Product,Service/System design and Social innovations
PORTFOLIO ’ 17 SOHAM BHOWMICK
Hello, I am an Industrial designer based in Hyderabad, India, having a keen inclination towards fusing design with the specific needs and problem while creating a symbiotic relation between the user and the functionality. A keen observer of small details has helped me understand and empathise with the scenario to promote creativity, curiosity and joy. Having a interests in social innovation, consumer electronics and system design had led me into exploring various facets of design environments making me confident, diligent and be able to communicate better. Following are few of my design ventures and projects, hope you will enjoy it.
‘‘design is not the product but the intended feeling to achieve that�
My Design Process
Identify
Problem Desk research
Analyse
Create
Observations
Prototype
Research
Validation & feedback
Ideation
Finished product
Group projects
Individual projects
EASY RASOI
OBLIQ
Interface design
Nail cutter for children
MAAN
REFLED-O
SWACH
DAWAT
SLOOPY
GYAN
VHSND
LAKKAD
Modular toilet cabin design Sustainable design approach for public dustbins Public space design System design on Maternal and child health care service delivery.
Portable tracing device Packaging and experience design Design for underprivileged children Interactive story telling kit
EASY RASOI 4weeks , 3 people
Developing an interface for microwave in Indian scenario making it more intuitive and user friendly for daily household usage. Target user:Housewives & bachelors
Microwaves are considered an important kitchen tool. In this fast paced life of gadgets , this particular device seemed to never reach its full potential. A large chunk of population use it mostly for reheating or making popcorns. Below are some observations and findings from over a 30 personal interviews and behavioural study. Below are the types of microwave in the market and their usage percentage: Buttons & knobs
-Only number display and symbols ( symbols un recognisable) -Confusion: Single button with multiple function
Use it 5%
Use 8%
Know but don’t use 46%
Don’t know 46%
Usage of Auto cook
Sticker Button
- Have to refer to manual constantly (complex auto cook function) -Too many buttons and too specific -No time setting button
Other Quick cooking
Touch screen
Know but don’t use 18%
Power level Cooking
Reheating
Baking -Too much text and buttons -Touch and display in one tiny screen
Don’t know 77%
Mostly used feature
Ideation phase
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‘‘To design a Intuitive and simple interface keeping the Indian users in mind’’ Ideation were done mainly on the basis of intuitiveness of the product and the interaction with daily gadgets. Parallel products (mobiles, washing machine, remote etc)were studied which has similar navigations and sysnthesis were drawn from it. Problems such as small display screen, too many buttons, multiple use buttons, touch screen etc were pinned before these 3 panels were selected.
Final selected panel Mock ups and Validations
This final screen was selected ?
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LARGE DISPLAY MINIMUM BUTTONS NO NEED OF MANUAL EASY NAVIGATION
MAAN 6 weeks , 2 people
Designing a bio-toilet cabin for Indian scenario with family strength of 4 - 6 people costing not more than 15,000 Indian rupee.
Live project
88 Million people lack access to CLEAN and SAFE TOILET
every year of Diarrhoea, Typhoid
88% Defecate Open
lack acces to proper sanitation facility.
1000 suffer
2,40,000 villages
5 Lakh children die
Viral Hepatitis mainly caused by
Hygiene
Sanitation Water pollution
The Canopy
The Bio-Toilet
A self standing structure to be made above the bio digester within a given budget of Rs 15000 which should includes labour, transportation,material and the bio digester’s cost. It consists of four wall, a door and a gas outlet. The poop pipe is connected to the Bio digester under the soil surface directly.
Advantages of BIO-TOILETS •Improved Hygiene conditions •Reduced Health problem •Reduced Water pollution •Defined living by maintaining your self respect.
How do we do it? Rs15000
Reducing number of walls
Alternative/local materials (Jute/grass/bamboo)
The Bio digester is a rectangular box placed below the soil surface while the inlet is connected with the toilet for waste disposal. It has partitions/mesh in built into it where the bacteria resides, the waste is dumped in it and is being processed by bacteria unless it is being completely digested. The outcome comes out as plain water which could be used in farms and other purposes.
