Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design Thesis Project Winter 2014
In the era of personal fabrication, 3D printers are becoming widely accessible. 3D printing something from your imagination, though, is limited by knowledge and access to existing computer-aided design. TADCAD remakes the 3D modeling interface as a gestural and tangible platform, getting children engaged and inspired to build complex creations.
It recognizes simple 2D shapes and uses gestures to transform them into 3D. In the spirit of DIY culture, children learn the basics of 3d modeling by printing their own tools and building upon them. TADCAD bridges the physical and digital in ways that give kids confidence that they can build anything.
Over 10 weeks, an initial prototype of TADCAD was developed around insights from user observation and research, through explorations of how people communicate through gestures and observations of children playing with rough prototypes.
I approached this project with a focus on learning tools. My own education in engineering was full of challenges and struggles, and I saw the positive impacts of kinesthetic, hands-on learning. The questions I asked were:
How can I make engineering and technology more accessible to non-experts? How can I get kids excited about diving into the complexity of these subjects?
Some of the initial ideation developed from benchmarking existing games, toys, and platforms for building 3D objects.
LEGO Builder
Tinkercad
Rift Sketch
Goldieblox
Pas-a-Pas
Minecraft
finding opportunity areas
I was able to combine these inspirations with research on early childhood education around spatial awareness and development. These insights became an important part of the final prototype and vision.
Language and vocabulary for describing space becomes an important part of cognitive development in spatial awareness. "An important part of becoming a good learner is ... pushing out the frontier of what we can express with words." – Seymour Papert, Mindstorms
I conducted research interviews with maker educators and sat in on classes to understand the teachers' approach. I also interviewed engineers and designers to understand what tools they use now, and what their own learning experience was like.
Using a combination of interview techniques, including observation, drawing activities, and writing prompts helps touch upon memories and ideas that may not have come up using only one technique.
After spending two weeks getting from concept to rough prototype, I went to a school to test out how kids would react and play with it. This video demonstrates the experience that was crafted in order to playtest with the students, as well as the students' reactions.