Foxtrot
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An innovative playground design concept by Jordann Smith, Megan Peaslee and Casey Dworkin
Appendix Project Brief .....................................................1 Interviewees .....................................................2 Criteria .............................................................3 Initial Concepts ................................................4 Sketches ..........................................................6 Sketch Models ................................................12 Refinement Process ........................................14 Final Concept .................................................16 Initial Renderings ...........................................18 Final Concept Sketch Models .........................19 Additional Renderings .....................................20 Final Renderings .............................................22 How it Works ..................................................24 In Use .............................................................26 Exploded View ................................................28 Final Prototype ...............................................29
Project Brief
the
Collaborating with a client, mechanical engineering students, and business students, develop a concept for a singular piece of playground equipment. Working in groups, explore the meaning of ‘play.’ Using collected research from personal experiences as well as conduct interviews with young children and their parents. Find out what is currently on the playground market, what working successfully, and what has the potential to be changed. Using criteria developed based on the needs of the client combined with the discoveries made from the research, explore a variety of concepts. Create a final design and make detailed renderings. Show how it would function with a large scale prototype. One piece of playground equipment will be selected to move forward by the client and the mechanical engineers. The goal is to actualize the concept and fully bring the equipment to the market.
Interviewees “I like the slide. I can go with my brother.”
Ilana and Lori Kasner
“Kids are immune to spinning”
Vincent and Christina Zambito
Creating Criteria Inter-Generational Fantasy Imaginative Play Risk or Fear Sense of Control Feeling of Wind / Speed Defying Gravity Harnessing Gravity Gamification / Competition Social Interaction Ability to Induce a State of Flow Novelty of Movement Novelty of Form Encourage Grace Challenge to Master Physical Exertion
After speaking with the client as well as presenting some of our own initial concepts, as a class we pulled out some of the most important aspects that our playground concepts would be based upon. We developed a list that encompassed factors we discovered based on our interviews as well as worked with our client to boil down the essence of what he was looking for within each of our playground equipment concepts. After creating the list of criteria as shown above, my group of three students chose what we deemed ‘the most important’ of the list. Defying gravity, harnessing gravity, social interaction, and novelty of form were all placed at the forefront of our designs. These criteria motivated our creative processes and led us to some fantastic discoveries.
Initial Concepts After speaking with research participants, each group member created at least thirty different ideations of playground design concepts. Each concept represented one of the aspects either taken directly from an interview with a child and or their parent, or was derived from a personal playground experience. As a class, we looked at every single concept and wrote the strengths of possible concepts potentially able to receive further development. Using a bulletin board and sticky notes, we each chose three of our initial concepts to move forward and refine.
Product design students utilizing sticky notes for brainstorming and developing initial concepts.
We gained valuable insight from all of our research. We each spoke to participants, thought about our own experiences, and together we came up with over ninety different initial concepts. From these concepts we boiled down a ‘hypothesis of what we ultimately want to accomplish. This hypothesis would continue to help govern our entire design process.
Hypothesis: Playground equipment should allow the user to be social and to move in ways they otherwise could not.
Initial Sketches As young designers, one of our best assets is our ability to communicate our ideas. In order to better understand our own thoughts, and to share them with others, we sat and sketched, and then sketched some more. As a group of three, we developed hundreds of concepts, many of which never moved forward. But each sketch taught us something new, and helped inform our design process. Through sketching we are able to explore variations, and see what something would or could look like. We can experiment with form, scale, and even function all with nothing but a pencil, some markers, and paper. We are taught to cast our net as wide as possible. This means creating much more than is necessary, but this process is invaluable. Each sketch has elements that can lead to countless additional concepts for new ideas. Additionally, the benefit of working in a group allows for each group member to develop concepts from others’ ideas and to receive a fresh perspective or see things in new ways. We worked hard to switch around concepts and to develop each others’ ideas. We found this extremely helpful in keeping our excitement levels high and keeping a fresh perspective on each of our concepts.
With each concept, we learned what we liked as well as what we did not like. Often, we found that we had concepts we really loved but they were not innovative enough to continue to develop. We were sure to run frequent patent searches in order to discover what was already available on the market. The more detailed sketches represent some of our favorite ideas. These pages are filled with concepts that we explored in more depth than many others. Though we did not move them forward to prototype, we did learn a lot about our own criteria and use these to inform our final design.
Continued Sketches
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Sketch Models
After the sketching process, it is important to create three dimensional models. These are extremely informative for both the designer as well as for the group members. Sketches are only half of the battle when it comes to showing ideas. In fact, sometimes sketch models are used before sketching even occurs. The combination of sketching with sketch models are vital to helping develop and form new ideas. These sketch models should not necessarily be perfect, but like sketches, should communicate their idea. The great thing about creating sketch models is that you can show moving parts. The sketch models to the right demonstrate a spinning motion. This is something that cannot be conveyed through sketching. The sketch model at the top of the page is done with clay. This particular model was created to help understand the form in three dimensions in order to further explore more possibilities.
