EDUCATION + ENTERTAINMENT + INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE
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"When do our online actions fully migrate from the digital world to our physical one? It’s not an academic question, because so much of what we do online already impacts our lives offline, but it’s one that is only going to become more important as we shift more and more of our interactions, conversations and activities online and away from the desert of the real." -Mark Berman. The Washington Post
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
8 10 12 14
60 62 70
102 106 108 110 112 114
ENTERTAINMENT + ME EDUCATION + ME INTERACTION+ ME OVERVIEW OF INTRODUCTION PROJECT AND CONCEPT
INITIAL RESEARCH
OVERVIEW OF SECTION LITERATURE REVIEW OBSERVATION
BACKGROUND
FURTHER RESEARCH
CASE STUDIES
ANALYSIS
OVERVIEW OF SECTION CURRENT SITUATION LITERATURE REVIEW PRIMARY RESEARCH CONDITION STATEMENT
16 23 25 26 42 57
OBSERVATION ANALYSIS PERSONA STAKEHOLDER HYPOTHESIS
80 86 94 96
AUTOBIOGRAPHIES PORTFOLIO
118 122
TECHNOLOGY DESIGN INTENTION NEXT STEP
CONCLUSION
TIMELINE REFERENCE
ABOUT ME
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INTRODUCTION ENTERTAINMENT + ME EDUCATION + ME INTERATION + ME OVERVIEW OF PROJECT AND CONCEPT
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EDUCATION + ME I am an adventurer. I love to discover every little fun moments in my daily life, and this personality is influenced by my mother. My mother is a teacher who loves to engage new stuff and has a lot of energy on different life styles. She teaches me always to understand the world from a child’s perspective. Additionally, I love children as well as playing with them, and I always discover new and interesting experience from little kids. I believe education should not be a one way delivery from adults to children. It is built on mutual communication and interaction between each other. Therefore, my thesis project will follow this statement to achieve a new educational environment for children and adults.
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ENTERTAINMENT + ME I have been a gamer for more than 15 years and video game have become a part of my life. I also have many good friends that share the same habits and we have the same goal in our gaming life. Therefore, I understand that I am living in a digital world, and this world provides lots of stuff for people to engage with. A c c o r d i n g t o P C M a g a z i n e' s statistics, desktops, laptops and tablet/ebook readers are the best top three selling electronic products in 2013. This leads us to believe that digital devices are a big part of our life necessities and those devices also have become important entertainment items. We can't ignore that digital devices are changing human’s behavior, so my thesis is based on this important topic and my individual interest in games.
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INTERACTION + ME My career goal is to join SONY PlayStation team. The PlayStation mission is “To define and champion interactive entertainment for all consumers”. PlayStation is always pursuing an innovative way to change or upgrade gamer’s play experience. This concept relates to my personality as well. I believe every person and everything has his own thinking or meaning. However, when different objects interact with each other, there always produces new thinking. Consequently, I plan my thesis project to be an interactive bridge for people.
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ENTERTAINMENT
14 EDUCATION
INTERACTION
OVERVIEW OF PROJECT AND CONCEPT
T h e g o a l o f my p r o j e c t i s t o provide a playful, educational and functional product for families. The basic idea of my project is to create a more interactive relationship between children and parents. My product features high technology that delivers both tangible and digital elements, and includes the educational function, such as understanding shapes, learning colors, etc. These benefits allow users to create their own characters as well as unique stories for those characters.
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If you start to consider the technology progress since last century, it is hard to deny that we depend on the electronic products a lot in our life, such as smartphones, televisions, laptops, etc. More and more of the information we receive in our life comes from media via digital devices, so we have developed a greater dependence on these devices. We live in a world where technology and industry moves fast. In this decade, a lot of people’s entertainment is to play video games and PC games. According to The NPD Group/Games Market Dynamics: US, total consumer spend on game industry in 2014 is 22.41 billion dollars. In game development so far, a lot of games have high quality contents, such as nice script and story, fantastic visual design, or the interactiveness of play. The requirements of game include different directions which are based on user's type.
