Oliver Blythe 3139580
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
i) Scope of the Project ii) Why is Play Crucial? iii) Mind Mapping iv) Conclusion
Chapter 2: Disabilities Research
i) What are ‘Intellectual Disabilities?’ ii) How are Intellectual Disabilities identified in Children? iii) Stages of Development in children
Chapter 3: Product Research
i) The History of Toys¬ ii) Product Analysis iii) Existing Companies iv) Conclusion
Chapter 4: Approach/Methods
i) Analysis of Inclusive Design principals ii) Market Analysis iii) Ergonomic Research iv) How to make an object’s uses Obvious
Chapter 5: Scenario Building
i) Scenario 1: Interaction with other copies ii) Scenario 2: What is achieved by interacting with other copies iii) Scenario 3: The outside of the toy iv) Scenario 4: What is inside the toy
Chapter 6: Design Work
i) Mind Mapping ii) Concept Sketches iii) Mock-Ups
Chapter 7: Conclusion Personal Reflections Bibliography
be harnessed to increase the benefits gained? These are all crucial questions and ideas for developing a toy that stimulates growth and development in children.
i) Scope of The Project There are countless disabilities that a child can have/that a child can develop. A basic list of some of them is:
Toys, and the playing that is generated by interaction with the toys, are an important part of a child’s development. Motor skill development, vocabulary growth, flexibility and sharpening of senses are some of the benefits to be gained by playing with toys. Play can also help to develop social skills as it can encourage interaction amongst children while they are using the toy/game. It is therefore really important to have toys that are available for all kids, to help all kids develop these crucial skills, no matter whether they have some form of disability or not. Therefore this project focuses mainly on the development aspect of toys, looking at the way that toys help kids to develop in the ways listed above (i.e. both physically, socially and mentally). What is it about toys that help children to develop skills that are necessary for later on in life? And how can these aspects
• Intellectual disability • Physical disability • Sensory disability • Acquired brain injury • Neurological impairment • Dual disability (one of the above and a psychiatric disability) • Disabilities that are unrelated to ageing • Any combination of these. Because there are so many disabilities that children can have, and that can therefore be aimed at designing for, it is important to lay out the scope for this project, otherwise it can end up trying to take on too much and wind up achieving nothing. Therefore this project will be aimed at mental and ‘development’ disabilities, rather than more physical disabilities. In other words
it will be looking at the ‘Intellectual Disabilities’ area. The aim of the project is to look into this area to establish what exactly an ‘intellectual disability’ is, ways to identify it and how to help children who have an Intellectual disability to develop well. From there the project will aim to create a toy that helps all children (both children with Intellectual Disabilities and children who don’t have Intellectual Disabilities) to develop problem solving skills, hand eye coordination and social interaction skills. The aim is to develop a toy that helps to stimulate development in children, both disabled and not disabled. To achieve the ‘double level’ of use (i.e. to be used by both disabled and not disabled children) it will be used at different ages by different children. Where one child might use the toy at 4 another might use it at 7. This therefore raises another question: what age group is the toy targeted at? A very broad answer is that it is aimed at approximately 4-5 years of age. But rather than being aimed at a specific age group, it will instead be aimed to help develop the skills that a typical child would develop at that age, and can therefore be used at any age by any child, either before the ‘recommended’ age or after it.
ii) Why is Play crucial? Before defining why play is important, it is first crucial to understand exactly what play is. Collins English Dictionary says that it is “to amuse oneself in [play].” This is a very basic, and somewhat lacking, definition of play. To get a better understanding of what exactly play is, it is important to consider more what play involves, rather than a technical definition. In his book, Children, Play, and Development, Fergus Hughes says that there are five essential characteristics of play: • It is intrinsically motivated • It is freely chosen • It is pleasurable • It is non-literal • It is actively engaged in by the participants These points give a good idea as to the things that play involves, and is therefore a lot more useful than the dictionary definition of play. There are two ‘types’ of theories as to the benefits of play: traditional and contemporary (Children, Play, and Development p.23). Traditional theories emphasise the biological and genetic benefits to play (e.g. that it is the bodies way of releasing excess energy, or that it is the way that the body naturally prepares a child for
adulthood). More contemporary theories as to the benefits of play suggest that the benefits are more to do with social, emotional and intellectual development (e.g. psychoanalytic theories say that play is a way to defend against anxiety). It is therefore very important to make sure that toys are accessible for all children, as playing and having fun with toys is such a crucial stage in a child’s development. As mentioned earlier, playing with toys builds
social skills, with the interaction between the user and other children or between the user and their parents, as well helping to develop gross motor skills, such as handeye coordination, and can even help build basic problem solving skills. These things are all crucial to develop in children, and all children should be given the chance/ ability to access this vital ‘resource.’ Therefore it is very important that there are toys that are suitable for all children, whether they have a disability or not. Play is important because it can help children build children’s problem solving skills, by “increasing their behavioural options” (Bruner 1972). Bruner’s theory says that children experiment with lots of different types of behaviour in their play, and that these different types of behaviour can be used later on in life to try and solve problems. However, the relationship between playing and problem solving depends on the type of play and the type of problem solving that is being talked about. There are two types of problem solving (Pepler and Ross 1981). The first is ‘convergent problems,’ which is talking about problems that have only one solution. And the other one is ‘divergent problems,’ which is talking about problems that have lots of different solutions. Types of play that are task focused (e.g. playing with a puzzle) help to build up convergent problem solving skills, while types of play that are not task focused (e.g. playing with Lego) can actually interfere
with the ability to solve convergent problems. But the non-task focused play helps to build up divergent problem solving skills, as the children have no set goal which they are trying to work towards, but are instead using the toy freely and creatively. Therefore It is important to consider what type of problem solving the final design wants to develop, and to then use appropriate goals and aims to achieve it.