The Bio-Digester
Ideation phase Trying out different sizes and designs and finalizing measurements according to the 5th and 95th percentile. Different patterns were tried out which reduces the cost and also be easy to mount. Constrains such as easy installation, quick manufacturibility, moldability of multiple units in a row and comfortable to use are the prime boundaries for this project.
Exploring different forms, shapes and positions of toilet
An experiment to try new mixture for the walls which is locally available, strong, easily made and is economical. Made by hand lay up process Resin and hardener (outer layers) (binding material, protects from water) + Paper mache, clothes pieces,leaves (reinforcement) OR Coconut fibres OR Bamboo fibres placed criss cross
Proposal 1
•This concept consists of C sections and flat sheets for setting up the canopy of the toilet. This allows for easy transportation and manufacturing. • This kind of form allows for any number of toilets to be set up in one place since it is like a tessellation. •FRP mixed with some local material like coconut fibre or jute could be used for manufacturing this structure. •The doors and the flooring are taken separately and can be fixed on the spot with nuts and bolts. •The toilet pan can be the ceramic pan, which is most commonly used and is inexpensive. •Total cost (excluding digester) = Rs 3750 + 500 (hardware cost)
Stacking (Top view)
Proposal 2 • Metal angle frames for fixing the canopy with the ground
• The door is manufactured so that there is structural support for transportation. It can be easily detached. Hinges and latch have to be attached on the spot. • The door has been indented such as to annul the possibility of peeping
• Tapering given for ease of stackability • The negative space at the last canopy can be used to carry tools and fixtures.
•Total cost of bio toilet (excluding bio digester) = Rs 5000
The Bio digester
•Internal piping which
transfer stool from one chamber to other
•Inlet for waste
•The surface of the digester have both vertical and horizontal corrugation to increase the surface area for the bacteria to grow.
SWACH 6 weeks , 3 people
Managing the waste at railway station for a cleaner public space while making people aware of different waste segregation in India.
In India about 70% of the waste goes into the land fill and the other half either goes to recycling through the ragpickers or indirectly goes into the environment. Below is the flow chart of Pune railway waste management:
20 million travel every day
Not enough dustbin on every platform
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Unaware of recycling and segregation
150 Workers 70%women 8 hrs shift Low wages (200Rs /day) Unhygenic (no cleaning kit provided)
Rag pickers
Overtime work Easy money
Landfill
Observations
Ideation phase
Spitting
No dustbins
Brim filled
Sweep off to the tracks
The project started with a study on human behaviours, services available and observations of passengers needs. We also mapped the platform layout and interview few workers so as to understand how are the dustbins placed and what are the dispensing units for a passenger. The synthesis thus came out that, most of the dustbins are either dirty, filled,broken or too far to use. As the dustbins are places on each pillars of the platform, it gets damages easily due to the inflow of daily passengers bumping into. Dirty, because people spit on it, and so are left uncleaned by the workers thereby increase in less usage by other passengers.
SWACH
No touch cleaning
No need to touch the garbage to empty the bin LED response LED strip glows up when someone throws garbage Easy clean shape No corner or edges for garbage to stick around Transparent bottom Visibility of inner content for easy communication
The idea for a hanging dust bin came to us while observing how people use the platform dustbins. At a certain height people don’t tend to spit and as a result it remains clean , which in turns encourages the users to use to at least use the dustbin. Also the idea for waste segregation was introduced where two dustbins were placed, one with a transparent base and other with a opaque. The interactive part is that it has a LED which glows every time waste has been disposed. The dustbin will be completely made of Recycled plastic . The transparent bin has few pre mould polymer bottle inside so as to confirm the user that it is used for bottles only while the other one for general waste.
Floor Mounted
Ceiling Mounted
HYGENIC PRE SEGREGATED WASTE BETTER AWARENESS EASY DISPOSAL
SL
PY
3 weeks , 10 Cross - disciplinary students
A social space designed mainly to promote interaction between people so as to break from our Gadget dominated life.
