BACKPACK REDESIGN EXERCISE
Throughout this “Backpack Redesign Exercise” I learned about the design process steps, which are Ideate, Test, Define, Empathize, Revise, and Prototype. I also discovered that the steps can come in many different orders or repeated several times before a final goal is achieved. For this exercise we were assigned into a group of five people. Then we were given the task of creating the perfect backpack for our group’s needs, with the possibilities being endless. Meaning the laws of physics did not apply, and money & existence of technology was not a concern.
My group first started with the step of empathizing for each other’s history of backpack problems, by interviewing each other and writing all our findings on the back side of our sketch paper. In design firms, this is the part when they would go out into the public, find common problems, and record data. Then we defined our problems and ideated possible solutions. This step most often seems closely related, however there is a difference between figuring out our problems and finding solutions for them. We had to think about what exactly our problem is and find a way to eradicate it, whether creating an enhanced version or looking to eliminate the entire purpose of a product for the future. It’s the difference between designing a better backpack or creating something that would eliminate the need for a backpack. Once we had written all the problems with our backpacks, we went back and addressed the main problems we wanted to fix. In another section for the ideation phase, we jotted down all our brilliant and somewhat outlandish solutions to these problems on our sketch paper. In the world of professional design, this is when a team of designers would sit in a think tank together and let their creativity run loose while keeping their sketches and ideas organized. The next step we used was revise. We did this by revising our written ideas we wanted to include in our prototype sketch before drawing and labeling all of its features. After we had made most of our ideas we were including into the sketch concrete, we entered the prototype stage by actually drawing the backpack from three different angles (the front, side, and top). Then we went back again to revise our drawings, making sure we included all the features we meant to. The last stage of the design process is testing. However we did not fully complete this step, we could say that our five minute pitches to the other design teams could have served as a test screening to see how people would react to our new and improved backpack. Most likely in a design firm, they would test this multiple times and revise their prototypes until they reached a product they were satisfied with manufacturing.
I really enjoyed this design exercise, as it has always been a natural tendency for me to use this think-tank style when I am in group projects, but now I finally got to do it in a more purposeful and organized way. I really liked having such a diverse group of students on my team of five because it was really exciting to see what each person brought to the table. It taught me that the design process is as equally if not more important than the actual final product that is produced. And I feel that even if I wasn’t able to completely contribute artistically at least I could help with the ideation of the product. I think this exercise was a success, however I still wonder if it would have been just as well even if we were constrained to more realistic concepts.
My group first started with the step of empathizing for each other’s history of backpack problems, by interviewing each other and writing all our findings on the back side of our sketch paper. In design firms, this is the part when they would go out into the public, find common problems, and record data. Then we defined our problems and ideated possible solutions. This step most often seems closely related, however there is a difference between figuring out our problems and finding solutions for them. We had to think about what exactly our problem is and find a way to eradicate it, whether creating an enhanced version or looking to eliminate the entire purpose of a product for the future. It’s the difference between designing a better backpack or creating something that would eliminate the need for a backpack. Once we had written all the problems with our backpacks, we went back and addressed the main problems we wanted to fix. In another section for the ideation phase, we jotted down all our brilliant and somewhat outlandish solutions to these problems on our sketch paper. In the world of professional design, this is when a team of designers would sit in a think tank together and let their creativity run loose while keeping their sketches and ideas organized. The next step we used was revise. We did this by revising our written ideas we wanted to include in our prototype sketch before drawing and labeling all of its features. After we had made most of our ideas we were including into the sketch concrete, we entered the prototype stage by actually drawing the backpack from three different angles (the front, side, and top). Then we went back again to revise our drawings, making sure we included all the features we meant to. The last stage of the design process is testing. However we did not fully complete this step, we could say that our five minute pitches to the other design teams could have served as a test screening to see how people would react to our new and improved backpack. Most likely in a design firm, they would test this multiple times and revise their prototypes until they reached a product they were satisfied with manufacturing.
I really enjoyed this design exercise, as it has always been a natural tendency for me to use this think-tank style when I am in group projects, but now I finally got to do it in a more purposeful and organized way. I really liked having such a diverse group of students on my team of five because it was really exciting to see what each person brought to the table. It taught me that the design process is as equally if not more important than the actual final product that is produced. And I feel that even if I wasn’t able to completely contribute artistically at least I could help with the ideation of the product. I think this exercise was a success, however I still wonder if it would have been just as well even if we were constrained to more realistic concepts.