Another thing that Play helps to develop
is a child’s social interaction skills. Play, and the social activities associated with it, is a crucial element in children developing their abilities to interact with both other children and their parents. They learn from other children, as well as from their parents, the skills and attitudes needed to play (Play and Early Childhood Development p.39). Children can learn crucial skills such as taking, sharing and cooperation by interacting and playing with other children. They can also learn to
understand other people’s emotions, thoughts and perceptions, which is important for later on in life. Play can also help to develop motor skills in children. Certain types of play include things such catching, throwing, pushing buttons, inserting little pieces into holes, spinning things and many more. All of these things require different skills, but all relate to the ability of the child to use their eyes and hands together to achieve a goal. This is important for developing basic hand-eye coordination, which will benefit the child later on in life. It is also important to develop a child’s imagination early on as imagination can help to develop critical thinking abilities, which are important later on in life. It also helps to develop the ability to consider whether something is possible or not, which is an important thing later on in life when planning and creating things. Imagination is, in some ways, similar to the problem solving aspect of the toy, as imagination can be useful in the ‘divergent’ problem solving. Therefore it is important to make sure that play involves imagination as well.
iii) Mind Mapping There are two sides to the design side of this project. The first is the need side (which has been briefly addressed above, and will be elaborated on ion later chapters). The second aspect is the element of fun. All toys need to be fun. Toys need to engage children, capturing their imagination and drawing them in, otherwise they wont play with the toy, and it will therefore be useless. This (obviously) doesn’t mean that the toy has to be engaging or fun, and to a certain extent it doesn’t even have to be appealing, to an adult. An example of this would be cardboard boxes: cardboard boxes aren’t interesting to, and don’t appeal to, adults, yet to children they can be a ‘toy’ that generates hours of play, stimulating their imaginations and keeping them entertained for hours. But it is crucial that, even if it is not fun or interesting for adults, it is fun for children. A toy could be the most technically well-designed educational toy, having all the aspects that help to teach children, and yet still be a failure if it isn’t fun. Therefore the element of fun is a key aspect, and has to be carefully considered throughout the whole design process.
iv) Conclusion The term Play is very broad and open, therefore making it difficult to define. What is easier to do is to list the things associated with play (as listed earlier). This then helps to give a feel for what Play involves, rather than getting caught up on technical definitions. From looking at the things that play involves, we can see that Play has benefits for children. The obvious benefit is the enjoyment that they gain out of relaxing and having fun. But play also helps to develop children’s skills, such as fine motor skills and problem solving abilities. It also helps children to develop social skills, as there is often a large amount of social interaction involved in play, both with their parents and with other children. Therefore it is important that all children have access to the benefits that play provides, not just able bodied and able minded children. All children need to be able to relax and have fun, as well as develop properly, so therefore all children need access to play and toys. This project will aim to provide a toy, or a series of toys, that gives all children the ability to do so. It will aim to develop a toy that is both fun and stimulating for children, so that they will want to keep playing, and therefore keep developing.
a crucial part of Learning Disabilities: over 90% of school- aged children with Learning Disabilities have either a speech, language or hearing problem (Gibbs & Cooper 1989). Therefore most children who are diagnosed with a Learning Disability are likely to be language impaired. A current definition of Learning Disabilities (National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, 1994) is:
i) What are ‘Intellectual Disabilities?’
All children learn and develop at different rates, due to different upbringing, different levels of intelligence, different levels of education, and many more reasons. But some children may learn and develop much slower than other children. One possible explanation for this is that the child may have an intellectual disability. Intellectual Disabilities refer to difficulties in learning and developing and are also known as ‘Learning Disabilities.’ Ayshe Talay-Ongan says that Learning Disabilities differ from other conditions that have ‘side-effects’ of learning disabilities (e.g. mental retardation) is that a Learning Disability doesn’t depend on the intelligence of the person with the Learning Definition (Early Development Risk and Disability p.167). Language and language-based activities are
“Learning disability is a generic term
that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual and are presumed to be due to the dysfunction of the central nervous system, and may appear across the lifespan. Problems of self-regulatory behaviours, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not themselves constitute a learning disability. Although learning disabilities may
occur concomitantly with other disabling conditions (e.g. sensory impairment, mental retardation, social and emotional disturbance) or with extrinsic influences (e.g. cultural differences, insufficient/inappropriate instruction), they are not the direct result of those conditions and influences.” While this definition is not a completely accurate definition (it tends to say what a Learning Definition isn’t rather than what it is (Early Development Risk and Disability p.167)) it gives an overall idea as to what a
Learning Disability is. Ayshe Talay-Ongan says that a helpful thing to look at and consider when trying to define what exactly a Learning Disability is the following list of characteristics which are commonly associated with Learning Disabilities: • • • • • • •
Metacognition Deficit Disorders of Attention Poor Spatial Awareness Confusion with Directions Poor Motor Coordination Poor fine-motor Skills Inadequate sense of Time
• • • • • • • • •
Insensitivity to Social Cues Social Immaturity Visual Perceptual Problems Auditory Processing Deficits Memory Problems Difficulty with Opposite Concepts Receptive Language Deficits Reading Difficulties Written Language Problems
While not all children with Learning Disabilities have all of these characteristics, it is still a useful tool for helping to understand the kinds of problems that children with Learning Disabilities may face. By identifying the common problems faced, it becomes easier to design for those needs, and to therefore make a design that is more relevant to children with Learning Disabilities (as well as to children who don’t have Learning Disabilities). It is also interesting to note that children with Learning Disabilities tend to have more differences in their individual profiles than similarities. This ties in with the difficult associated with identifying Learning Disabilities: because there are big differences between the symptoms of Learning Disabilities it is therefore difficult to define what it is. As stated earlier, it can be a lot easier to say what a Learning Disability isn’t, rather than what it is.