Ideation phase As the brief was to create a structure/space which will be outdoor ,we thought of using something which is naturally weather resistant and has structural strength. ‘Bamboo’,a suitable natural material for making tents and structures was choosen for the idea. The idea was to create a structure which cultivates interaction, we thought of making a structure which could also be a conversation starter.With much ideation and brainstorming a dynamic structure was finalised for the final canopy. SLOOPY is a contemporary canopy structure and space made keeping the traditional and the modern usage of material and form so as to increase social interaction between people .
SL
PY
VHSND
Village Health Sanitation Nutrition Day 2 and Half Year
Redesigning the over all service delivery experience at Immunisation centre in rural Bihar to make people more aware of the services available so as to generate demand. Non- Disclosure
The Bihar Innovation Lab, a first-of-its-kind user-centered and systems design thinking led program run by Center for Knowledge Societies in collaboration with the Ananya Partnership (Bihar), has been formed with a vision to address the need to ‘design’ health services and specific key components of their delivery, to transform the current public health system into a more well being oriented system In the area of maternal and child health, the 1000 day period starting from the detection of pregnancy to the child turning 2 years old, is the most crucial for the health of both. Studies have indicated that even a slight improvement in the quality of health services provided during these 1000 days will have the greatest impact on the long term health of the mother and the child. In our study, we looked at the delivery of maternal and child healthcare services provided by the public health care system during this period in the rural areas in Bihar as well as the actual lives, health behaviours, contexts, challenges and aspirations of mothers. The delivery of maternal and child nutrition services is set in a context that comprises of several stakeholders, centred but not limited to the mother and child. These include her husband and in-laws, extended family, the elders and women of the community, the formal and non formal health care providers, peer support groups, and those responsible for making provisions available to the area including the local ration providers and farmers. The interactions between and conditions of each of these stakeholders impacts the access and quality of nutrition and healthcare that the mother and child receive. The objective of the study was to develop a comprehensive and granular understanding of this ecology focusing on the 1000 day period before and after childbirth that has the maximum and direct impact on the health, wellbeing and nutrition of the mother and child. We aimed to discover the challenges faced by the mother and child in accessing quality nutrition and care, opportunities intrinsic to the environment and the available health-care system to address those challenges, such as the use of non formal health care workers to deal with the challenges faced by formal health care workers like ANMs and ASHAs and provide possible ways to tackle them.
Extensive Ethnography Research Observations at Site: Processes followed, Interactions between different users, services provided and not provided. Tracking Patient journeys: Experience mapping from the time a beneficiary enters site till they exit. FLW Interactions: IDIs, TRIADS- Perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, roadblocks and needs. Brief Exit Interviews and Home Visits: IDIs, DIADS, TRIADs- Needs, Perceptions, Attitudes and Knowledge, Recall around VHSND Stalkholder Interviews and Observations
Data Synthesis and Ideation Transform the Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Day into a ‘Social Movement/Hub for Health’ such that it attracts interest and high footfall from community members, particularly, pregnant women, children and their guardians, young couples who receive pertinent, complete and high-quality health services and counselling at the Hub. Conceiving, Building and Implementing High Impact Health Innovation for Reduced Maternal and Child Mortality through Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day ,the team came up with few opportunity areas and how to possibly tackle them: -ANM (Auxilary nurse Midwife) Workstation for Improved Quality of Outreach Services -New MCHC (Mother child health card) Card and related Patient Health Identity Artefacts -New Labor Monitoring and Management Tool for Improved Prenatal and Intrapartum Outcomes and Reduced MMR and IMR -Concepts on Health Innovations around RMNCH+A, Nutrition, Sanitation, Health Systems -Building Problem Solving and Innovation Capacity in Government Cadres -Collaborative Innovation Workshops on Specific Challenge Areas -Innovation Training and Orientation Workshops
Flow Diagram: Routine Immunisation Day
Ideations The landscaping study informed the team of the various challenges that need to be targeted with design interventions. The team identified various granular level challenges which could either be targeted through single intervention or required a suite. However considering the fact that the site lacked the most basic of facilities and aides we selected the challenges targeting which would create a strong base for supporting any subsequent interventions. We were looking at: 1) Incomplete, impersonal and cookie cutter mode of mobilization 2) Lack of private space inhibiting healthy dialogue 3) Absence of referral system for complicated cases 4) The missing S of VHSND (village health, sanitation, nutrition day) 5) Low awareness on range of services available at site leading to low efficacy and motivation 6) Lack of supportive physical environment Along with these 5 focus areas were defined by CARE for the first round of interventions which acted as the broad thematic to design around namely: Immunization, Family Planning, IFA, Diarrhoea management and complementary feeding.
