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Rapid Design through Virtual and Physical Prototyping

Brainstorming Exercise

1. Form groups of 3 to 4 people using the MBTI results. Be sure you have at at least on extrovert and one introvert and at least one perceiver and one judger. (Spring 2008: Two questions will serve as a proxy for the MBTI)


2. Assign the following roles in your team:
   • Time keeper
   • Scribe
   • Facilitator


3. (10 minutes) Individually, generate ideas for an interactive museum exhibit designed to teach children about mechanical advantage. The exhibit is for children between the ages of 8 and 10. At this age, children are starting to develop a fairly sophisticated science understanding, but are still willing to play. They will already know about the basic machines. After playing with your exhibit, children should have an understanding that they can get the same amount of work done either by using a small force over a long distance or a large force over a short distance. They don't need to have a formal understanding of work or force, but they should have an intuitive sense of the tradeoff between force and distance.
   
   Your exhibits should:
   • attract a child's attention,
   • be interactive and fun,
   • be self explanatory,
   • be durable and safe,
   • allow for cooperative play with groups of children, and
   • engage all of a child's senses.


4. (5 minutes) As a group, go over all the ideas generated individually.


5. (10 minutes) As a group, brainstorm more ideas for the interactive exhibit, building on the individual ideas. (See the rules of brainstorming below.)


6. (10 minutes) As a group select and develop one concept to present to the class. Develop a presentation covering:
   • What the children do
   • How they learn about momentum
   • Why it meets the requirements in 3.
   
   
7. At the end of the class, you should hand in the minutes from your meeting, all the sketches that your team generated, and a sketch of the activity that you presented to the rest of the class.

Rules for Brainstorming

1. No criticism, evaluation, judgment, or defense of ideas during the brainstorming session.
2. No limit on "wild" ideas, no matter how outrageous or impractical they seem. Every idea is to be expressed.
3. Quantity is more desirable than quality.
4. "Piggybacking"- building on ideas - is encouraged.
5. Everyone should participate, but different types participate in different ways.
6. Record all ideas (not recording is a form of judging).

sfinger@ri.cmu.edu