Lesson video

Hi there, everyone.

My name is Mr. Booth.

Welcome to your design and technology lesson for today.

Thank you so much for joining me.

Today, we are going to be modeling accessible controllers.

This is part of our ergonomic design accessible controllers unit.

And today you are gonna be bringing lots of skills and techniques together to create a final design.

The outcome for today, I want you to be able to create prototypes using cardboard and foam modeling techniques.

We have five key words today that I want you to keep a lookout for.

The first one is modeling, the process of creating physical or digital representation of ideas to visualize and test them.

We also have template, a pattern or guide used for consistency when modeling.

We have the user, someone who's very important, who you are designing for.

Ideate, to think of or to create lots of ideas.

And then finally, one you'll be really familiar with is prototype, a simple low-cost model to check the size, shape, and function and often lots of other aspects of your designs.

Two learning cycles today: The first is about product development and the final one is modeling ergonomic controllers.

So let's get on with that first one, product development.

So product development is the steps you use to create or improve a product.

Designers will use a design process to support this.

Often, this design process will consist of five main stages and these are empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and of course, test.

So let's have a look at the product development stages.

We have empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and of course, test.

Now in today's lesson, we're gonna focus on empathize, ideate, and prototype.

We've already defined what we're gonna be doing.

We're making accessible controllers and we're not quite ready to test yet because we haven't created a prototype to do that with.

So let's focus on those three areas.

So quick check for understanding.

Identify the stages that are included in the design process for product development that we've just gone through.

We have A, prototype; B, develop; C, empathize, and D, renew.

Which ones are included in the process for product development? Pause the video now, have a go, and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, prototype and empathize.

They are part of the product development process.

So let's have a closer look at empathize.

When designing a product, we must consider the people who will use it.

These people are called our users.

You'll already know that.

User-centered design is all about putting the user first and showing empathy with that user, putting ourselves in their shoes so we can design better products for those users.

We need to think about what they need and what they like and what's important to them at every step of the design process.

Identifying a user is really important.

When designing a product, you must begin by gaining a clear understanding of what we call the user's needs and wants.

You'll hear that a lot in design and technology.

Needs are the essential features required for the product to function.

We absolutely have to have these for the product to do its job properly, while wants are additional features that aren't necessary but would enhance the product if included.

So quick check, true or false? User needs and wants are the same thing.

They both have to be incorporated in a design for it to work.

Is that true or is that false? Pause the video now, have a go, come back to me when you've got your answer.

This is, of course, false, why? Well, needs are the essential features required for the product to function, while wants are the additional features that aren't necessary but would certainly enhance the product if included for the user.

Let's have a close look at ideate.

Ideate: ideating generates lots of ideas that could solve the defined problem.

One option is to use an iterative design cycle to come up with ideas before refining them down to want to take forward to the next stage.

It's really good to come up with lots of ideas rather than just focusing on one idea.

Quick check for understanding, ideate is to generate many: Problems, A; B, ideas; C, final solutions; or D, users.

Pause the video now, come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, ideas, well done.

Now ideation can take many forms such as hand-drawn sketches or even computer-aided design models.

Designs help quickly communicate ideas to others and can be shared with the user for instant feedback.

So you can then develop your ideas further.

Let's have a close look at prototype now.

So prototyping, as we know, is developing and testing designs to ensure that they work using physical models, usually 3D physical models.

Making these models enables designers to learn from them and then develop their ideas further.

They work out what works and what doesn't work and that means they can do that very quickly, which means they can move forward and create better designs for their users.

Prototyping can start at any point in the design process.

It doesn't matter when you start this.

It's important that user feedback is incorporated once you've created those prototypes before you move on to develop them further.

Now this, it may involve cardboard or foam prototypes.

It might involve CAD simulations, CAD images, or even 3D printed models for testing.

This allows to interact with the prototypes that it allows 'em to then provide feedback and help you to iterate your final designs.

Another check for understanding: What is the purpose of modeling when designing a new product? Is it A, to immediately begin a mass production; B, to allow users to interact with a prototype and provide feedback; is it C, to decorate the final product; or is it D, to increase the cost of development? Pause the video now, come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, to allow users to interact with a prototype and provide feedback, well done.

So we're now onto task A.

And what I would like to do is select one of the following users and sketch a games controller design idea.

I would also like you to annotate your designs and show how you have met the user needs and their wants.