ii) How are intellectual disabilities identified in Children? Intellectual (learning) disabilities can be identified at any stage from childhood through to adolescence, but it is generally true that the more severe the disability is the earlier it will be found. This is because the ‘symptoms’ will be a lot more obvious, and therefore easier to identify. However, with careful observation most Intellectual Disabilities should be able to be identified by using different ‘checklists’ of what a child can and can’t do (Early Development Risk and Disability p.168). This is not a definitive thing (a child may just be developing slower at a certain stage) but can be useful for helping to identify the possibility. Once that has been done the parents can consult a doctor for further tests to determine if the child has a disability or not. A useful list of things that a typical child should be doing, and at what age, is:
• By 6 months, babies will: from birth, turn their head toward sounds and movement reach up to hold feet when lying on their backs watch an adult’s face when feeding smile at familiar faces and voices cry when uncomfortable or hungry make many different sounds, including cooing, chuckling and babbling
laugh at games such as an adult pulling faces or blowing raspberries look and reach for objects hold and shake a rattle put everything in their mouths. • Between 6 months to 1 year,
babies begin to move about to explore the world around them and:
move from sitting with support to sitting alone roll over from their tummy to their back begin to creep, crawl or shuffle on their bottom pull on or push against adult hands or furniture to reach a standing position become disturbed by strangers and may cling to familiar people show affection to familiar people turn and look up when they hear their name make distinct and separate sounds imitate some sounds and words such as ‘dada’ and ‘bubba’ pat and poke objects when playing pass objects from hand to hand enjoy dropping things and watching them fall look for things that have been hidden or dropped play turn-taking games like peek-a-boo respond (sometimes) to the word ‘No!’.
• Between 1 to 2 years, children: begin to walk feed themselves push and pull toys while walking become less fearful of strangers play alone or alongside other children defend their own things: do not understand sharing wave goodbye point or make noises to indicate wants enjoy a picture book shake head for ‘No!’ use several recognisable words and try to say new words.
• Between 2 to 3 years, children: begin to show a preference for using their right or left hand scribble with a crayon or pencil pour from a jug or carton use the toilet with help learn to ride a tricycle know the names of familiar people say their name still have difficulty sharing and taking turns are keen to do things for themselves, ‘Me do it!’ begin to speak in short sentences use the names of objects copy the behaviour of others clap in time to music follow simple instructions enjoy listening to stories put together a simple puzzle.
• Between 3 to 4 years, children: walk and run jump with feet together ride a tricycle can toilet themselves begin to play cooperatively with other children share and take turns sometimes can listen and identify known sounds (cat, dog, vacuum cleaner) can sing or say some songs and rhymes
ask endless questions but may not stay around to hear the answers ask the meaning of new words speak in short, clear sentences. • Between 4 to 5 years, children: begin to ride a bicycle balance on one leg hop hold a pencil between thumb and forefinger can dress themselves except for tying shoe laces develop more friendships, especially friends of the same sex show some understanding of other people’s feelings answer questions clearly give information and talk about past experiences, but may find it difficult to say what happened during the day when asked tell stories, jokes and riddles (their jokes may not make sense to adults) pass on messages move from scribble to line drawings enjoy making things out of ‘odds and ends’ use the words ‘and’ and ‘but’.
If a child does not develop in line with the above pointers it does not automatically mean that they have a disability. As stated earlier, all children develop at different rates, and therefore it is only a guideline as to what
children should be doing at what age. But the points given are useful because of this: they give an idea as to what is the average, or standard, rate/ level of development, so that there is some kind of limits as to what the final outcome should be helping to stimulate. Another useful tool for identifying Learning Disabilities is the list of characteristics listed in the previous section. All of the characteristics are able to be discerned at an early age if carefully observed (Learning Disabilities, Literacy, and Attention Disorders p.168). This is especially helpful with Learning Disabilities because there are usually no physical differences between a child who has a Learning Disability and one who doesn’t Mark Lindsey; Overview of Learning [Intellectual] Disability in Children). Therefore it is not always outwardly obvious on first glance, so a more in depth observation is needed.
ii) Stages of Development in children There are a number of ‘stages’ in a child’s growth and development. These are: The ‘Experience’ Stage, the ‘Discovery’ stage and the ‘Expanding Imagination’ Stage (http:// www.fisher-price.com/US/special_needs/ default.asp). These are useful guides to use when assessing the emphasises that are needed when directing play, as all children develop at different stages (all children, including children with and without disabilities). Therefore by knowing the different stages of development, it can help the parents to make the play more appropriate to what the child needs.