Most people think game industry usually focuses on adult's video games, but the fact is children's digital games have become more popular. Apple App Store shows that under game collection they provide more than 240 apps only in popular educational apps. Moreover, parents adopt video games for one of their family activities. There are 60% of parents in my survey are willing to play video games with their children. According to my interviewee who is a mother of 5 years old boy, “every weekend is my family’s video game time. My husband bought many children’s video games and we play them with my son. We really enjoy in co-games, and we believe games can improve our family relationships.” Overall, I believe most video games deliver a positive meaning in family relationships.
BACKGROUND INFROMATION
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INITIAL RESEARCH OVERVIEW OF SECTION CURRENT SITUATION LITERATURE REVIEWS PRIMARY RESEARCH CONDITION STATEMENT
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“PLAY IS THE HIGHEST EXPRESSION OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDHOOD, FOR IT ALONE IS THE FREE EXPRESSION OF WHAT IS IN A CHILD’S SOUL.” -Friedrich Froebe
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OVERVIEW OF SECTION This section focuses on children's digital device habits, children's development, and educational apps study. This section will also d i s c u s s c h i l d r e n’ s a g e g r o u p o f p l ay i n g e d u c a t i o n a l m e d i a , a n d discover digital games’ features and opportunities. The background section is based on the literature reviews, survey results, and interview results.
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INITIAL RESEARCH
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WHAT IS A 21st CENTURY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN?
CURRENT SITUATION Children’s learning environment is changing. There are many digital tools to support children’s learning nowadays, and parents prefer to use digital devices for receiving updated information. The user’s age range has dropped to the younger group too. However, traditional physical objects still have necessary benefits for children’s education. Therefore, to combine both physical objects and digital media is an ongoing trend in the 21 century.
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LITERATURE REVIEWS
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INITIAL RESEARCH
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80%
Allow children to use digital devices Don't allow children to use digital devices
80 % of children among age 2 - 10 use any educational media at least once a week. The resource shows game industry is changing from physical object to digital media. At the same time, digital devices change children’s learning experience as well. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center report points the parents who allow their children to use digital devices say media is “good for their child’s learning or growth, or that teaches some type of lesson.” The media includes educational TV or DVDs, educational g a m e s o r s o f t w a r e o n a c o m p u t e r, educational activities on mobile devices like smartphones or tablets, and educational video games.
Source: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center: The Famillies and Media Project. Learning at home: families’ educational media use in america
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INITIAL RESEARCH
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Two-Thirds of Children Ages 2-12 have used or played with an “Adult Connected Device”. NPD noted that almost 40 percent of parents felt their child is spending less time with traditional toys, while just over half (51 percent) said the devices had no impacts at all.
Source: The NPD Group: Despite Intrusion Of Technology In Kids Entertainment, Parents Demanding Balance In Children’s Play Experiences
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INITIAL RESEARCH
App Store > Games > Educational > Popular Apps
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More than
240
Source: Apple App Store: iTunes Preview
Apps
I did research on children’s media in apps, and I also sorted out under each subjecs. According to Apple App Store, there are more than 240 educational apps in the popular apps category which includes several learning subjects, such as art (drawing skill), life skills, math, vocabulary and music. The top three popular subjects are vocabulary, life skills and math. This initial research shows market needs and current trends, and the source also shows educational apps are a necessary and fun way for today’s children during learning. On the other hand, educational apps give children an effective way to learn through playing games, and provide a good educational environment for them as well.
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INITIAL RESEARCH
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Smart toys(devices) share 3 essential purposes: THEY ARE DESIGNED TO Teach skill
Engage the child in doing rather than passively watching something Make learning fun
Source: Play in children's development, health and well-being
“Play in children's development, health and wellbeing” report notes that there are three essential purposes of designing a digital game for children which are to teach skills, make learning fun and engage the child in doing rather than passively watching something. The top point of designing a game for children is to consider the educational benefits. In most parents’ mind that they think if their children can get multivariate learning information, their children can grow up with a healthy mentality and creativitive thinking. Therefore, multi-functional tools are a necessary purpose for children’s learning.