Bihar, INDIA
Patna, Dost Nagar , 192 Anganwadi Centres
Piloting (testing in 3 blocks, Bihar, India)
The piloting phase started with a extensive research of the sites on the basis of their physical space/infrastructure, mobilisation rate, service availability and Muzzafarpur, Kurhani, awareness amongst the beneficiaries. Key point indicators AWC 47 were collected from the regional officers who serve as a reference point to show impact for our Vaishali, Garoul Block, Ismailpur Village interventions. AWC 110 Three district was selected with the specific number of Aanganwadi site within them. Patna, Jivarkhantola, The sites were pre monitored 101 Anganwadi Centres and examined for feasibility and Health workers were trained and introduced to all the interventions.
Different training module and support aids were also created for the FLWs to help them ease out the newly introduced system. The results and indicators were marked and examined for 4 months after the pilot which is a sufficient enough time to show impact. The indicators were matched and on the primary round which showed the indicators to be higher than expected. A month long training was conducted which included role plays and participatory training models were used to ease the health workers with these new tools. The impact was submitted and discussed with the other governing bodies such as UNICEF and CARE team along with government bodies to derive a conclusion. The ideas was submitted and a conclave was called upon where local district innovators along Bihar Innovation Lab team to present the concepts to mold them into different scenarios and environment.
Government Engagements
Over the years Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has developed an understanding that health innovations around the world cannot come through without Impatient Optimism, and this is the best way to achieve this kind of work we hope to accomplish. We, along with the Government of Bihar, have a larger vision for a healthier and more developed Bihar, said Mr. Ashok Alexander, Director of Avahan, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Bihar Innovation Lab is an attempt to use the expertise of the private sector in making Government smarter and more capable of identifying and solving problems on its own. This Lab will focus not on fundamental science and technology research but rather use ethnography, design thinking and user experience modeling to create new and more effective ways of delivering services. At the end of the session , around 9 ideas that were tested and piloted around the state has been taken up by the government and scaled up through out. A evaluation and monitoring expert team was allotted so as to check for routine training and to ingrain the system in place while working with the FLWs (front line health workers) and from the beneficiaries point of view to deliver a effortless and rightful service.
OBLIQ 3 weeks , Individual
To design an ergonomically appropriate nail cutter for children of the age group of 6-9 yrs old.
A survey was done so as to know the different problems and understand the child’s psychology of dealing with nail cutters, how they perceive and how they use it. Following are few synthesis of how a child look at nail cutters.
SYNTHESIS
•Fear of cutting skin
•No strong grip •Too hard to use for kids.
12
5m
m
CRITERIA •Playful form and colour •Ergonomic grip •Ease & eliminate fear of usage.
Ideation phase Ideation was done keeping in mind the child’s mood and attribute,perceived value while using a product. The following mock ups were done so as to validate the proper ergonomics and the form for the product. The oval form was derived from the wobbliness of a boiled EGG which a child finds very playful. A simple mechanism was derived keeping the functionality same but uses much lesser applied force. A lever on both side of the body allows it to apply much lesser force while cutting, breaking the fear of sudden jerk while cutting nails.
OBLIQ
How it works?
Grip to hold
Child safe polymer body
Regular nail cutter Stainless steel cutter
Back lid for cleaning
OBLIQ
Minimum slit opening of 1 mm, enough for a kid’s nail to enter (no fear of skin cutting).
