstickalighterpiecein wheretheheadwillbe• Lathethewoodintoshape• Drilloutaholeforthehandle• Latheahandle• Glueinthehandle• Polish• Stickoneyes

Snakes• Hollowouttwohalvesofwood(per snakeshaker)• Gluethetwohalvestogether• Latheintoaball• Drillholesforhandles• Lathehandles• Fillwithrice• Gluehandles• Polish• Stickoneyes• Handshapeahead• Glueheadtocord

• NailthecordontotheShaker• Polishthesnakehead

Hippo• Latheapieceofwoodintoacircle,with anothercircleontheoutsideforthe nose• Handshape(withchiselandsanding) thenose• Splitthemouth• Drillholesforelastic• Polish• Stickoneyes• Threadcord

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ii) Materials

Thematerialsusedareankeypartofanydesign.Designingtoysisanunu-sualthingbecauseitisaimedattwo‘targetgroups:’theparents,whobuythetoy,andthechildren,whoplaywiththetoy.Thereforeitisimportanttokeepbothofthesetargetgroupsinmindwhenthinkingwhatmaterialatoywillbemadeoutof.

ForthefinalpiecestheywouldbemadeoutofnaturalAustralianhardwoods.Therearethreedifferenthardwoods,whichare:AustralianRosewood,TasmanianOakandJarrah.Thesetimbershavebeenchosenfortheircolours:theyarealldifferent(theJarrahisdarkest,theRosewoodinbetween,andtheTasmanianOakisthelightest).Thewoodshavebeenusedindifferentareastotryandusetheirdifferenttones/colourstoad-vantage,makingthetoysmoreaestheticallypleasing.Allofthesetimbersaregrowninspecialplantations,andarenotlong-growthtrees.Thisistotryandappealtoparentswhowanttheirchildrenplayingwithenvironmen-tallyfriendlytoys.

ThetimberwouldbefinishedwithanoilcalledOrganaoil.Thisisbecauseitisanorganicoilthatisnontoxictochildren(oranyoneforthatmatter).Becausethetargetgroupischildrenaged4-5itisimportanttoplanforthingsthattheymaydowiththetoysthatare’unexpected’.’So,whilethetoysarenotmeanttobeputinanyone’smouth,itisquitepossiblethatchildrenplayingwiththemmayinfactdosoanyway.So,becausethere

isachancethatthiscouldhappen,thetoyshavebeenfinishedwithanon-toxicfinish,insteadofalessfriendlyfinish.TheotherbenefitaboutOrganaoilisthatitisproducedinanenvironmentallyfriendlyway,whichmayappealtosomeparents.Thisisobviouslynotgoingtoappealtoallparents,butitisusefultouseanorganicoilsothatthetargetaudi-enceisasbroadaspossible.

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Thewereanumberofgoalssetatthestartoftheproject,whichsaidthatakeyaspectofthefinaldesignwasthatithadtostimulatedevelopmentinchildren.Thestatedobjectiveatthestartoftheprojectwastoodesignatoythat:

• DevelopsSocialSkills• DevelopHand-Eyecoordination• DevelopProblemSolvingSkills• StimulateImagination

Thesehavesincebeenalteredsomewhatthroughouttherefinementoftheproject,withtheproblemsolvingaspecttakenout,andmoreemphasisbeengiventotheotheraspects.

Thefinaldesignsareveryflexible,andcanbeplayedwithbothasagroupand

individually.Thegroupaspectwouldusemultiplesofeachinstrument,andwouldinvolvethechildrenplayingalongtomusic,withdelegatedinstrumentsplayingandsettimes.Theindividualaspectinvolvesthechild

playingeithermusicfromtheattachedmusiccards,orplayingtheirownmusic.Thereisalsoachanceforthechildtomakeitsownmusiccards(viasomeblankmusiccards).

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i) Single Play Development

Theindividualsideofthetoydevelopsthechild’sfinemotorskillsandthechild’simagination.Asstatedearlierbothofthesearecrucialinachild’sdevelopment,andtheearliertheycanbestimulatedthebetter.

Itstimulatestheirimaginationbecausethechildcanplaymusic,whichisagreatwayforthemtoexpressthemselvesinacreativeway.Itisalsohelpingthemtobecreative,whichisabigpartofimagination.Thereisalsoroomforthechildrentocreatetheirown‘way’toplaywiththetoys.Becausetheinstrumentsareshapedasanimals(notasinstruments)itmeansthatthechilddoesnothavetonecessarilyplaywiththemusicsideofthetoys.Whilethemusicsideisobviouslythemainpartofthedesign,theroomforfreedomofplayisagoodwaytoextendthechild’senjoymentofthetoy,andhelpthemtouseitformuchlonger(thereforeincreasingthebenefitsthattheygainfromit).Thisisamajorreasonforwhythetoyshavebeenleftasopenintermsofhowtheyareusedaspossible.

Playingwiththetoyssinglyalsohelpstodevelopfinemotorskills,suchashandeyecoordination.Thisisbecausetherearepreciseactions/movementsinvolvedwithplayingtheinstruments,whichhelpsthechild’s

coordinationtogrow.Forexample,thechildneedstohitthetilesontheFishXylophoneproperly;otherwiseitwillnotmakeanoise.Byencouragingthemtoperformprecisemovementsinafunway,itishelpingthechildtodevelopskillsthatarecruciallateroninlife.