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INITIAL RESEARCH
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The following list shows the subjects that parents think their children have learned by platform
37% Cognitive skills 37% Reading/vocabulary 28% Math 25% Social skills 21% Healthy habits 19% Science 15% Arts/culture
Source: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center: The Famillies and Media Project. Learning at home: families’ educational media use in america
This result shows media platform can achieve the multi-functional learning environment for children, as well as learning cognitive skill and reading/ vocabulary are the most important features in educational media. In addition, this two features that parents think a good educational app should be included as well.
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INITIAL RESEARCH
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HOW DOES DIGITAL MEDIA ENGAGE CHILDREN’S DAILY LIFE ?
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Time 1:40 1:20 1:00 :40
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Time spent with educational media, by age
Source: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center: The Famillies and Media Project. Learning at home: families’ educational media use in america
Age
"The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is an independent research and innovation lab that focuses on the challenges of educating children in a rapidly changing media landscape in USA" (The Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Web. April 28 2015). This group only focuses on children and digital Medias' studies, and they also support many events which are about spreading digital games and communication conferences. The report “The Families and Media Project Learning at home: families’ educational media use in America” shows an age range of children’s habits of using educational media. I was surprised that the highest usage group falls on age 2 to 4. This result totally blew me out. Before I read this report, I thought the major age group of children of using digital media should be age 6 and up, but the result shows that the younger age group depends on using digital media more. In addition, this resource leads me to reconsider my target group.
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PRIMARY RESEARCH Based on my study, I create a survey in order to understand user experience and then set my target group. This survey supports my concept which is the value of digital games and also relates to children’s learning situation. The following list is my questionnaire. I have 65 responses from who has children, and children’s age ranges are from 1 to 12 years old.
1. Do you allow your child to play apps or video games? 2. What is your child's age? (Please explain each age that if you have more than one children) 3. What kind of apps do you usually buy for your child? 4. Do you give your child a limited time to play video games? 5. How long are you willing to allow your child to play video games? (Hour/Day) 6. When your child using apps, do you stay with them? 7. Do you think what digital media bring to your child? And what skills do you think the video games can teach your child? 8. Do you have any concerns about the impacts of children playing apps or video games?
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1 2 3 4 5 6
PRIMARY RESEARCH : INTERVIEW & SURVEY ANALYSIS & SUMMARY RESPONSES: 80
AGE 2 and UNDER According to my interview, parents do not prefer their children age 2 years and under to watch digital screens because they are concerned about the uncompleted development of their children's eyes. Therefore this group’s children play more with physical toys than screen devices.
7
8
9 10 11 12
INITIAL RESEARCH
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The Highest Quantity of Children Using Digital Devices
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2
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6
PRIMARY RESEARCH : INTERVIEW & SURVEY ANALYSIS & SUMMARY RESPONSES: 80
AGE 2 to 6 Children’s age from 2 to 6, this group’s children have less attention span, so their attention is easily caught by different objects. Therefore, screen devices fit the children’s needs, and this group's parents prefer to use iPads and smartphones to be a babysitter for caring their children.
7
8
9 10 11 12
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AGE 6 to 9
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This group’s children start to build their own interests, and they don’t depend on digital screen too much. According to my interview, this age’s children show highly willing following behavior, so parents do not concern about their children’s digital devices using habit. However, children in this age group develop two different types of behavior of using digital devices.
1
2
3
4
5
6
PRIMARY RESEARCH : INTERVIEW & SURVEY ANALYSIS & SUMMARY RESPONSES: 80
7
8
9 10 11 12
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AGE 9 to 12
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Children age 9 to 12 develop two types of situations which are based on parents' parenting style on children age 4 to 7. The message shows this group’s parents are not willing to let their children “play game” on digital devices, because they are concerned about violence and rude behavior are glorified in most of the edgier teen games. Therefore, the most important message in this group is to figure out a balance between digital games and physical activities.