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Refining Concepts From our initial sketches, we chose five different concepts to move forward. This was a crucial point in the process, and we worked hard to develop each concept so that any one of the five could potentially move forward for further development. We rendered each concept using Alias and Keyshot in order to give us a better understanding of how they would appear in three dimensions. We created detailed drawings and in use contexts of each of our five concepts. Using all of the criteria we developed, we rated each concept. Visually, we were able to see which concepts were the strongest in each category as well as which concepts included the most of our determined criteria. This was extremely helpful is showing us which concepts to narrow down and which ones to weed out.
Group concepts moved forward from the initial ideations. Each of these was then rated based on our chosen criteria.
The following concepts were the five we moved forward. Each of them was rendered using CAD. They were each rated individually. Below is an example of our rating scale.
Intergenerational Other worldliness/fantasy Imaginative play Sense of risk/fear Sense of control Feeling speed/wind Defying gravity (sensation of flying, g-‌ Harnessing gravity Gamification/competition Social interaction Ability to induce a state of‌ Novelty of movement Novelty of Form Encourage Grace Challenge to Master Physical exertion 0 concept 1 rates 2 within 3each criteria. 4 Example of bar graph depicting how each
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Final Concept
Using all of the aspects we loved from some of our previous designs, we came up with this final concept. We really tried hard to create a piece of playground equipment that would harness gravity, and we even wanted to flip our user upside down. We ran into countless struggles with safety issues, mechanics, and even just the design of a piece of equipment that went upside down. So we
Collaboration Able to use this equipment as an individual, however it will have a better motion with collaboration
Defying Gravity Kids get the sense of flying while using this equipment
Novel Motion Won’t be able to do this motion without the aid of the equipment
Repeatability This piece of equipment embodies the spinning motion kids love, causing the repeatability
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Initial Renderings This page of renderings shows the first iteration of our final concept. The form has remained generally the same, but we experimented with different ways the user would climb on and off of the piece of equipment. The bottom most image shows a latticed net that would entirely surround the piece of equipment. While practical for safety reasons, we determined it was too obtrusive and would not only take up too much space, but was bulky and unattractive.
Sketch Models The following sketch models we used to help us figure ut the spiralling motion of the spin. We worked first with inner pieces of toilet paper and paper towel rolls using their spirals as cues for what our playground equipment could look like. From those models, we evolved into harder materials and eventually ended up experimenting with PVC.
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Additional Renderings Our playground design equipment continued to go through refinement. These renderings show an updated application of materials and colors. It was also at this point in our design process that we came up with the name “The Foxtrot.� We thought a lot about the twisting and spinning form and determined that the name of a dance would suit this apparatus perfectly -especially one that requires two people to complete. This renderings also show the first iteration of seats we designed - small and round. We wanted them to show more versatility and we ultimately ended up changing them.
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Final Renderings The final renderings show the refinements made to the Foxtrot. In this iteration, the seats are larger in size and are moon-shaped. This allows for the user to dictate how they want to use our equipment. They can sit, stand, and even lay down on the ‘seats’ so that they have a new perspective and a different way to use it each and every time.
Also, the ladder they climb is no longer a series of circular tubes. Instead, we created a spiral form in order to continue the lines made by the track adding more continuity to the overall form. Another modification made is the button at the top. This allows the user to control the starting of the spinning motion and adds a sense of power to the user.
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How it Works 1
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Bars are held at the top of mechanism.
The weight compresses a spring at the bottom. As children step off, the srping forces bars upward.
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Lever releases bars and children’s weight allows them to spiral to the bottom.
The bars force upward and lock at the top to reset.
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In Use
Above is a scenario showing two children using the Foxtrot. Using the ladder they both climb up to the seats. When they are ready, they will push the button at the top and it will release the mechanism that allows them to spin. They will spin all the way until they reach the ground. Then, they can choose to continue to propel themselves by exerting a skate-like motion. Pushing off the ground they can continue to play as long as they like. Once they want to play on something else, all they have to do is step off and the spring in the interior of the Foxtrot will reset itself and will dance and twirl its way to the top.
Below are two girls using the Foxtrot within their neighborhood playground. They love to race to the top of the ladder and see who can get on their seat first. Once both girls on, they push the button and hold onto the handle as they laugh and spin. Twirling and spinning downwards, the girls feel as if they are flying. They love how the view of the playground changes every second of their time on the Foxtrot. And once they hit the ground, the two girls work together to continue to push the playground equipment until they can’t push anymore. The girls step off the Foxtrot, and watch in amazement as it dances its way back up to the top. Then, if they’re feeling really adventurous, the race back up to the top and do it all over again.
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Exploded View
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Final Prototype The final Prototype was the most exciting and difficult part of our journey with the Foxtrot. After sketching, sketch models, and renderings, we knew we needed to make the Foxtrot come to life. We created two models, one big and one small to convey the motion and essence of our piece of playground equipment. The mini model shows the free spinning capabilities while the large model shows the ability of the Foxtrot to harness gravity and twirl downwards in an elegant motion.
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