•Two sided force •Less pressure •Equal output •Minimum space between blades so as to prevent injury.
ERGONOMIC GRIP SAFE TO USE PLAYFUL FORM STRONG GRIP
REFLED-O 4 weeks
Designing a portable tracing device for the animators within college using some existing technologies.
Ideation phase Different lighting fixtures and techniques were being tried so as to obtain the desired amount of light for tracing. Different options were tried to keep the tracing screen in multiple angles. I wanted the product to be as sleek as possible so as to make it look less bulky and can be portable. Different forms were explored before finalising on a particular idea, which has a LED panel inside topped with a frosted acrylic sheet. -Max. amount of light require to trace a sheet: 600 lx -Corner (light table): 425-435 lx -Center (light table): 2260 lx
REFLED-O
How it works? (from bottom to top) Frosted acrylic sheet
Battery operated
Aluminim body 1 watt LED panel
Screw for angle adjustments
Wooden support (act as handle & and reclining)
SLEEK PORTABLE EASY TO USE RECHARGEABLE CLEAR DISPLAY
DAWAT 5 weeks , Individual project
Redesigning the food packaging for Indian railway making the whole experience joyous and satisfying. Target user: Passenger in AC and sleeper class
The Indian Railway food service Private owner
Rajdhani Express Shatabdi Express Duronto Express
supplies food to
Rs 65-70/meal
3 million food packed every day with WHY? Aluminium foil box
Cheap packaging Saves water
Environmental issue
Use and throw
Quick packaging
User problems
Others Landfill
Non biodegradable
Flimsy Area of innovation
Leakage
Veg non veg identification
Ideation phase During conceptualizing material and cost was the biggest constrain within which food with the packaging has to be delivered. Areca nut ,the bark of betel nut plants are tuff enough to hold liquid and hot beverages and with modern technologies these type of material for packaging can be introduced into railways which can address the current problems. Amount of food delivered: Rice :400 - 500g Dal :150 - 200g Vegetable(veg /non veg) : 200g Salad/Pickle : 50g approx. Roti : 2 pieces
DAWAT Areca nut bark
Making Areca nut boxes
Spoon
Roti(chapati) Rice Dal Salad,pickle
Raw material inserted
Heat pressed Vegetable (sabzi) Cut the edges
Cross section view
STURDY EASY TO USE LEAK PROOF FAST PRODUCTION SUSTAINABLE
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GYAN
8 weeks , Individual project
To develop a system and an integrated interactive training aid and tools for children living at the construction site, so as to create the urge for going school.
Background As globalization going high the construction business in India rises. As more and more buildings comes up more migratory workers folks in to the industries. As the labourers comes in so as their children and as a result they in turn break loose from the education system imparted to them during their stay at their natives. We saw potential in it and thought of intervening into the chain of system to impart and co create a symbiotic module for education system for these underprivileged kids. A NGO working on a similar initiative came to our contact by collaborating with the builders to help us understand the scenario and also designing the module. The initial objective was to make the children at least aware of their language and make them read a newspaper and write their names.
Classes conducted by Door step School The classes are mostly conducted during the 1st half of the day . Some of the classes also takes place during the noon time but are mostly focussed into physical activities rather than classroom activities. The room which is divided 2 section which holds at least of 15-20 children ranging from 4-15 yrs of age. There is fixed syllabus for each age group which depends on the child when or at what age he/she joins in the class. The syllabus mostly consists of numbers, alphabets(hindi & english), and analytical games and activities. Given the scenario the org. can only spend Rs 1500/ site/year. The main 3 categories the class is divided into are: 1)School on wheels 2)PMC 3)Construction site education
Existing monetary system & tools/kit Their monetary system was majorly divided into 2 sections: Salary of teachers and procurements of raw materials for the kit. There are some external investors who once in a while funds ,which takes care of there basics. The kit that was used was mostly made out of day to day things like paper, cardboards, plastic balls drawn on them etc. The kit is replaced every month by the teachers with the help of some local women to replace the once that are damaged due to moisture, torn or lost , which in turn adds to the cost of material procurement and . There is a small fund allotted for a mid day meal sections where every child is given some amount of nutritious food during the day time of the class.
