By Daniel Bush, Secondary Head of Design Technology
The Design department has been working with Grade 6 to 9 students, in aiding them to be independent and critical thinkers in problem-solving. In Grade 10, we demonstrate practically and theoretically how we use and adapt the design cycle to solve a problem and produce a solution. When students embark on their first Grade 10 project, they have agency to choose how to tackle a problem. The students work on unique projects, all learning from each other and inspiring further solutions.
What do they create? The classmates selected their own problem and a way in which to solve it. The brief allowed students to choose a Zurich site for designing an object or digital product. When installed, the installation would cause passers-by to stop and autonomously interact with it.
Many of our students opted for a problem linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. Another popular topic was the amount of time people spend viewing digital devices. A few students identified the amount of time spent on mobile devices, with a classmate seeking to redirect the practice. Redirective practice features heavily in design, but in subtle ways so that end users are unaware. A conversation regarding the line of vision when one looks down at a phone followed.
As alternatives, the group discussed exploring nature and admiring the clouds in the sky. We spoke about gazing at clouds to provide momentary escapism. And that is when an idea was born: If people look down, how do we get them to look up? The solution was to place an object on the floor, in this case, an intelligent mirror.
Four mirrors, to be exact, moving in a tilted fashion; a motion sensor would be triggered, tilting the mirrors toward the user - to catch the eye of the mobile phone user. The movement and slow rotation of the mirrors would keep the user engaged and simultaneously show beautiful clouds and sky.
We then embarked on ordering electronic components and materials for construction in our Future Studios workshop. Parts were laser cut, 3D printed, programmed, and assembled. Ultimately, the learning experience was looking at the redirective practices and empathising with users’ 33 needs.
Designing is about communication and sharing concepts. The best ideas come from conversations and testing whether concepts are viable in the real world.
Our school’s Design faculty members encourage students to discuss and evaluate ideas with their peers, parents, and teachers in order to obtain optimal results. An exhibition for students to showcase their work is planned for June 2023.