Project by: Juan David Sรกnchez Course: BAPD3100 Professor: Nils Seiersten Third year bachelor program Product design Oslo and Akershus University College Kjeller, Norway November 2, 2017
1. Introduction 2. Research 3.Concepts 4.Solution 5.Prototyping 6.User tests 7. Final prototype 8. Conclusions 9.Bibliography
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The project described in this report started with a very simple and open concept: Entrance to life. We were expected to approach in the way we pleased and I decided to work in a subject that I had wanted to work with a while back, which is adoption. In the recent years of my life I have had several cases of adoption in my close family and social circles and this has made me very interested in the topic. The closest case is actually my 7 year old sister, Ana, who came home when she was 4 months old. As much as I love her and want her to be alright, I some times fear for her, for being in a situation that is still not normalized in a society that is more and more open to diversity, but still has a lot to advance. Adoption means for kids and their families the entrance to a new life, a life full of love, healing, realization, and also certain struggles. This feelings of love and fear were the ones that made me go this way, trusting that design has the power to shape the (hopefully better) future. Acceptance for diversity of all kinds should be a must in the society of the future and it starts with the right education, environment and example for everyone. User: In this set of ideas, my target user group was set to be adoptees 5 to 11 years old and their families. It is important to mention that children who were adopted differ in the conditions (age, foreign places, health conditions, etc.) the lived in before joining their family. Their family structures may vary a lot as well, with possible characteristics such as single parenting, biological siblings, homosexual parenting, heterosexual parenting, interracial families, notable physiological differences, and more. The age gapped described is meant to involve adoptees in their children stage, with a certain level of cognition that will be explained further and before their adolescence. Most adoptees join their families at these ages (or younger) and this shock creates certain needs in them like the need for reassurance of their belonging, the need to build trust in this new people and the need to receive of the love that the have missed living in institutions or in hard conditions with their biological families. It’s stated before that adoptees can have very different origins, but the truth is that no kid is put for adoption coming from a healthy and proper environment to develop. A very important aspect to mention about adoption, and that was a requirement for me and should be a side goal of this project, was the use of Positive Adoption Language 1. This is a list of terms that are correct to use when addressing adoption. It’s a kind of adoption-friendly terminology that people should use to be respectful and non-offensive. The most known example is changing “is adopted” for “was adopted”, because adoption should be just a moment that happened before and not a condition or label for a person.
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Importance of the project: This project is very important and should exist because we’re living in a moment of history where more children are being adopted that ever before and they should not feel judged by society or by themselves. Life for an adoptee may have certain struggles that other people never felt. Not knowing what happened to you at a certain point of your childhood, not knowing your biological parents, being bullied at school, feeling underestimated for that condition and many other thoughts go through their heads and it is important to design for them to see their condition as something valuable, beautiful, normal and important. Ethical issues: Assumptions are something that tends to ruin projects like this. It is important to go in depth and investigate consciously to not fall in any assumptions. Adoption may be a sensitive topic and it has to be treated as such. Goals: What I wanted to achieve with this project was to make a product that generated empathy and addressed adoption in a way that it would contribute to make children who were adopted understand and interiorize that fact of their lives and ease the transition to their life as part of their family. In the technical part, I wanted to make a tangible product. I wanted to explore materials, materiality, new CAD and CAM options and technologies and to make a prototype that was as ďŹ nished as possible.