1
2
3
4
5
6
PRIMARY RESEARCH : INTERVIEW & SURVEY ANALYSIS & SUMMARY RESPONSES: 80
7
8
9 10 11 12
MUSIC
SOUND
ATTENTION RICH COLOR STORY
EFFECTIVE
CHILDREN INTERACTION NEEDS WORLD CHARACTERS
2 TO 6 BALANCE LEARNING
FOCUS
BENEFIT
ACTIVITY
DIGITAL
AGE
IMPORTANT
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FEATURES
DEVICES
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INITIAL RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
RELEVANCE The 2-6 age group is the highest quantity o f c h i l d r e n u s i n g d i g i t a l d ev i c e s , s u c h a s smartphones, iPad, TV, DVDs etc. The major reason is that this age group shows a lower attention span, so they can only focus on one thing in a short time. Based on my research, children’s Apps include several features which are rich color, characters, music or sounds, story and interaction. Therefore, children’s Apps can fit users’ needs well. However, during the interview, I learned that a few parents are concerned about children’s eye development and bad habits of digital devices. “I understand digital tools are more important for this generation’s children. I am willing to allow my son to use an iPad for learning or entertainment, and I give him a limited time to use it because I worry about him depending on it,” interviewee, Sally, said. In conclusion, most parents are looking for a balance between digital devices and physical activity.
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CONDITION STATEMENT
All the above results show: Nowadays parents have a higher willingness to spend money on digital media in their children's educational programs. In addition, the educational programs should include multi-functional features. Moreover, parents are looking for a product which can support their children to balance digital media and physical activity.
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FURTHER RESEARCH OVERVIEW OF SECTION LITERATURE REVIEW OBSERVATION
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PLAY IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RESEARCH. -Albert Einstein
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FURTHER RESEARCH
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OVERVIEW OF SECTION This section focuses on the toys study and development of children. This section will show my study of secondary reports. The first part will note the necessary educational points of preschoolers. The second part will discuss the features and benefits of children’s toys. The last part is the summary of my observation. The purpose of this section is to identify my design opportunities.
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FURTHER LITERATURE REVIEWS
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FURTHER RESEARCH
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Preschool’s EDUCATION POINTS
Communicating with Others Building Brain Power Making New Friends Growing a Healthy Body Nurturing Creativity
The list of education points are based on the preschool’s learning program, and were defined and collected by my discussion with preschool teachers. It is generally agreed that today individual behavior is developed from their early age. There are piece of research that advocate that if a child grows up in the multivariate program, he will become more positive and generous. This good attitude is developed by children’s early age as well. Because of this, most people care about children’s education, habits and interests.
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FURTHER RESEARCH
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It is obvious from the previous discussion that children through playing to learn as toys are the best tools for children’s development. Therefore, there are lots of toys in the marketplace for parents to choose. According to Dr. Daria Brezinski's article, “Toy considerations for child development”, she mentions creativity and intelligence are the most important developments for children, and she suggests a good toy should include a few benefits which are to develop focus of attention, patience, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination and pre-math skill. In addition, Raising Children Network points out “The best toys for children are ‘open-ended’. These are the toys that encourage children to play using imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills.”
The necessary features of children's toys - Focus of attention - Patience - Visual discrimination - Hand-eye coordination - Pre-math skill
Source: The Attached Family: Toy Considerationa For Child Development. Daria Brezinski, PhD.
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OPEN-ENDED TOY
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Many of us may ask how to teach children in a right way, because there are many children’s products in the market. Parents usually consider the educational products more carefully. However, I notice a problem that parents choose products for their children, but they usually don’t play or learn with their children. I speculate the reason is because the product is only designed for children, but not for adults, so parents cannot enjoy playing or using the products. The other reason that I assume is the product does not include an interactive feature, so parents can only watch their children playing by themselves. Therefore, after my research on children’s toys, I learn that based on educators’ suggestion, the best children’s toy is the open-ended toy. As I mention before, the open-ended toys have the benefits that support children to think creatively and challenge themselves. Accordingly,my design should include points all above and consider about digital application as well.