The ‘Experience’ stage involves the child using their senses to touch and feel the toy to work out what the toy is. The child uses their own senses to explore and find out, rather than the toy ‘showing’ or guiding them as to what it is. In the ‘Discovery’ stage the toy itself helps to lead the child to figure out what it is and how it works. It is about the child discovering what it is that the toy does, and how it does it. It is important that the toy should be able help lead the child to discover how it works. E.g. what the child needs to push to make a noise, or where the child needs to put a block in. The ‘Expanding Imagination’ stage is where the child uses their own imagination to create ways to play with the toy. The difference between this stage and the previous stage is that here the child is figuring out their own ways of doing things, rather than being led there by the toy. These three stages are to do with what toys children should be playing with at what stages (rather than at what ages). By looking at it in terms of stages rather than ages it helps to give a feel as to what level a child is at, as all children develop at different speeds, and therefore what might be appropriate
for one child at a certain age may not be appropriate for a different child at the same age.
i) The History of Toys Toys have had a long and colourful history. Toys have existed since early times, with large variations right through their history. Games like chess and checkers have been around for literally centuries, while Gameboys and PlayStations are new(ish). Toys are generally moving towards electronic toys, but there are still classic games like Monopoly that are popular with children. Lego is also a toy that has been successful for a long period of time (although the concept of building blocks have been around since the beginning of the human race). The timeline shown to the rightgives a brief overview of some of the key stages in the development of toys, although the majority of the toys/ overall items are from the last century or so. This is largely due to the ability to mass produce now, which has helped the toy market to grow a lot, as toys were then able to be made easier and quicker, with a lot less effort. Since then the toy market has grown, and so has the range of toys available.
Classic Toys such as the slinky, which is very easy to make, even with basic machinery, have had a lot of success, as well as action figures for boys, and dolls for girls, as they give a lot of space for imagination and creativity, allowing the child to create their own world. The new trend for toys is electronic gaming machines, which provide a world for
children to explore and play in, without ever having to leave their couch. There are also a lot of toys that are combining more original toys with more current electronics to create an in-between type toy.
ii) Product Analysis Analogue Toys: Water Trumpet Water Trumpet (By ALEX) is an unusual toy that aims to “foster personal experience and build self-esteem.” Water Trumpet is (as the name suggests) a very basic trumpet. It lets children play and create their own experiences, with the aim of creating fun experiences that “opens a child’s mind to new skills, new ideas and new worlds.”
Pop-Up Pirate Pop-Up Pirate (By Tomy) is a turnbased board game where the players take turns putting swords into the barrel. The loser is the person who put their sword in last when the pirate ‘Black Beard’ pops out of the barrel. Pop-Up Pirate helps children to develop their hand-eye coordination skills as well as social skills. Pop-Up Pirate is for children aged four and above. Pop-Up Pirate Helps children to develop their fine motor skills, as they need to perform precise movements as they put the sword into the barrel (because if they don’t then the pirate will pop up). It also helps them to link their actions with things that result from them: they learn to link the swords going into the barrel with the pirate popping out. Pop-Up Pirate also helps to develop social skills, as the children are interacting with one another while they are playing.
What’s in Ned’s Head What’s in Ned’s Head (By Fundex Games) helps children to develop their tactile identification skills. The aim of the game is to collect the items from inside ‘Ned’s’ Head that match the card that each player is given at the start of the game. The winner is the first person to collect their items. What’s in Ned’s Head has won a lot of awards including Toy of the Year in 2005. What’s in Ned’s Head helps children to build up their tactile identification skills. This is because children have to try and identify their object by touch and feel rather than by sight. They must search for their items that are in the head by sticking their hands inside to find them. This helps them to identify things by the feel, shape and size, rather than by just looking at them.
Digital Toys: Hot Potato. Hot Potato (By Fundex Games) is an interactive toy that works to develop handeye coordination and social skills. Hot Potato is played by tossing the toy (which is shaped like a potato) around amongst the players until the music stops. The player that is holding the potato when the music stops is the loser. The toy itself generates the music, not an outside source such as a CD player, which makes it easy to use anywhere. Hot Potato is for ages five and up. Hot Potato helps to develop hand-eye coordination because the main aim of the game is to catch the potato when it is thrown at you, and to then throw it away to someone else as quickly as possible. Catching and throwing are both important in helping to develop hand-eye coordination in children when young, so it’s good to develop at an early age. Hot Potato also helps to build social skills, as it (obviously) can’t be played with only one player, so the child/children playing with it learn to interact with other people (both other children and adults if they are playing it with their parents etc). By playing with others they get used to the idea of not always winning, and learn how to accept this. It also helps to generate general interaction with other children/adults as they play together and have fun together.
MathShark MathShark (By Educational Insights) is an electronic device that develops children’s Maths skills. It does it by quizzing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as quizzing fraction, decimals and percentages. It has eight different skill levels to continually keep pushing children as they work and develop their skills. As well as helping them to learn and develop via the quiz section MathShark also has a calculator function. MathShark is a ‘stand alone’ device that doesn’t need a computer/TV etc to run. MathShark is for children aged seven and up. MathShark helps children to develop their maths skills by making it fun and interactive to do maths problems. It also uses nice visual aesthetics to make it more appealing to children. The transportability of MathShark also makes it easy to take anywhere and use any time. The different skill levels also helps children to be continually developing their skills. As they learn and grow past the first level they can move onto the next level, which means that their thinking and maths skills are being continually pushed.
iii) Some Existing Companies: Leapfrog On of the leading toy companies for educational toys is Leapfrog. They design their toys in a way that is interesting and exciting, while still being educational. They design their toys so that they ‘grow’ along with the children: as the child ages and develops the toys ‘develops’ (by having different ways of using it that suit children of different ages) along with them, meaning that it can be used for a longer period of time.
Parents A company that uses graphics and visual aesthetics well is Parents. They use lots of bright colours and chunky pieces which give the designs a really appealing feel. The chucky look and feel of their pieces also helps to accommodate for children with special needs without being outwardly for ‘disabled children.’ Their designs are very easy and simple to use, yet still work at developing the motor skills of the children using them.