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dren are attached to their parents by nature. Their heartbeats and even their scents are linked to the one of their parents’ (mothers mostly), and missing that makes it necessary to have special “techniques” to compensate it.4 To start developing my initial ideas, I started doing research in the evolution and actual state of adoption, I did interviews with adoptees and parents who adopted children and adoption experts. Also, I did research regarding general semantics, emotional design and designing products for children. First of all, I found out that for several reason adoption is now more common than ever and is also part of a bigger phenomenon sociologically speaking. Traditionally, family structures were all conceived to be as a single structure type called the nuclear family. The nuclear family structure is the family structure based on one mother and one father and their biological children. This is how religion, tradition and periods like the industrial revolution shaped it. Parents would get married and start having children immediately, with mothers staying at home taking care of them while they worked hard to maintain the family. Later on, after the world wars, women’s rights movements, and postmodernism, this changed. The wars left many orphans and single mother families and this stimulated adoption and single parenting families started to be more common. Also, as women starting to gain rights and leave their home, decide for themselves, be successful professionally and everything that came with that, they started to have less children. Besides that, homosexuality became more and more accepted publicly and divorce became also more popular. 2
For this reason, experts recommend a method called Developmental Parenting 5. This is a method or series of methods parents can use to develop this attachment that needs to happen in children who were adopted. These methods include very basic games to enhance conversation, physical contact and getting to know each other. They also are meant for teenagers, given the fact that adoptees might have younger mental ages that their actual age. Design Research As I stated before, I also did some research regarding semiotics and emotional design. I read parts of Donald Norman’s book called Emotional Design first. It was very interesting to see a designer of that level talk about the importance of empathy with objects and product. He talked about the importance of giving personalities to objects, using curved lines and rethinking proportions to create empathy with people 6. Also, in 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People7 by Susan Weinschenk and Tooltoys8 by Alexander Manu I learned certain characteristics I added to my project such as symmetry, human characteristics, certain colors, and others.
All these changes generated a big rise in adoption and also a huge diversification in family structures. Nowadays it’s more and more common to see single parents (by choice), homosexual parents, home conformed by the new partner of one of the divorced parents and many other structures that are not the nuclear family structure. This also meant a change of mindset in people, who more and more start to understand the family idea as a social conformation and not as a biologically dictated conformation. Regarding the actual situation of adoption, the is as many different stories as adoption cases, but what every adoption case has in common is the fact that there is something that went wrong with that child at some point. This generates certain feelings in the that off course vary in their level of intensity but there are a couple common ones. First of all, adoptees tend to have a fear of abandonment. The way experts explain it, what goes through their minds is that if it already happened, it could happen again. This makes it be necessary to be more reassuring with them than biological siblings. Another common negative feeling in children who were adopted is the doubt of belonging. Coming to a new place and to new people is not easy and it is also hard to start feeling them as your family, as your home. 3 Dealing with kids in this situation may be hard at first. These kids’ attachment to their parents needs to be developed with actions in addition to the fact it has to be stronger, to overcome the feeling mentioned before. Biological chil-
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References To complete my research I looked for other products out in the market that had a similar approach in a certain manner. The first one was Camila’s Hug by Alberto Mantilla (CurveID studio from New York City). This is a renowned salt and pepper set that features two hugging bodies. It inspired me because it is a project that this designer made for his daughter after 9/11 and it represented what he wanted to add to the world before she was born, for her to live in a better world. It the became popular and it’s original meaning may not be known by every one, but it still has a message of love and unity that makes it the most bought item in the gift shop of MoMA. 9 I also studied Eva Zeisel’s 10 Town and Country series from 1946. This amazing series made me interested in the relation between objects, color palettes, proportionality, the value of ceramics and some other topics.
Camila’s Hug. The City Paper. February 18, 2013. Web. October 31, 2017. <https://thecitypaperbogota.com/features/20-questions-alberto-mantilla-hero-of-heroes/2108>.
Eva Zeisel’s work. Tectonica Blog. November 1, 2015. Web. October 31, 2017. <http://tectonicablog.com/?p=95316>.
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After all this research and sharing my concepts with adoption experts and fellow design students from back home and contrasting insights I came out with three concepts that lead my project further on.
Not adopted, but “chosen” The main message that adoptive children should get from their parents should be the fact that they were chosen to be loved and cared for and are not part of a family by accident. Insecurities about being abandoned and being a real part of a family arise in their childhood and this message is the one recommended to use to contrast this thoughts. It also reminds us about the importance of appropriate terminology when referring to adoption.