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OBSERVATION Children's Creativity Museum Bay Area Discovery Museum
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OPEN-ENDED TOYS
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INTERACTION
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FURTHER RESEARCH
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The Proportion of Physical Form and Digital Form is 7 : 3
PHYSICAL FORM
During the observation, I noticed the facilities o f c h i l d r e n’ s m u s e u m a r e b a s e d o n s o c i a l connectedness, access to information, education, creativity and entertainment to design. Moreover, all of the museum’s facilities include interactive activities and rich colors.
DIGITAL FORM
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ANALYSIS OBSERVATION ANALYSIS PERSONA STAKEHOLDER HYPOTHESIS
ANALYSIS
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OBSERVATION ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
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PHYSICAL OBJECTS
MEDIA DEVICES
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PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
PHYSICAL OBJECTS
are Necessary Forms in Children’s Development.
MEDIA DEVICES
Week
Strong
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ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL OBJECTS - Interact with Objects and People
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- Create the Unique Objects - Understand Basic Color and Shapes - Training Muscle and Flexibility of Fingers
During my observation, I notice physical objects have some important benefits, such as interact with objects and people, children using open-ended toys to create their unique objects, using hands to understand basic color and shapes rather than eyes, and training muscle and flexibility of fingers. Therefore, I think physical objects’ benefits cannot be replaced by digital media. My observation encourages me to think about the possibilities of combining physical objects and digital media.
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PERSONA
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PERSONA | #1
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Beth Dewan and Dewan family Mother, 44 years old 1 boy and 1 girl, 1 and 5 years old
“Technology is a major part of our world and the more immersed in it she is the better. The educational games provide another way for her to learn in a fun way.� Beth Dewan is a mother of two children. She works at a financial office and her husband works for Dell, Inc. Their hobbies are playing video games and exploring new electronic products. They are highly willing to allow their children to learn new technology and use digital media.
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PERSONA | #2
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Chris Lee and Lee family Father, 34 years old 1 girl, 3 years old
“I want to ensure my children have a balanced experience in life. Manipulation and comfort with technology are essential on many forms of education and careers. Gaming is a good way to initiate these skills.� Chris Lee has a 3 years old girl. He is a business man and he also cares a lot about entertainment quality. He believes it is very important to learn how to use digital tools nowadays. He would like for his daughter to be able to use high technology products, but at the same time learn how to control herself on the usage.
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PERSONA | #3
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Eva Smith and Smith family Mother, 40 years old 1 boy and 1 girl, 5 and 7 years old
"I want my kids to have a balance of physical activity and mental stimulation. When I feel they have a good balance, I want to ensure we have time to interact with them." Ava Smith is not a digital person, and she is not good at using technology products. However, she understands the skills of using digital devices are a needed ability for children nowadays. Therefore, she would like to become skilled at digital things along with her children.
ANALYSIS
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DESIGNERS Product designers Engineers
USERS
COMPANIES
Parents Children
Product managers
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BUYERS
FACTORIES
Parents
Manufactures
MARKETPLACES Online sale In store sale
STAKEHOLDERS My project focuses on family, and my stakeholders are “designers – companies – factories – marketplaces – buyers – users”. The special point of my project is the buyers and users are different. My design should not only consider children’s needs, but also include parents’ interests. Therefore, when I define my purpose, the first thing I have to consider is to find my funding source. I know there are some fundraising websites to help designers like me to achieve their dream. However, before applying I have to look for the cooperative factories and partners to formulate the integral proposal. I think this is the other important part for me besides designing.
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If there was a system that had both digital tools and physical object benefits which provided a good environment for parents to educate children’s behavior, participation in their lives and sharing of experiences, then their children would be more likely to develop a correct habit of digital tools, and a higher willingness to share things with other people. Moreover, children would be closer with their parents.
HYPOTHESIS
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CONCLUSION CASE STUDIES TECHNOLOGY DESIGN INTENTION NEXT STEP TIMELINE REFERENCE
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CONCLUSION
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HOW ABOUT THE FUTURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AT HOME?