Fundex Games Fundex Games Is one of the leading companies in the world in games design. They make board games, dice games and card games. The strongest side to their work is the creativity and fun that they incorporate in every game. They tend to stick away from the stereotypical board game (a flat board with pieces that move around via rolling dice) instead going for more interesting and exciting boards that are 3D, or even games that don’t use a board at all.
iv)
Conclusion:
There are a couple of things that stand out from these designs, making them good examples of toys, and therefore useful to look at when. These are the visual aesthetics of the designs, the intuitive-ness of the designs and the way that they all keep the element of fun, while still having a learning/ development aspect to them. It is very useful to look at the visual aesthetics used to make these toys more appealing to children, as, by analysing the way that they do it, it can be useful to enhance the final outcome of this project. All of these designs use bright colours to be eye catching, and to generate a sense of fun and happiness. The designs would be much less effective if they used dark colours, such as greys and blacks, as these colours tend to give a more sombre feel. The bright colours catch the children’s attention, and help to stimulate imagination. They also have great shapes/ bodies. The actual ‘bodies’ of all of the designs (i.e. the main part of the toy) are fairly solid and chunky, which allows children to hold and interact with the toy with ease. Only one of the toys (MathShark) has small buttons that the children need to push and use, which means that in general they don’t need to try and work small, complicated buttons. The chunky feel of the toys also helps to give them an almost cartoony feel, which helps increase the playfulness of the toys.
The second point that can be used from these toys is the way that the toys help children to intuitively know what to do. Some of the designs do this better than others: The water Trumpet is one that does it really well, while Hot Potato doesn’t do it quite so well. But all of the toys use factors to help children automatically know and understand how to engage with the toy. But, having said this, none of the toys are too obvious, which would decrease some of the fun levels, as there would be no ‘challenge’ or mystery to discovering exactly what they do. Even the Water Trumpet, which is fairly obvious, still has some levels of mystery (e.g. what do the coloured tubes do?). This intuitiveness, while still having some degree of mystery, is an important factor when designing toys, and it is important to keep it in mind when designing the final outcome.
And the final thing that is useful to look at is the element of fun. All of these designs keep the element of fun as a large part of the toy, while still having some learning or development aspect to the designs. This is achieved mainly because of two factors: the actual activities involved in playing with these toys are engaging and fun, and because there is an element of mystery to them. The element of mystery (as discussed above) is important because it creates intrigue and makes children want to explore the toy, so that they can find out more about it. They want to explore what the toy is capable of, and find out how to use it. The actual activity, or the ‘main point’ of the toys is one of the most crucial aspects of a toy. If the main activity of the toy is not fun and engaging, then the toy won’t succeed. It is therefore very important to keep this in mind when designing the final outcome.
toys because children with disabilities need to play, and to gain all of the benefits associated with play, just as much as children who do not have disabilities. It is therefore important that toys do not discriminate in the way that they are used, or in the ease of use.
i) Analysis of Inclusive Design Principals Inclusive Design is a method of designing that states that things should be designed for all people, not just able bodied or able minded people. The Centre for Universal Design states that there are six principals of Universal (Inclusive) Design. This section explores how the different principals of Inclusive Design are relevant to this project, and how they can be used to design an ‘inclusive design’ toy. The first principal of Inclusive design is Equitable Use. This means that all people should be able to use an object in the same way if possible, and if its not possible then they should still be able to use it with the same level of ease. This is important when designing
The second principal of Inclusive Design is Flexibility in Use. This means that the design should be able to be used in different ways by different people. If there is only one ‘way’ to use the design then it means that anyone who is not able to use the product in the exact way cannot use it at all. Therefore it is important that there are a number of ways that an item can be used, or rather, that the item does not have one specific way of use that MUST be followed. This is relevant to designing toys because toys are meant to stimulate creativity and imagination, so therefore it can be difficult to predict every way in which a child may play with a toy. Because of this unpredictability in use it is therefore important to design a toy that is open and free, and can be used by children in the way that they want to use it, so that they can get the most out of it. The third principal is that the object must be Simple and Intuitive. This means that it is very easy to understand how to engage with the object. It does not mean that what the object does has to be obvious, only that
it is easy and simple to engage with. This is important for designing toys because the toy must be easy and obvious for the child to engage with. If a toy is too complicated and difficult to understand then the child won’t play with it, and therefore it cannot help to stimulate the child’s growth. Being simple and easy to engage with does not mean that the toy has to be basic or not provide any challenge to the child. It is important that the toy challenges and engages the child, as this will help to get them involved and wanting to keep playing with the toy. The difference between being easy and simple to engage with and being easy and simple in general is that the first one still challenges the child, and does not give away what the toy does immediately, while still engaging the child, and providing some kind of challenge to keep them interested. The second one is just simple and easy, therefore providing no challenge or sense of wonder about how the toy works, meaning that the child is less likely to want to continue playing with the toy after the initial time. The fourth principal is Perceptible Information. This means that all of the information on the design should be easy to see and understand. It should not be too small, too light to read etc. This is relevant to designing a toy because it is important that all of the information is readily available for
the children to interact with so that they can understand how to use it. The information does not have to be text: it can be different colours or shapes etc that help guide the child as to how to use it. Therefore this principal can, to some degree, link in with the third principal, as they both have an interest in making something intuitive.
than adults. Therefore the toy must not be overly cumbersome or difficult for them to manage. The seventh principal is Size and Space for Approach and Use. This means that the object should have appropriate size and space provided for ease of use, no matter the body size, posture or mobility of the user. This is important for designing toys because children (depending on the age that is being designed for) have less mobility than adults, and therefore it is important that they are able to engage with the toys easily.