Abandonment traumas as a challenge of children who were adopted This has two components: First, the sense of loss of having been abandoned in the past. This cannot be changed and has an intensity that depends on the child’s memories around it. For example, a child that was adopted as a baby will know that he or she was abandoned or given for adoption but will have no actual memories of it. In the other side, a child who remembers the moment of leaving home, being taken to an adoption institution or anything like this, will have memories to related this feeling to. In most children, this turns into the feeling of potentially being abandoned again in the future. This is a common and constant effect that occurs as a result of the age that you were adopted. The older the child is at the age of adoption, the more severe this fear of abandonment can be. A mistrust of a new family is something that can be addressed and improved. This is the main reason why children who were adopted need further and deeper reassurance of family attachments than one that was not adopted.
Developmental parenting methods Children who were adopted do not have initially certain attachments to their parents. These attachments happen almost automatically in biological parenting because they are based in hormones, scents and even heartbeat synchronisation. Given this, adoptive parents have to stimulate this attachment generation through activities that make them be close, communicate, develop confidence and start recognizing each other. This methods are called Developmental Parenting. These activities can be very simple games with basic communication because it’s all about creating an initial spark to gain trust and make the kid more and more con dent and attached. Also, Developmental Parenting methods are about the kid’s mental development and not their actual age, therefore it is common to use very childish games with kids that are maybe teenagers, because they’re mental age and attachment level may be the one of a small kid. Research says parents guarantee their children success by being warm, responsive, encouraging, and communicative. These behaviors are linked in studies to attachment, exploration, and communication.
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Value proposition: Design a product that addresses the issues that adoptees have while being a metaphor for the fact that the are chosen by their families. This product must involve dynamics that include them and their parents to generate communication and attachment. Solution proposition: Kins are ceramic ďŹ gures that are meant to be put together to represent a family. These objects have toy-like characteristics to be appealing for kids, who are supposed to be the ones to pick them up for the family, but are ceramic to be decorative objects that will make part of that familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home and represent the bond that they have. They are genderless and only vary in color and size to stimulate communication between children and their parents while explaining their choice. They are also a family portrait suited for contemporary family structures, that are progressively being shaped by choice and real love rather than tradition or circumstance. Kins are the result of a study about adoptees and their condition which is the reason why the dynamic of choosing goes around the kid in the family. They are a tool of communication, a symbol of belonging and a comment on diversity.
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Process to get to the ďŹ nal shape and prototype.
First sketches looking for the shape. 8/9/2017.
First sketches looking for the shape. 8/9/2017.
First sketches looking for the shape. 8/9/2017.
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First sketches looking for the shape. 8/9/2017.
First sketches looking for the shape. 9/9/2017.
Appliance of simmetry and proportions. 10/9/2017.
Proportion check. 10/9/2017.
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Use of the grid. 10/9/2017.
Final shape. 9/9/2017.
3D sketching. 7/9/2017.
3D sketching. 7/9/2017.
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3D sketching. 10/9/2017.
Laser cutting. 12/9/2017.
Laser cutting. 12/9/2017.
Laser cut prototypes. 13/9/2017.
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Sketch of the intended look in site. 15/9/2017.
Sketch of the intended interaction. 15/9/2017.
Proportion check. 16/9/2017.
3D modelling the ďŹ nal form in Fusion 360. 17/9/2017.
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3D printed models. 1/10/2017.
Making molds 3/10/2017.
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3D
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Casting attempts.
First good results from clay casting.
models.
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Results from first fire. 12 figures..
Glazing test. Pigments proportion.
Glazing errors.
Glazing clasification.
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Final prototype. Big size.
Final prototype small size.
Final prototypes. Including the ones with glazing errors.
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Final prototypes.