Ideation Phase Given the scenario, we started the ideating around things which are economical, durable and maintenance free. We looked at material which are water proof , can be easily moulded and can also act as a interactive tools for the children. The initial idea was to use Origami as a craft and exploring it to develop concept. But soon we realise the logistics which goes into the training procedure which will end up increasing the cost. The idea of integrating local crafts women proved to be a suitable solution in developing the ideas, if the ideas we cater to can be made locally. Another approach was to develop something which is durable and can be moulded and used however way possible in the whole learning experience making it independent.
Proposed Idea 1 After a lots of iterations and changes two ideas was selected on the basis of the above mentioned constrains of durability, modular, easily manufactured etc. The first concept that came to us while making the kit interactive is by making the letters into 3 D which gives it a twist to the regular printed alphabets. The letters are made so as the children find it extremely fun and interactive to frame words and sentences of their own by physically holding them on their hands. The kit is completely made from the waste MDFs, reclaimed wood from the junkyard from different parts of the campus. It helped in reducing the cost of making the kit and to make it durable compared to the paper prints.
The children are given the alphabets bocks and they are asked to make meaningful words of them. The main objective of this activity was to make leaning a bit more fun and tactile and also to use all the other senses so as to increase receptivity amongst them through the language they speak in a more fun and interactive way rather than on a piece of paper. Here the children feel the words made by them and remember it to a larger time period than just memorising them on a books. AS soon as the kit was unloaded the kids jumped onto them and started making different words , firstly amongst them was their name. It was such a pleasure seeing them enacting what they were writing through these letters blocks , felt like a happiness rush inside us.
Proposed Idea 2 The idea came to us while observing the children playing hopscotch or kith-kith. Here the children are given a mat made out of sarees , double folded, sewed together by the local women. The idea was to make it locally available which also repairs easily. The numbers are made of poly cloth bags cut and velcro together with the mat. The idea was to use it as a multiplication table played like a hopscotch. The mat also acts as a sitting place when not in use who otherwise sits on the concrete grounds. While the child plays he/she also in turns learns the multiplication table by hopping from one number to other. The numbers can be detached as they are stuck with velcro and next time a new table can be introduced to them.
LAKKAD 6 months , Individual Project
To design an interactive and multipurpose story telling kit for the children of Mobile Crèche(NGO),Delhi so as to make learning more engaging and fun.
Mobile Crèche A non govt., non profit organization located in New Delhi. Mobile crèche started with creating education and awareness amongst the children living on streets. As the city grew ,more people migrated in search of jobs but without any assurance, they had to spend time living under the roads / flyovers. The team tracks those children through a vast network and get them to a common shelter ground where they are taken care of till they reaches to a certain age. Mobile Crèche tries to magnify the issue in a more modern and resolved way so that the children at these sites are not left into the darkness of illiteracy. The three different categories of children are: Creche(0-4 yrs) Balwadi(5-8 yrs) NFE (non formal edu. ,9-12 yrs) Courtesy: Google images
Courtesy: Google images
Courtesy: Google images
NFE (9 - 12 yrs)
Balwadi (5 - 8 yrs)
Creche (0 - 4 yrs)
Balwadi (5 - 8 yrs) The classes for balwadi children are mostly composed of outdoor and indoor activities which include more of story telling and play toys. Here the children learn about different skills like colour recognition, shapes, sizes, building blocks etc. The classes are mostly held during the first half of the day and the second half is reserved for outdoor activities, games,tree plantation and some other socio activities. The teachers mainly focuses on story telling through which everything is being narrated to the children like habits,road skills,colours, animal recognition etc.Balwadi activity for preschoolers encourage social, cognitive and motor development through games, puppets, stories and more. social, cognitive and motor development through games,puppets, stories and more
Courtesy: Google images
Primary research & Existing kit
2D puppets
Blocks
The kit which is being used now by the organisation is mostly handmade and are mostly made of paper . The story telling toys are mostly finger puppet than its a toy. Its always been a one way interaction between the teachers and the children and as a result the growth curve seems to slow down as we age further. Charts are made which depicts animals ,birds and others. The absence of physical toys makes it merely impossible for the children to imagine wild and free. Given India has such a rich culture in story telling I felt the need to explore the area and see if I could come up with some solutions.
