Product Interactions
In my Designing Product Interactions class, we focused on combining the physical properties and capabilities of objects, with a deeper understanding of how multiple human senses come together to create a human perception, or “experience.” Our final assignment was to take a product and reimagine how we interact with it. My team chose to take the Etch A Sketch and scale it up to a size that makes it a full-body experience. The scale of our Etch A Sketch changes the way that people interact with it - people have to use their whole hands to move the knobs and small children may have to use two hands to turn one knob. This also allows the toy to be used collaboratively by multiple people.
Skills
Mechatronics, 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, User Experience Design, Product Interaction
Giant Etch A Sketch
The Etch A Sketch is an iconic toy that is recognizable across generations. Nearly every age group that is alive now has a certain nostalgia for this red toy with white knobs. We wanted to capture this nostalgia but elevate the interaction with it by enlarging the whole system to the scale of a full-body experience or one you could easily share with someone else. It was important to us to keep the shaking interaction because it is so iconic. This is why we included the smaller 3D printed Etch A Sketch that triggers the sweeping mechanism to erase your drawings.
There were several main parts to this project, the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that dragged a marble in the sand, and the sweeping mechanism to erase the drawing. I was responsible for the 3D printing of all parts used in this assembly, along with programming and assembling the sweeping mechanism.
Testing the functionality before adding final details
Other DPI Projects
We presented this final project at a showcase event with all of our other projects throughout the semester. Below are two of my other projects from the Designing Product Interaction class.
