Kuest Bike

In my STEAM class, Design and Engineering, we recently finished our second unit called “Farther”. In this unit we focused on a lot. For example, simple machines, specifically wheels and pulleys. This led to our studies of circles and ellipses. We focused on graphing these shapes and finding the area and circumference of them. We also studied weight, mass, speed, velocity, and acceleration. We also focused on graphing, functions, and slope. Lastly, we studied bikes, how they work, and how they can make an impact on someone's life. We found that all of these concepts connected to find the idea of designing a new bike. The class gained a lot from having several FE's that really brought what we were learning to life. For instance, we went to one of our classmates mom's bike shop, and got to explore the space and get on the bikes for the hands on action. We also had an in-house FE where we made prototypes with the help of a designer from Dyson. The concepts we learned in class and the FEs we did all came in handy for this Action Project. This project called for the class to design a bike based on a unique persona. My partner and I worked hard to create a bike that met the needs of our unique persona, which actually represents a bigger population of people with a similar situation. Below is my presentation of this project, I hope you enjoy!

Coming into this unit I didn't have a lot of knowledge on the fundamentals of bicycles so everyday was something new and exciting. If I were to pinpoint two things I learned from researching existing bikes would be how certain bikes are design for certain activities. I learned how rode bikes are designed for riding on paved streets. Hybrid bikes are great for urban areas and a nice stroll to enjoy. Last but not least mountain bikes, these are the tough machines that withstand hearty measures. All in All these aren't the only designs that exist but these are the basic types of bikes when looking for a bicycle of your own.The second thing I learned in this unit are gears. The fundamental of gears and the purpose is strongly connected to the first thing I learned which is the type of bike. gears are sets of toothed wheels that work together to alter the speed of what drives (bicycle crank) and the speed of the driven part (wheel).

I found this project to be challenging due to being a "newb" at bikes. However, I am happy with the end results and the knowledge I have learned to create a better bike. Having a partner made this experience a lot easier. My partner and I ran into some small issues, such as the 3D printer malfunctioning and settling on a concrete design. However, we were both able to effectively find solutions to all of the small problems. This project has taught me a lot about bikes, patience, and empathy. If I were to do this project again, I would do more research on the material as much as input I we put on the structure.

Super Digger

In my STEAM class, Design and Engineering we just finished the first unit called “Stronger” where we focused on the idea of tools by learning and analyzing strategies from history, present, and the future. We studied the three main simple machines; lever, wedge, and inclined plane. Lastly, we studied volume, surface area, work, force, and vectors. We found the connections between all of these concepts, and we found how they can apply to a design process. We then experienced and brought these concepts to life. To do so, the class traveled to Home Depot. At Home Depot we had the opportunity to test out different gardening tools to get a sense of what goes on when picking/designing a tool. As we dove deeper into learning about our tool we started to think for our targeted audience and taking into account the accessibility, the “easy to use”, safety, comfort, reliability, and appeal. By doing so we start to enhance our tool for the better for all people not just the “average person” by looking at the problems elderly people might be facing on the day to day basis with these so called built for everyone/easy to use inventions. The reasoning behind this is to simultaneously create empathy in a way that you put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand the needs the tool should fulfill for the benefit of all people.

In order to apply empathy and to design an effective tool, research needs to happen. We researched tools and the elderly, in regards to gardening. Our research was done through online resources, interviews, and field work. We even had the opportunity to go to Home Depot where we were able to experience the tools we would be redesigning. This experience was very effective because we also spoke to experts that helped us along the way of getting to know our tool. We then researched the setbacks that the elderly may suffer through because of aging, and how this can affect their ability to garden. There were many online resources that gave advice and tips to the elderly on how to make gardening easier that also aided our new design ideas. Knowing this information and using the tools ourselves was a solid foundation to redesigning an effective tool for the elderly. This gave me a sense of how to approach a new design by going on a process of elimination strategy to create the design to the best of my ability.

The purpose of this assignment is to create an effective gardening tool for senior citizens. We started researching the targeted audience gardening tools tend to be made for. Interestingly enough the majority of gardeners are senior citizens, yet a majority of the gardening tools being sold are not built for the, being that tools are designed for the young and strong. This is unfortunate for senior citizens because with aging comes setbacks when it comes to the things one is able to do. That is why it is a must to apply empathy when redesigning a tool. Empathy is putting yourself in another person’s shoes to understand and share their feelings or experiences. This will ensure that the tool is close to perfect for them.

My partner and I decided we wanted to redesign the pole hole digger that was displayed at Home Depot. One of the changes we made was the “digger” itself by creating a screw like feature with the idea of the corkscrew. The screw is a simple machine that converts rotational motion into linear motion allowing you to use less physical force.

I found this action project to be a great opportunity to work with a new student and share good ideas all around. I found the process pace perfect, I didn't feel overwhelmed in this term because of the accessible sources we had. Overall I learned a lot about the technical and creative process of design and how the audience plays a big part on creating the purpose of the product.