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Prototyping conclusions: There were several challenges throught this process. Getting the right results casting may seem very straight forward but there issues regarding the face, which was very small, and the weight of the bug ones, which would ofen collapse. Glazing was also challenging for the proportion of pigment put in the mix, which would ofen turn out different that the example. Over all ceramics is a beautiful medium with a very particular timing condition, which may have made the process slower but deďŹ netly more enriching and reflective. Also, I wasn´t able to prototype all the sizes intended, which would be decisive to see together. Wood was considered all through the process but it would also be part of an iteration of this project.
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Despite the difďŹ culty of not knowing any people in Norway with children, I managed to test my ďŹ rst prototypes with kids that go to a kindergarden in my student village. Two 5-year-old girls got their hands on then and start playing around. They inmediately recognized the human face on them and after a while they started grouping them. They started to give each of them a personality of someone in their family, without being told to, and started placing them as they wanted. They would compare the bigger ones to their bigger siblings or parents and the small ones to themselves. This opportunity also led me to the size decisions and to other concers such as weight, material qualities I should look for and so forth.
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Photograph by Erik Bengtsson. 2017
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Sizes:
14cm
11.3cm
9.4cm
7.6cm
Small
Medium
Large
Extra large
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Final attributes: Even though Kins were born from the research on adoption previously explained, they have a great potential to add value to many other situations. I imagine single parents with biological children, friends who live together but feel like a family, and many othe cases where they would be beautiful. As long as they are sold individually and the dynamic of grouping and relating stays untouched, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see a reason why they should be limited to adoption-related channels of distribution. Also, regarding their production, they are made of the amount of clay and glazing a regular bowl or mug could take, and they only needed a two part mold, which would make them a potentially mass produced item. The next step I would take on this project would deďŹ netly be designing their package, but I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to focus on that for the big deal it represents for this project.
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I believe this project has potential to generate great impact. Design is a practice that has the power to shape how things will look in the future, and I think most people would agree that the future needs more acceptance and inclusion. Over all my goals and everything stated in the project description were achieved and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m looking forward to show this project in my portfolio, for it is solid both conceptually and technically. Off course itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not over and there could be a lot more work put into it but I think it is a strong project. It was very enriching to be able to use all the facilities at HiOA and take my time to investigate and make cold minded decisions.
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Positive Adoption Language: E. (2015, October 14). Positive Adoption Language. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.adoptivefamilies.com/talking-about-adoption/positive-adoption-language/
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Family Diversity: R. (n.d.). Family Diversity. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from https://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/sociology-level-revision/family/family-diversity-0
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Adoption Attachment Obstacles: Sagal, J., PhD. (2014, December 16). Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://www.kidsinthehouse.com/adoption/support/related-issues/adoption-attachment-obstacles
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Parenting an adopted child: W. (2014, December 16). Parenting an adopted child. Retrieved September 22, 2017, from https://www.kidsinthehouse.com/adoption/parenting-adopted-children/bonding/parenting-an-adopted-child?qt-more_videos=1#qt-mo re_videos
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Developmental Parenting Roggman, L. A., Boyce, L. K., & Innocenti, M. S. (2012). Developmental parenting: a guide for early childhood practitioners. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
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Emotional Design: Norman, D. (2004). Emotional Design. Basic Books.
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People: Weinschenk, S. (2011). 100 things every designer needs to know about people. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.
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Tooltoys: Manu, A. (1998). Tooltoys: tools with an element of play. Copenhagen: Danish Design Centre.
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Keynote Speaker D&E 2014 - Alberto Mantilla. (2017, September 14). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://vimeo.com/109853178
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Shelly, K. (2014, June 02). Eva Zeisel’s Playful Search for BeautyCooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Retrieved September 14, 2017, from https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2012/01/03/eva-zeisels-playful-search-for-beauty/
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Special thanks to professor Sigrid Haugen and everyone else who contributed to this project.
2017