PONG-i Abstract Toy Design Summer 2016 Class Work Supervisor: Krystina Castella
This class was for learning about the overall toy industry and experiencing the process of toy development. I learned about the growth process of kids and understood what they need to practice in each stage. I designed a new type of a pounding toy, Pong-i, a combination of the sound ‘pong’ and the shape of the hammer ‘-i.’ The target user of this toy is 3+, but it is enjoyable for all ages. I made 5 mockups and production-level final models for a toy sale.
TOY DESIGN PROCESS Phase 1: Research
Brainstorming and Experimenting
Phase 2: Develop
Develop Product Concepts
Phase 3: Finalize
Phase 1: Research
Phase 1: Research
Primary and Secondary Research
Phase 2: Develop
Phase 2: Develop
Make Prototyping and Test
Phase 3: Finalize
Longitudinal Studies
Redesign Based on Learning
Phase 3: Finalize
Final Design Details
Phase 4: After Release
Research Business Issues
Engineering
Phase 4: After Release
Market Research
Production Prototype
Phase 4: After Release
Redesign with Updates
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
0m
6m
12m
2yr
3yr
6yr
hold, suck
stack, drop, pick
walk, use block
make simple tower, developed motor skill
fine control their hands
outdoor activity
Social
recognize parent
playing alone, pretend
play with familiar adults
play with other childrens
play with other childrens
role-playing with others
Vision
see a bright object
attracted by moving object
curious & look closely
can sort objects
observe how things work
none
Language
laugh, crying
communication with sound
simple words
simple sentence
ask & answer simple question
tell stories & describe things
Intelectual
putting things into the mouth
trial and error
comparing & ordering
learning to solve a problem
planning & logical thinking
use imagination
Physical
PRODUCT BENEFITS
Color Sense
Motor Skills
bright balls
Hand-Eye Coordination
grabbing and pounding
seeing 3D perspective & trying to hit
Each week, I came up with 12 ideas based on the target age and category. I had a total of 36 ideas and kept narrowing down and refining the concepts. I also thought about the uniqueness of the toy and play rules. I eventually chose the pounding toy for the final idea in consideration of child development and benefits to the kid.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Rattle (0 - 1)
Plush (0 - 1)
Pounding (3)
Storybook (3)
Pretend (6)
Tech (6)
Craft (9)
Board (9)
Board (Student)
Home (Adult)
Party (Adult)
Collectible (Adult)
CONCEPT IMAGES HAMMER
ALL IN ONE
HITTING BALL
By a big and heavy head, a hammer helps pound the object effectively.
There are so many ways and forms of pounding and beating using a stick.
From sports, I got many form & interaction inspirations between tool and ball.
1ST IDEATION
I started brainstorming and developed several ideas from the keyword, ‘pounding.’ I finally chose ‘hammer + ball’ concept to achieve product benefits that I set and the most important thing, fun. When the kid pounds a ball with a hammer, another ball comes out from the hammer. In the name, ‘-i’ represents the ball that came out from the hammer.
CONCEPT PROOF MAGGIE (ACCD STUDENT)
“This is fun and cute and I want to buy it!” She liked the concept but she said it was quite heavy and uncomfortable. I needed to use a lighter material and put on a handle.
I made sketch mockup and tested it. I chose a pingpong ball but it was small and rigid. I replaced it with a foam ball and put a metal bell inside, but it didn’t make many sounds well.
For the hammer parts, I finally chose wood. I used a polyethylene tube, but it was too heavy and it left dirty hairs. I also thought of a wooden handle.
2ND IDEATION
Pong-i consists of 4 balls and a cylinder body with a handle. Because of this simplicity, there might be many interesting variations, such as animal versions of Pong-i or curved cylinder versions. The hole in the handle could make the organizing process easier.
USER TEST ECHO (ACCD STUDENT)
YUNA (5 YEARS OLD) AND YOONSEO (3 YEARS OLD)
“Sometimes it didn’t work well, but after few trials, when the ball popped out, I felt very accomplished and I couldn’t stop playing with it.” How can I make it easier?
“How do I play it? Oh, it is fun!” Yoonseo enjoyed the toy while the older sister helped her. Targeting the ball seemed quite difficult for a 3-year-old kid at first.
MAKING PROCESS
I bought 2” foam balls and put some weight inside them to imitate a roly-poly motion. For a handle, I used 3/4” OD dowel which is the comfortable size for babies.
I made a final model using a 2.5” OD wooden cylinder for the body. I covered the ends with rubber. I sanded all the corners for safety.
CONTENTS
Foam Balls
Inside the foam ball, the steel ball helps keep the ball in place like a roly poly
Body Cylinder The rubber absorbs the impact
MATERIALS
Handle
Wood
Mineral Oil
Foam
Rubber
TOY SALE AT THE ARTCENTER CAFETERIA
We held toy sale at the ArtCenter cafeteria. I prepared 8 packaged sets with the info sheet. The price was $20 and they were sold out.
During the toy sale, I got valuable feedback from many people, from students to faculty members. It was lucky to see their reactions in front of my eyes.
Conclusion This was meaningful project because I experienced the whole process of toy design, from ideation to sale. I was happy to see that my idea became a buyable product and actually made the users smile. Although the major customers were ArtCenter students, It was my pleasure to make my customers happy with my product, rather than just be spectators of another usual final presentation. If I have a chance, I want to develop it more and present it to my friends again.