Intermediate Progress Report

This assignment is an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from the first on-site test and consider how plans will change for the second iteration.

Objectives

After this exercise, you should be able to:

  1. Reflect on the observed behavior of the children with your first prototype.

  2. Identify specific changes of behavior and form to create more opportunities for open-ended engagement.

  3. Develop an engineering plan for a final prototype.

Prompts

  1. Please write up a brief analysis (a paragraph or two) of your observations of the children’s experience. You may wish to consider the following prompt questions:

    1. In what ways did the children find a moment of discovery in your project?

    2. What aspects of the observed interactions were surprising to you?

    3. How does this visit change your vision of the fully realized project?

  2. Please comment briefly (a sentence or two) on specific technical performance of your prototype. You may wish to consider the following prompt questions:

    1. What technical limitations did you discover during the visit?

    2. What was the first element to fail?

    3. What operational details emerged which had not been observed during lab testing?

  3. Please write up a short statement (a paragraph or so) of what you plan to accomplish for the second iteration of the prototype. Please note that it isn’t sufficient just to finish what you started; I’m looking for insight into features and improvements in light of what you’ve learned from testing. You may wish to consider the following prompt questions:

    1. How does the fundamental experience need to be modified?

    2. What will it take to resolve known technical limitations?

    3. What new capability will you add beyond the initial objectives?

    4. How can refinement of the software and electronic behaviors improve the experience?

Deliverables

Please post your report to the appropriate shared folder including:

  1. identification of your individual contribution to the machine

  2. user analysis of the testing

  3. technical performance during testing

  4. plan for iteration and refinement

  5. photos and video documenting the hardware so far