The fifth principal is Tolerance for Error. This means that a design must minimise that potential for hazards, and the negative effects of accidental or unintended actions. This is important for designing toys because there are children involved. It is very important that Whilst all of the principals are useful there are no potential hazards that may come when designing toys, the principals that are from the toy being used in a way that was not the most relevant are Flexibility in Use, Low intended because children are likely to use the toy in ways other than what it was designed for (as well as using it in the way that it was deigned to be used). Because of this it is important that when they do something with the toy that it was not meant to do the toy does not cause injuries etc. The sixth principal is Low Physical Effort. This means that an object should not require large amounts of physical exertion to use it. It should be able to be used easily with comfort and minimal fatigue. This is important for designing toys because children (obviously) have less strength and stamina
Physical Effort and Simple and Intuitive. Flexibility in Use is important because of the high chance that children will play with the toy in a way that is not planned. Therefore it is important to make it flexible in the ways that it can be used. Low Physical Effort is important because children are not fully developed/ fully grown and therefore do not have the strength that an adult has. It is therefore important to make sure that the design does not require large amounts of physical movements. And making sure that the toy is Simple and Intuitive is important because it helps to create a toy that is both fun and challenging for children, so that they will continue to play with it. Therefore these are the principals that will govern a large amount of the designing of the final toy.
ii) Market Research It is important to analyse the market trends for toys to gain a good understanding of what’s going on, which will then help the final outcomes to be relevant to the way that the market is going. The general sales figures for total toys in 2008 was $21.7 B, down from $22.3 B in 2007, which is a percentage change of -3. The three biggest areas for toy sales over the period of Jan 2008 – December 2008 are toys for Infants/Preschoolers, Dolls and Outdoor and Sports Toys. But all three of these areas’ sales figures fell from the Jan 2007 – Dec 2007 results. It is interesting to note that the fastest growing areas of toy sales between 2007 – 2008 are Building Sets and Plush toys. Both grew by over 20% for the period, with the next closest growing by 1% (with many of the areas even decreasing over the time period). This is very important to look at and consider when deciding what ‘area,’ or what ‘type’ of toy, to design for, as it shows which areas are more likely to continue to grow (according to current figures). The Youth electronics section fell by 14% over the 2007 – 2008 period, second only to the Vehicles section, which fell by 16%. These were the two biggest fallers for the period. It is also very important to keep these section’s figures in mind when looking at what
areas to go into, as they have both fallen by a considerable amount. This would therefore suggest that they are less ‘popular’ at the moment, and therefore any toys designed in that ‘area’ may have less impact (as there are less being sold). It is also interesting to note that Video Games grew by 19% over the 2007 – 2008 period, to be only $300 M less than the whole traditional toy industry sales figures. Meaning that the Video Games industry alone is almost the same size as the rest of the toy industry. These are all important figures to keep in mind when deciding which ‘area’ the final design(s) will fall into, as the aim of the
outcome(s) is to help stimulate development and include all children. If no-one is buying the toys then it (obviously) can’t have an impact, so its important to consider which areas are currently popular to understand what children are playing with at the moment, and therefore which areas are most relevant. It is important to note that these figures are from the American Toy market, and are therefore not necessarily exactly the same in Australia. But they are still useful to give an overall idea of the market in general, to see where it has come from and where it is going. It is also likely that the Australian market would be fairly similar to the American market.
iii) Ergonomic Research As the final design is to be aimed at helping develop skills that the average child would develop at around 4-5 years of age, it is therefore important to look at the general statistics for hand sizes etc. of children at that age (and slightly above and below that age). The average hand lengths for children at age 3½ years of age is 10.9cm. This moves up to 11.1cm for children at age 4; 11.4cm for children aged 4 ½; 11.8cm for children aged 5; 12.1cm for children aged 5 ½; and 12.4cm for children aged 6 years of age. The average hand widths for children at age 3½ years of age is 5.1cm. For children 4 years of age it is 5.2cm; 5.3cm for children 4½ years of age; 5.5cm for children who are 5; 5.6cm for children who are 5½ and 5.7cm for children who are 6 years of age.
iv) How to make an Objects uses Obvious There are a number of elements/ characteristics that can make it obvious to a user how the object is meant to be used. These can include colour, shape, size, text and texture. These elements work either separately or together to help guide the user without ever specifically telling them what to do. This is especially important when designing for children, as, because they are not fully developed, they have less comprehension skills, and therefore need things to be easier to engage with. Colour can be used to highlight different parts of an object. By having something a different colour it automatically draws the users attention to that section, making them want to explore what it does. An example of this is a pen: pen lids are quite often a different colour than the body. Because of this it draws the users attention to the different coloured part, showing them that there is something special about it. Shape can also be used to show the importance of a certain part of the object. By being a certain shape it can highlight the use of the part, and also that it is an important part. An example of this is a door handle. By having a different shape sticking out from the door it shows that the object is important. And by
being an obvious hand-sized object, it shows that the user is meant to do something with their hands. By having a part of an object a different size it can highlight the importance of the object. The part that is larger/smaller stands out to the user, as they immediately notice the size. An example of this is the power button on a kettle. By being a lot smaller than the kettle as a whole, it immediately draws the users attention to it, showing that there is something significant about it. Text can draw a users attention to it, but can also give brief (or lengthy) explanations
as to what to do or how to use it. An example of text as an ‘eye catcher’ is a warning sign on a fire extinguisher. It automatically draws the users attention to it, and can then go into more detail underneath to explain exactly what the warning is (the ‘information’ side to the text). Textures can also be used to highlight the importance of certain parts of an object. Textures can also show how an object is to be used, as well as highlighting certain parts. An example of this is knives. Knives have a different texture on the handles, which helps to show that they are meant to be held there. The textures show the different parts of the object.
