A set of wearable toys that creates sounds through various body movements for children from 3-7 years old.
Scenario
Kindergarten
Instructed Dancing / Music / PE Classes
Creating Rhythm By...
Twirling
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Stomping
Jumping
Butt Smacking
and move your body in anyway you can imagine!
Apron: Components & Materials
Press Play:
Bracelet: Components & Material
Users
Jojo
Age: 4
Personality:
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Shy and quiet.
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Creative and empathetic.
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Inactive.
Interests:
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Handcrafting.
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Drawing and painting.
Adversities:
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PE classes are difficult.
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Under-developed big motor skills.
Reactions to Rattlie:
Jojo took a moment to warm up with the teacher's help. Though clumsy at first, she loved the fun noises her movements made! Soon, she was creating her own rhythms and became both creative and active!
Jonas
Age: 7
Personality:
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Ambitious and adventurous.
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Athletic and energetic.
Interests:
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Running back & forth while screaming.
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Playing with water.
Adversities:
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Music classes are too "sitting-only".
Reactions to Rattlie:
Jonas jumped right in, moving wildly and making noises. He loved the "butt smacking" move and did it with his friends. Now, he can move around while enjoying music!
Play Values:
Physical Development
Improving gross motor skills through active play.
Social & Emotional Development
Learning social relationships through playing with friends through guided play.
Cognitive Development
Exploring body movements and music through
open-ended play.
Process: Ideation
Apron Mock-Ups:
Apron V.1
Pros:
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The body movement was fun!
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Just the right intensity of exercise!
Cons：
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How to attach this piece to the body?
Opportunities:
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Explore ways of wearing it.
Apron V.2
Pros:
-
With Velcro added, it stayed on me well.
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Wood and plastic sound good.
Cons：
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It's a large piece for only 1 sound.
Opportunities:
-
What other sounds/movements can the apron hold?
Apron V.3
Pros:
-
Making sound with twirling & jumping.
Cons：
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2 sounds are still not a good variety.
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Cannot fit various body sizes.
Opportunities:
-
Find a way to fit a range of body sizes.
Apron V.4 - Play Test
Changes:
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Added elastic bands to fit body sizes.
Feedback from Parent:
The apron wasn't staying on the child, so she got frustrated.
Opportunities:
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Better ways to attach is needed.
Apron V.5
Changes:
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Using elastic fabric to allow movements.
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Using elastic opening, so children put it on like a skirt.
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Added shakers for various sounds.
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Added bumping pieces so children can bump into each other and make noises.
Apron V.5 - Material
Findings:
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Not only the material of the fillers affect the sound, the shells matter too!
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Acrylic shells don't sound good.
Opportunities:
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Explore shell materials for maracas.
Apron V.5 - Play Test
Feedback from Parent:
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Little boys won't like how it's put on like a skirt.
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The attachments on the apron were too heavy so it kept falling off.
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The child was interested in exploring the sounds.
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The sounds were chaotic because 1 movement is creating multiple sounds.
Opportunities:
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Find better way for children to put it on.
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1 sound matches 1 movement for easier intrustions.
Apron V.6
Changes:
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1 Movement matches 1 sound.
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Added strap buckle so it stays stably and also size adjustable
Cons:
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The current way of attaching components (needle & thread) isn't durable and also not ideal for manufacturing.
Opportunities:
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Attach components into silicon pockets (like how Tamagotchi does).
Apron Final
Structure & Material:
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Silicon pockets holding maraca containers in place.
Pros:
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Manufacturable.
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Components stably attached.
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Aesthetically pleasing.
Bracelet Mock-ups:
Material:
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Filler: Small PLA filaments.
Cons:
-
The sound was too small.
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The box is sticking out too much, which is dangerous since children can hit each other.
Material:
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Filler: Plastic buttons.
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Shell: Acrylic sheets.
Pros:
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Comfortable.
Cons:
-
Acrylic sounds bad.
Pros:
-
The sound is great.
Material:
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Filler: 1 big metal balls.
Cons:
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Only can create sound when the wrist is rotating, no vertical movements can make sound.
Material:
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Velcro sewed on fabric.
Pros:
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Stable
Cons:
-
Assistance needed to put it on.
Bracelets:
Changes:
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Improved way of putting it on: Put a hand through the inner sweatband, then adjust the Velcro on the outside elastic strap to fit various body sizes.
Material:
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Filler: Marble, rice.
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Shell: Wood.
Pros:
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Wood shells sound great!
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Easy to put it on.
Cons:
-
The box is still sticking out too much.
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