FUTURE POSSIBILITIES
CONCLUSION
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CASE STUDY #1 Architects: Moon Hoon Location: Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korean Project Year: 2013 Project Name: Panorama House
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ARCHITECTURE x CHILDREN
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CASE STUDY #2 Architects: LEVEL Architects Location: Tokyo, Japan Project Year: 2009 Project Name: Slide House
ARCHITECTURE x CHILDREN
CONCLUSION
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Disney Infinity Figures
LEGO Ultra Agents
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D I G I TA L M E D I A x CHILDREN TECHNOLOGY
Nintendo Amiibos
After I decided that I wanted to combine digital devices and physical objects together, I did some initial research on technological products in the market. I found three products’ technology that I can probably use on my design, which is Disney Infinity, LEGO Ultra Agents and Nintendo Amiibos. These three products are based on transforming physical objects into digital world that include characters for children to play in the digital world, and to create an interactive situation. Consequently, I will do further research on this technology and try to relate it into my project.
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CONCLUSION
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INTERACT WITH PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT
CREATE OWN UNIQUE CHARACTERS TOGETHER
DESIGN INTENTION TRANSFORM TANGIBLE CHARACTERS INTO INTANGIBLE DIGITAL SCREEN
ACHIEVE AN IMAGINATION IN VIRTUAL WORLD
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NEXT STEP
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1. Start to research the relationships between children, space and digital media, and look for a way to combine these elements 2. Study the technology and figure out what elements I can use in my design 3. Continue to interview my target users and educators about my concept
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TIMELINE
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DEEP RESEARCH CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT INTERVIEW TECHNOLOGY STUDY
2015 SUMMER DIRECTED STUDY
2015 SPRING
2015 FALL
THESIS PREP.
RESEARCH
INSPIRATION RESEARCH
DEEP RESEARCH CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT IDEA SKETCHES MOCK-UPS
2016 FALL IMPLEMENTATION FURTHER TESTING FINAL DESIGN REFINING FINAL MODEL
2016 SPRING DESIGN
2016 SUMMER FURTHER CONCEPT IDEA REFINING 2D/3D MODEL PROTOTYPE INITIAL TESTING TESTING
INTERNSHIP
REFERENCE
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The Washington Post. Mark Berman. When digital words reverberate in the physical world. June 16, 2014. Web. April 28, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/06/16/whendigital-words-reverberate-in-the-physical-world/
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Eleanor O’Rourke, Eric Butler, Yun-En Liu, Christy Ballweber, and Zoran Popovi´c. The Effects of Age on Player Behavior in Educational Games. Center for Game Science. Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington. April 28, 2015. Globalpost. Erica Loop, Demand Media. Benefits of Creative Activities for Children. Web. April 28, 2015. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/benefits-creative-activities-children-7304. html KinderCare. Preschool Program Preschool Curriculum for 3-4 year olds. Web. April 28, 2015. http://www.kindercare.com/our-programs/preschool/ NPD Group. The NPD Group: Despite Intrusion Of Technology In Kids Entertainment, Parents Demanding Balance In Children’s Play Experiences. PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, July 1, 2013. Web. April 28, 2015. https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/the-npd-groupdespite-intrusion-of-technology-in-kids-entertainment-parents-demandingbalance-in-childrens-play-experiences/ JEFFREY GOLDSTEIN. PLAY IN CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. T.I.P Toy Industries of Europe. FEBRUARY 2012. Print. April 28. 2015.
