Oliver Blythe 3139580

Chapter 1: Introduction i)ScopeoftheProject ii)WhyisPlayCrucial? iii)MindMapping iv)Conclusion

Chapter 2: 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

Bibliography

Table of Contents

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 1 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 1 to 2 years, children: begintowalk feedthemselves pushandpulltoyswhilewalking becomelessfearfulofstrangers playaloneoralongsideotherchildren defendtheirownthings:donot

understandsharing wavegoodbye pointormakenoisestoindicatewants enjoyapicturebook shakeheadfor‘No!’ useseveralrecognisablewordsandtry

tosaynewwords.

• Between 2 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.

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.

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.

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 AnalysisAnalogue 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

i) Scenario 1: 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.

ii) Scenario 2: 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).

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).

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.

i) Mind Mapping Oncetheinitialscenarioshavebeenusedtoexploretheareaandthoughtsbehindthetoy,amindmapismade,tohelporganisealloftheinformationgained.Theinformationisallputdownonapage,withcommonideas

andthoughtslinkedtogether.Thishelpstomaketheinformationaccessibleandeasytousefortheconceptsketchingstage.Itisalsousefultohelpfigureoutwhetheranythinghasbeenmissedinthescenariobuildingstage,andifithasthenitisimportanttogobacktothescenariobuildingstageandworkthrough

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

ii) Concept sketches

Theinitialconceptsketchesexploreinavisual,‘product’like,waywhathasbeendiscussedandexploredinthescenarios.Itexploresthewaysthatthesedifferentfeaturescancometogethertocreateafunctioningtoythatisbothfuntoplaywith,andbeneficialtothedevelopmentprocess.

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

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,toallowchildrentostoreorrecordsongsthat

theymake,tothenshowthemtofriendsorjustenjoylisteningtothematalaterstage.ThiswillhopefullybeachievedviaBluetooth,withthechildrenbeingabletostoreallofthemusicandsoundscordlessly.

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

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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