Ontopofthesetwobenefits,playingwiththetoysalsohelpschildrentolinkactionswithconsequences:theylearntolinkthe

factthathentheydosomething,theycreateasound(i.e.theylearnthattheiractionshaveconsequences).Theycanalsoseethatdifferentobjectshavedifferentconsequences:iftheyhittheturtlethenitwillmakealownoise,andiftheyblowontheelephantitwillmakeahigherpitchnoise.Learningtolinkactionswithconsequencesisavitalpartofachild’sdevelopment.

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ii) Group Play Development

TheGroupPlayelementofthetoyhelpschildrentodevelopfinemotorskills,imaginationandsocialskills.Thefinemotorskillsandimaginationdevelopmentaspectsarethesameasinthesingleplayarea.TheSocialSkillsdevelopmentisthemainextrabenefitfromthegroupplay(aswellasjustextendingthelifeofthetoy).Asexplained

earlier,thegroupplayaspectwouldinvolveanumberofchildrenplayingtogether,ideallyinaclassroom,butatahomeisfinetoo.Thereareanumberofwaysthattheycouldplaywiththetoysasagroup.

Firstly,theycouldplayasalargegroup.Therewouldbeasongplayinginthebackgroundwithdifferentchildrenplayingatdifferentpartsofthemusic(linkedtowhich

animaltheyhave.Forexample,alloftheelephantswouldplayatacertainpart,thenalloftheFishwouldplaynext,thentheFrogsandsoon).Thishelpsthechildrentodevelopanumberofimportantthingsrelatedtosocialskills:theyhavetolearntowaitthey’return,theyhavetolearnhowtoreactifsomeonedoesn’twaitthey’return,andtheylearnwhathappensiftheydon’twaitfortheirturn.Italsohelpschildren’smemory,astheyneedtorememberwhenthey’remeanttogo.

Secondlyitcouldjustbechildrenworkingtogethertoplaydifferentsongs/maketheirownsongs.Bydoingthistheystarttodevelopteam-workingskills;theyneedtoworktogethertocreatesomething/achieveagoal,andgettoseetheconsequencesandwhattheycanachievebydoingso.

Ontopofthesetwowaysofplayingthereisalsoalotofspaceforteacherstocreatetheirwongamesthatthechildrencanplay,orforthechildrenthemselvestomaketheirowngames.Thishelpsthechildrentostimulatetheirimagination,astheyareabletocreatetheirowngames.Italsohelpsthemtodeveloptheirsocialskills,astheyneedtolearntodowhatsomeoneelsecomesupwith,andtowaitfortheirturntogettocreatethegame.

9�

Ifthisprojectwastobecontinuedonthereareanumberofthingsthatwouldneedtochange/begoodifwerechanged.Thedesignwouldundergoproducttestingwithchildren,toseewhatworksandwhatneedsadjusting,andthenadjustmentswouldbemadefromthere.Buttherearealreadysomethingswhichstandoutaspotentialproblems/thingsthatcouldbealtered.

Firstly,thesizeofthemaracaswouldmostlikelybeadjusted.Whileitisdefinitelyuseableandquitevisually

pleasing,therearesomeproblemswiththeweight.Thisismainlybecauseoftheweightofthewood,ratherthanthesizeofthemaracas.Butiftheprojectwastogothroughanotherredesignphase,thenthesizewouldbeadjusted,toallowfortheweightofthewood.Thehandleswouldprobablyalsobeshortenedabit(bybeinglongeratthemomenttheywillhopefullyhelptocountertheextraweight,soiftheweightwasgone,thentheycouldbeshorter).

Secondly,thewaythatchildrencanmaketheirowncardsmaychange.Thiswoulddependonfeedback/testingthefinaldesignswithchildren,butthereisdefinitelyspacetousewhiteboardmaterialforsomeblankcards,sothatchildrencancontinuallykeepwritingnewsongs.The‘set’cards(thecardsthatalreadyhavemusiconthem)wouldstaythesame,buttheonesthattheycanmakethemselvesmaychange.

Anotherthingthatwouldchangeisthenumberofspikesonthefrog.Atthemomenttherearefour,butifthe

designweretoundergoanotherphaseofredesign,thenthatwouldbesomethingthatwouldchange.Intermsofhowitworks,itstillworksfinewiththefourspines,butitwouldprobablyworkevenbetterwithafifthspineaddedin.

ThefinalthingthatstandsoutaspotentialforbeingredesignedistheHippoCastanet.Atthemomentthemouthiscompletelyflatinside,butitmayworkbetter(i.e.makeabettersound)ifteethwereaddedin.thesewouldbesmallbumpsmadeoutofwoodthatcameoutofthetophalf.Theywould(hopefully)helpittomakeabetternoisewhenused(asitwouldmeanthattherearesmallercontactpoints,andthereforehopefullyabettersound),andwouldalsoaddtothehippo’scharacter.

9�

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