There can be lots of ideas floating around when thinking of the possibilities of the toy, so it is important to find a way to get them onto something solid and real. From there different ideas can be generated and developed, resulting in a finished design that is both visually pleasing AND achieves the specified goals.
This section uses different scenarios to explore some possibilities as to what the final toy could do, and how it actually works. By using scenarios to explore the possibilities, it helps to keep the project focused on the aims and goals, rather than on creating a ‘product’ that looks nice but doesn’t really do anything. The visual aesthetics are something that will be worked on later in the project, but the before that can happen it is important to get the functions of the design right.
The scenarios also help to get things out of the mind and onto paper.
The scenarios are also useful for quick idea generation. They are a quick and simple way of getting things down on paper, and are therefore helpful when facing a mental block, as ideas can be quickly put down, and from there new ideas can be generated. They help to get thoughts flowing and ideas going around, and from there the ideas can be explored further, and then refined into solid, useful thoughts. There are four different ‘ideas’ or concepts explored in this section: Interaction between devices, what that interaction could achieve, what the outside of the toy could possibly do, and what the inside of the toy could possibly do. These
four areas are explored because they are the key elements to the design, so they are crucial to getting the product working well. Each of the four areas has multiple different outcomes explored, to see which way is the ‘best,’ or to see if a combination of them works best.
and it will automatically speak with other toys. The weakness with this way of doing it is that it would be one of the harder ways of creating interactivity.
i) Scenario 1: Interaction with Multiple Devices This scenario explores the way that the toy could interact with other versions of itself (i.e. what the toy does with other copies of itself). There are a number of ways that the toy could potentially interact with itself. These are: a) The first is that it needs to be ‘lined up’ with the other copy. This would mean that there would need to be a certain spot or part on the toy which allows it to communicate with other toys (via Bluetooth etc). Once it is lined up with the other toy it would then swap information, which allows it to do something. This is probably the strongest of the four methods explored. The main strength is the fact that the toy is ‘fully contained’ within itself: there are no add-ons needed for the toy to be able to interact with others. The children simply need to line up the section on the toy
b) The second way is for there to be a ‘port’ or ‘base’ device which all of the toys are able to talk with. Therefore to interact with each other they would first ‘dump’ all of their information into the port/base device. Once the information has been dumped into the port/base then the toys are able to pull the information back out again, thereby getting information off the other toys. This is probably the weakest of the four methods explored, as it means that the children always need to have the port/base with them wherever they take the toy, making it a hassle to try and interact with others. On top of that, the port/ base is likely to be fairly expensive to replace, and therefore it can become expensive to ‘maintain’ the toy if the child loses/ keeps losing the port/base. But the strength of this design is the ‘fullness’ of the toy: it feels like it is more complete if the thing that the toys interact with is part of the overall product, rather than something that the toy has been adapted to. c) The third way is for there to be a cord that can plug into both toys, thereby connecting them. Once they are connected by the cord they could swap information with
each other (via the cord). This method is not ideal, as it means that the children always need to have the cord with them wherever they take the toy, as if they don’t then they are not able to interact with others. However the cord would be fairly cheap, and therefore it is not a huge deal if the children lose it. The strength of this method is that it is very simple and easy to set up. d) The fourth way is to have the devices able to interact with computers via Bluetooth, meaning that they would be able to dump information onto the computer. Once the information has been dumped onto the computer they can then talk to it again to pull information back off it (thereby receiving information that someone else has put onto the computer). This method is fairly strong because most places have computers, and therefore there is less need for the children to take something around with them to be able to interact. The weakness is similar to some of the others though, because, while many places do have computers, there are still places that do not. On top of this the toy is for children, so there is also the question of whether they would be able to access they computers by themselves.
a) The first possibility is that the children are able to play music together (coming off the music version of the toy). They are able to share stored sounds and music with each other to combine their sounds into one new and bigger sound. As well as this they would also be able to play the toys separately (i.e. their own toy) while pooling the sound together to create an overall ‘song’ or sound.
ii) Scenario 2: What is achieved by interacting with multiple devices This scenario explores the potential for what could be achieved by interacting with other copies of the toy. It is nice to have the possibility of interaction between toys, but what exactly does that interaction achieve? In what ways does it benefit the design to be able to interact with multiple devices? There are a number of different possibilities explored here through different scenarios.
b) The second possibility is that they are able to have competitions against each other. By collecting and storing information from previous play ‘sessions’ they are then able to upload them onto the computer/ other device and therefore compare information. They can also then compete against each other in ‘live’ battles (rather than just on stored information). This could be in some form of digital character etc. c) The third possibility is that they can compete against each other, or work together to get set goals, with the
‘collecting balls’ version. They could have certain goals that they need to get (e.g. collect 100 balls in 30 seconds). Or they could compete against each other (e.g. who can collect the most balls in 30 seconds).
fiddle with the different parts to make different sounds, thus acting like a ‘band.’ The child could also make sounds by shaking the actual toy itself, which would use motion sensors etc to make sounds when shaken.
iii) Scenario 3: The outside of the toy This scenario explores the possibilities for what the toy could do using its ‘outside’ features. What can the toy do using knobs, levers and lights? The following scenarios explore the potential ways that the outside of the toy could be used a) The first scenario explores the way that the outside of the toy could be used to act as an ‘instrument.’ There could be lots of different knobs, levers and switches that would all make a different sound. The child could then
b) The second scenario explores the way that the toy could be used as a game type device. The toy would split in two, with each player getting one of the two halves. Each player would use their half as a scoop type thing to scoop up balls from the floor. The winner is the one who gets the most balls. The children could also work together to try and achieve certain goals (i.e. see how many they can collect in a set amount of time). c) The third scenario explores the toy as a spinning top type thing. The knobs on the outside are twisted around and around until the tension is built up. The child then stands the toy upright on the floor and lets go. The toy spins itself out, using all of the energy
built up. The children could also try and get it to spin into a certain area etc. to create different ways of paying with it. This could be a good feature to build off other designs (as it is unlikely to be enough by itself).