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ABOUT ME AUTOBIOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO
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HELLO
ELSIE CHANG E: elsiechang41@gmail.com T: 415-819-3402
ACDEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY, SAN FRANCISCO, U.S.A
Master of Fine Art Degree in Industrial Design
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I am Yen Hsi Chang, and I come from Taichung, Taiwan. I am a graduate student at Academy of Art in San Francisco and my major is Industrial Design. The most influential person for me in my childhood was my mom. I was a hyperactive child, and was always out of control. Every day I went home with dirty clothes and messy face. Even so, my mom didn't stop me from doing anything that I wanted to try. I remember I learned to ride a bicycle by myself, and my mom was really surprised because no one had taught me how to do it. Since then, my mom started to let me try more things, and encouraged me to find out my own interest. This continued to my high school. When I was in the second year of high school, I saw many summer camps posters on the school bulletin board. An architecture camp poster caught my eyes so I asked my mom to let me participate in it. The camp was a turning point in my life. The main activity in the camp was to play with recycle materials. I was asked to look for materials myself and build my own
product. In the camp, I discovered that I really enjoyed building and creating my own project. I then chose architecture for my college major. My college life was the best memory in my life. I learned how to communicate and work a project together with other students. My final project was about an elementary school in a small town, and for this project I had a partner to work with. We did observations, interviewed people, research, and argued. That was my first time working with a friend; we had same goal, and we needed to cooperate when there was a problem. It was my valuable experience that I learned cooperation and separation. During the project I learned about having a good communication with people was very important, and this was a necessary skill to a successful designer. H o w I c h a n g e d my f o c u s t o industrial design? When I was studying architectural design in college, I felt that one of the important elements in architecture is interior design, and furniture plays an important role in interior design. I wanted to learn how to use and place furniture to
make a better living space for people. Therefore, I am interested in furniture and product design, and that's why I changed my major in graduate school. Summer 2014, I interned at Giant Bicycles, Taiwan. The reason I chose Giant Bicycles was because I had a bicycle project in the design class which really caught my interest. I was very fortunate that Giant Bicycles accepted my internship request. The company taught me a lot of knowledge. During this period, I also learned the process of manufacturing and marketing. Giant is an international company, so I needed to blend in different cultures and work with marketing team. I was asked to work on different product lines, and found a balance between designing and manufacturing. This work experience was very important and precious for me. I am glad to have worked at Giant Bicycle, and I am happy that they gave me a positive evaluation. I hope I can do more different designs in my future, so I am looking forward to an opportunity to intern where I can design more. I will continue to learn product design and bring my own experience to my career.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
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P O R T F O L I O
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
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M U J I X Mountain Bike F R E E - R I D E M O U N T A I N B I K E K N E E B R A C E S M u j i S T U D I O P R O J E C T PRODUCT DEFINITION MUJI is a japanese company that focuses on design a high- quality, simple and useful product. MUJI has many different product categories, such as clothes, stationery, electronic, furniture, etc. MUJI's mission is to be a distinguished in design minimalism, emphasis on recycling, avoidance of waste in production, and nologo or "no-brand" policy. Mountain biking is the sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, and using
specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but also incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain. The main idea of the knee brace design is to combine brand and activity.
PROJECT GOAL
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The purpose of this project is to use Muji brand language to create a functional free-ride mountain bike knee brace which is also fit the users' need.
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THINKING PROCESS
EXPLODED VIEW
ADDITONAL DETAILS The outer frame brace is composed of carbon nanotube reinforced polymer, and using bamboo fibers to caver the surface. The hinge is made of calfskin and the combination of these fabrics acts as an elastic belt which is made by ripstop nylon fiber
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TRIANGULAR L I F E EARTHQUAKE STRAIN TABLE
PROJECT GOAL We want to build a product to provide an effective way to help people keeping their life in the earthquake.
Multifunction
Minimalist Intuition
Protection
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THINKING PROCESS
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Problem Statement People pay attention on prevention of various kinds of disasters nowadays. However, the preventions are not enough. People generally focus and prepare more on the first aid kits for urgent situation. But when earthquake happens, those items are not enough to protect our life, especially when people’s actions are limited by the space during the earthquake. Therefore, people have to not only prepare the preventive items, but should also think of a solution on keeping and supporting people's life in the earthquake.
PRODUCT DETAILS
ABS
Steel MATERIAL
Timber
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HEALTH & NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE
CHILDREN'S EGG BOWL WITH WHIP TOOL DESIGN
PICKY EATER
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THINKING PROCESS
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ROJECT GOAL
The project goal is to design a product that helped mothers invite their children to the preparation of dinner, and children would be more likely to learn to eat healthy food at an early age and grow up to value good, healthful, nutritious food. Also, they would be more likely to develop a habit of regularly making their own food.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
In modern families, children don’t feel involved in the preparation of their meals. If they are not part of the preparation of home-made meals, they might not develop good eating habits. They also will not care, and might become sick too often.
HEALTH & NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE COLOR STUDY