Paper cutouts
Story Books
Ancient story thinking techniques
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Some of the age old techniques are like Leather puppetry (shadow puppetry), Woodendolls, Illustrated physical artefacts, dance forms (kathak) and off course Cave paintings which depicts a series of events that might have happened in the past depicted the life scenarios and life styles or even to depict stories which are churned to lead a particular lifestyle. I collectively dived into all the major art forms and started synthesizing elements which has the highest recall value and why . As I completed my research I found that the toys or the elements which can be felt by hand and by sound remains with us the most and longest. As I got my brief I started ideating and creating elements which hold one of these key factors.
Ideation Ideating was done keeping in mind the needs of the children who would be using the kit. The kit needed to be very simple and yet very effective in terms of the learning. As I was designing I was more inclined in rounded or paper cut toys which are both DIY and easy to be made. I wanted the toys to be more 3 dimensional and which also helps in interaction with the children in a more better way and help them grasp and remember informations more profoundly.
Doodling
Paper toys
The initial ideas were mostly paper cuts,2d illustrations for the book etc. Some of the insights that came from my research was that a more 3 dimensional toy/ artefact can be recalled more than a 2 dimensional object because of the number of facets and textures on them.
Foam toys
Cardboard popups
Paper cutouts
Clay
Phase II As I kept on ideating how to make a Story Telling kit more fun, we came up and started thinking what if we could add more value to the whole kit rather than just making pretty animals. Its then when we came up with the idea of incorporating elements like building blocks, colours, shapes putting them into a single kit. As the kit was to be designed for the age group of 4-8 yrs of age, the kit needed to be .good enough so that it appeals the target group and also act as an instrument for further learning. A 3d approach was chosen to design the kit which not only relates to stories but also cognitive development.
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Making the kit
Use of color
Branding
Colour
As the kit was meant for children we went for some bright colours to pop in. The colours are put in such a way that it also adds to the aesthetic appeal to the whole kit but also subtle to the eyes. The colours are on the tip of the legs, front of the body so as to relate it with the other body parts. While the child plays and assemble this toys they in turn develop a sense of co relation between the colours and thus develop a high assessment for aesthetic compatibility.
Branding We wanted the branding to be very ethnic rooted and also casual which the children relate to. As we went on the final name was being selected as LAKKAD which means wooden in Hindi, . A common Indian household name. We wanted the name to be such which reciprocate in the international market also.
Colour understanding Shapes and sizes
What the kit offers? Co relation
Two way learning/ interaction
Story formation
Building blocks
Physical learning/ Relativity Aptitude
Two way transaction
Pieces of toy
Kids assembles them
Plays with them
Teacher (reads out the story from the story page frame by frame)
Children (playing and learning)
Teacher reads out the story from the story page frame by frame.
Validation
As we went to one centres in Pune ,we could see the children brimming with energy hopping around ,playing ,and doing their daily home works. As we entered the class we explain the kit to their teacher who then in turn explained the kit to the children. As the excitements grew we open and the teachers started explaining the kit on which part fits in where and how to locate them with the colours used. As the kit was left with the kids for some time so as to warm up , what we see to our surprise that the whole kit has been taking shape quite fast. We also noticed them help each other in locating and co relating colours. Then the teacher sat down to explain them the story we got them which was the story of The Monk Elephant and the Rat. Hope that’s a happy ending
THANK YOU bhowmicksoham7@gmail.com +91 9560268096 Skype: Soham Bhowmick
Few more works at
https://www.behance.net/sohambhowmick