then be used by two different children at the same time, with them being able to interact with each other. The two halves could be joined by magnets, which hold the toy together when lined up, but give an easy way for thie children to pull it apart when they want to.
iv) Scenario 4: What’s ‘inside’ the toy This scenario explores the possibilities for another aspect of the toy: the ability of the toy to ‘snap’ open to reveal another feature inside. This scenario explores the possibilities for what exactly is inside the toy when it snaps open, as there are a number of different possibilities. They are:
a) This scenario explores the way that, once it has been opened up, the toy could then ‘break’ in half to give two separate parts of the toys. Once it has been broken in two the toy can
b) This scenario explores the potential for there to be a keyboard and screen inside the toy. The child opens the toy up and plays with the keyboard on the bottom half of the toy. This makes the screen on the top do things and interact with the information being put in by the child. Children could also interact with other children who have the toy. c) This scenario explores the potential for the to have things stored inside it which can be accessed by opening it up. It can have pieces that connect on to the outside/ inside to give the children even more possible
ways of using it. It also gives a sense of freedom to the toy, as the children themselves are able to have an ‘input’ into what the toy looks like, and what it does.
i) Mind Mapping Once the initial scenarios have been used to explore the area and thoughts behind the toy, a mind map is made, to help organise all of the information gained. The information is all put down on a page, with common ideas
and thoughts linked together. This helps to make the information accessible and easy to use for the concept sketching stage. It is also useful to help figure out whether anything has been missed in the scenario building stage, and if it has then it is important to go back to the scenario building stage and work through
the new ideas/information. This stage helps to make sure that nothing is missed (which helps to come out with a more complete and finished final design), and that the ideas link to each other. It also gets new ideas down that may have been thought of after the initial mind mapping stage.
ii) Concept sketches The initial concept sketches explore in a visual, ‘product’ like, way what has been discussed and explored in the scenarios. It explores the ways that these different features can come together to create a functioning toy that is both fun to play with, and beneficial to the development process.
iii) Mock-Ups The Mock-Ups help to give a feel for how the designs would work in ‘real life.’ They give something that can be held and fiddled with, so that the proportion and perspective of the designs is explored, and therefore the designs are able to be changed slightly (or largely)
Conclusion of the Semester: Play is a crucial stage in a child’s development. It is therefore crucial that all children be given the opportunity to play and have fun. The skills that can be developed at such an early life are important for a healthy development and can help the child to grow well. This project will aim to help children to grow and develop while having fun. It will do this by creating a toy, or series of toys, that helps children to develop social skills, build hand-eye coordination and motor-skills, and to develop problem-solving skills. It will also help them to develop a sense of imagination. The final outcome will not be biased towards able bodied or able minded children, but will instead aim to design a toy that is accessible to all children, helping all children to grow and develop.
At this stage the final design is a toy that works similar to an instrument. By twisting and fiddling with levers children are able to make sounds and noises. When these are combined they are able to create songs and music. The building of social skills is helped because children are able to engage with other children who have the toy, and the toy itself can be split into two pieces, so that two children can play with the same toy. This helps them to work together to create songs and music, thus developing their social skills. The motor-skills development comes from twisting levers and knobs to create the actual music. There is also the possibility of shaking the toy to create a different sound, which helps build motor skills as well. The problem solving aspect of the original outline is still being worked at, to see how it can be worked into the toy. The imagination aspect is covered by the freedom and openness of the music aspect: the children are free to make whatever sounds and music they want to, therefore helping them to develop their imagination. The toy will also hopefully be able to communicate and interact with a computer, to allow children to store or record songs that
they make, to then show them to friends or just enjoy listening to them at a later stage. This will hopefully be achieved via Bluetooth, with the children being able to store all of the music and sounds cordlessly. The project does not have any specific shapes of refined looks at the moment: it is more on a workings level, rather than a looks level. The aesthetics of the design will be covered next semester, as well as refining the actual concept itself. It will then be made in CAD and modelled in real life, to produce a working prototype.
them. It has been really interesting to look at what other people are doing, and to see all of the really well designed toys that are on the market. And by doing this it has helped me to get a firm grip on what’s out there, and therefore that will make my final design a lot stronger.
This semester has been really useful for me because I tend to skim over the initial research phase of designing and get straight into sketching and designing, so having to make a DVR with all of the research in it has forced me to document all that I do, and to spend much more time on the research phase than I otherwise would have. This has therefore helped me to gain a much better understanding of the area that I’m working in, and will (hopefully) result in a much better final outcome.
The most enjoyable part of the semester for me has been working through the existing toy designs, and analysing what’s good and what’s not so good about
I’ve also enjoyed the ‘thesis’ part to the project. I’ve found that, by having a working document which I am continually adding things into, that I am doing a lot more work, and getting a lot more out of the subject. Something that I’ve found fairly difficult is the research into arduino and other programming things. I’m not really that interested in electronics and programming, so that has been a bit of a challenge for me this semester. But despite not really knowing much about it, it has still been interesting to have a look at what people are doing with electronics, and to then think about how this can be used in designing a toy.
Overall I feel that this has been my most productive semester from my whole time at uni. I feel really happy about the progress I’ve made so far, and I’m looking forward to finishing off the project next semester, and seeing where the project goes.
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