So let's have a look at our users.

So user number one is a user with limited hand mobility.

They need larger, easy-to-press buttons.

They would like, so they would want, customizable button layouts and they would also a lightweight designed to reduce stress and strain.

User two is a user that can only use one hand.

So they need a one-handed control layout.

They would like a wireless operation, so there's no wires connected to it.

And they would also like swappable modules for different game types.

And then, we have user three, a user with a visual impairment.

They need high contrast button colors so they can see them.

They would like braille labels on the buttons as well.

And also, audio or tactile feedback for actions so they know what they're doing during gameplay.

Have a go at this task.

Come back to me when you've got your brilliant sketches and your annotations.

Pause the video now.

So how did you get on? I'm sure your design look absolutely fantastic and you might have even done more than one design and ideated a range of designs, but they might have looked like this.

So as you can see, this is for user number two.

We have ergonomically shaped design that can be operated with one hand.

The buttons and the trigger switch are in easy reach of the thumb, so they can be controlled just using the thumb.

We have a roll button with an easy reach of a thumb to allow the character on screen to move forward and backwards.

And then, we have finger indents on the back, which means it will be comfortable to use for long periods of time.

I'm sure your designs are even better than this one, so well done.

We're now onto our second learning cycle: modeling using card and foam.

Templates are used when prototyping to save time, ensure consistency, and improve the quality overall of our prototypes.

We think about speed.

Instead of starting from scratch, a template gives you a head start.

When we're talking about consistency when making more than one product, so if you had to make two prototypes, it makes sure you design stain uniform across the products.

We can even use this for symmetrical products as well by making one side exactly the same as the other.

And then, of course, efficiency is easier to tweak one template than alter lots of different designs.

Quick check for understanding: Why are templates created when prototyping? Is it A, to make the product more aesthetically pleasing; is it B, to reduce the need for any testing; or is it C, to save time, ensure consistency and improve quality? Pause the video now, come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, C to save time, ensure consistency, and improve the quality.

So we are gonna use paper to create a template for a controller.

A way of doing this is to fold a sheet of paper in half and draw half of your design along the fold line.

Remember, this is the controller that we used in task A.

What we're then gonna do is, again, interact with our template just like we would if we were creating a prototype.

You're gonna check the size and the shape by holding the piece of paper.

And then, carefully cut out your template and make sure it fits in your hand.

Test the shape of it.

Is it the right size? Do you need to make any adjustments? Because at the moment, you can do it out of paper, which is far easier than having to do it out of foam later down the line.

Quick check for understanding: Why is it important to check your template before you start making a prototype? Is it A, to ensure the shape looks good; is it B, to ensure the size and shape is correct; or is it C, to make sure the design will fit on the piece of material you have selected? Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, B, to ensure the size and shape is correct.

By using a combination of cardboard and foam modeling techniques, the template can now be used to create a prototype.

So by using our template, we can create straight and curved joins in cardboard.

We can use the layering technique in cardboard and even make moving parts outta cardboard.

And if we incorporate that with foam modeling techniques, we can make a really successful ergonomic controller prototype.

And now we're onto task B.

So using a combination of foam and cardboard modeling techniques, make a prototype for your controller from task A.

You will need to use your template to ensure that your controller is the right size and shape.

Remember to keep testing your model and make any iterations needed based on the needs and wants of the user that you used in task A.

You're gonna get quite a bit of time to do this.

This is quite a complex task.

I really hope you enjoy it.

Come back to me when you have made your models.

Pause the video now.

So how did you get on? Well, I'm sure your models look absolutely fantastic and they might have looked something like this.

So you can see in this example, the template was developed to make sure that we had a slightly longer reach for the button, so it could be used by a finger.

And also we kept those curved pieces so it was ergonomic and easy to hold.

And this, of course, was for user two.

I'm sure yours is just as fantastic as this one, well done.

And that brings us to the end of the lesson.

So let's have a quick summary.

Modeling is essential to test designs, gain feedback, and improve products before manufacturing.

Understanding user needs and wants is critical to designing effective and accessible products.

Templates are used to save time, ensure consistency, and improved production quality when making prototypes.

Prototyping methods like foam and cardboard modeling help refine the product size, shape, and function.

You've been absolutely fantastic today.

Thank you for joining me.

I'll see you all next time, goodbye.