copyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
all rights reserved, 2008
Toy Product Design 2.00b
Instructors: David Wallace and Barry
Kudrowitz
Lecture: M W 3-4:30 PM, Room 3-370
Lab: R 9-12 or 7-10, Room 35-307
Credits: 3-5-1
Overview Readings Instructors Grading Schedule
Course Overview
Toy Product Design is a service learning based introduction to the product
design process with a focus on designing for play and entertainment. It
is a project-centric class.
Students work in small teams of 5-6 members to design and prototype new toys or predetermined service projects with a related theme. Students work closely with a local sponsor and experienced mentors. Students will be introduced to various design topics, including: determining customer needs; brainstorming; estimation; sketching; sketch modeling; concept development; design aesthetics; prototyping; and written, visual, and oral communication.
The course has no prerequisites and is open to all students. The class provides CI-H credit.
Almost Required Readings
Scott McCloud - Understanding
Comics
Donald Norman - Emotional
Design
Karl Ulrich and Steven Eppinger - Product
Design and Development
Suggested Readings
Mike Ashby - Materials
and Design
Brian Sutton-Smith - Toys
as Culture
Helen Bee - The
Developing Child
Instructors
There will be one lab instructor and one mentor assigned to each lab section.
Lab instructors are professors or graduate students that have a strong
background in product design. Mentors are undergraduates who have previously
taken Toy Product Design and have shown great interest and skill in the
subject. Instructors can be found in room 3-452 and 3-458.
| Course Instructors: | Barry Kudrowitz | barryk [at] mit.edu |
| David Wallace | drwallac [at] mit.edu | |
| Course TAs: | Monica Rush | monicaru [at] mit.edu |
| Adele Phillips | adelephi [at] mit.edu | |
| Course Administrator | Maureen Lynch | mlynch [at] mit.edu |
| Lab Instructors: | Marlous Nacken | mnacken [at] mit.edu |
| Andrew Carvey | awcarvey [at] gmail.com | |
| Ethan Crumlin | ecrumlin [at] mit.edu | |
| Adele Phillips | adelephi [at] mit.edu | |
| Monica Rush | monicaru [at] mit.edu | |
Angela Chang |
anjchang [at] gmail.com | |
| Amos Winter | awinter [at] mit.edu | |
| Taylor Roan | tay [at] mit.edu | |
| David Merrill | dmerrill [at] media.mit.edu | |
| Paul Fathallah | paulf [at] mit.edu | |
| Mentors: | Darthur Petron | petron [at] mit.edu |
| Chen Liu | qin87liu [at] mit.edu | |
| Rebecca Smith | smithra [at] mit.edu |
|
| Lucas Hernandez | lucash [at] mit.edu | |
| Mindy Eng | mindyeng [at] mit.edu | |
| Karlen Ruleman | karlen [at] mit.edu | |
| Jonathan Hsieh | hsiehj [at] mit.edu | |
| Connie Yeh | yehc [at] mit.edu | |
| David Kirkland | kirkland [at] mit.edu | |
| Ilan Moyer | imoyer [at] mit.edu | |
| Writing Instructors: | Lydia Volaitis | lydiav [at] mit.edu |
| Mary Caulfield | mcaulf [at] mit.edu | |
| Shop Instructor | Gerry Wentworth | gerwent [at] mit.edu |
| Service Learning Coordinator | Camilla Shannon | camilla [at] mit.edu |
Grading
Individual lab instructors assign the grades for all students in their
section. Instructors collaborate to ensure that there is equitable grading
between lab sections. Approximately half of the total grade is based on
individual work and the other half is based on teamwork. Class and lab
participation grades are based on both attendance and quality of in-class
activity.
| Class Participation | Individual | 15 |
| Lab Participation | Individual | 15 |
| Brainstorming Assignment | Individual | 5 |
| Idea Presentation | Individual | 5 |
| Individual Sketch Model | Individual | 5 |
| Team Sketch Models | Team | 10 |
| Final Presentation | Team | 15 |
| Final Prototype | Team | 20 |
| Design Journal | Individual | 10 |
| Date | Class/Lab Theme | Assignments |
|
| Feb 6 | Wed | Toys and Course Overview | Lab Selection Forms |
| Feb 11 | Mon | Play | Play Assignment |
| Feb 13 | Wed | Brainstorming and Innovation | |
| Feb 14 | Thrs | Hasbro Design and Engineering Tour | |
| Feb 19 | Tues | Theme Presentation | Brainstorming Assignment |
| Feb 20 | Wed | Site Visit | |
| Feb 21 | Thrs | Team Brainstorm | |
| Feb 25 | Mon | Sketching and Industrial Design Drawing | Drawing Assignment |
| Feb 27 | Wed | Graphic Design and Visual Information | |
| Feb 28 | Thrs | Concept Selection and Poster Design | |
| Mar 3 | Mon | Finalizing Posters | |
| Mar 5 | Wed | Idea Presentation | |
| Mar 6 | Thrs | Shop Safety | |
| Mar 10 | Mon | Sketch Model Techniques | |
| Mar 12 | Wed | Pull Toy Completion or Planning | |
| Mar 13 | Thrs | Sketch Model Construction | |
| Mar 17 | Mon | Estimation (AM) /Sketch Models (PM) | |
| Mar 19 | Wed | Estimation (PM) /Sketch Models (AM) | |
| Mar 20 | Thrs | Individual Sketch Model Presentations | |
| Mar 31 | Mon | Design Aesthetic | Design Aesthetic Assignment |
| Apr 2 | Wed | Interactive Narrative and Games | |
| Apr 3 | Thrs | Sketch Model 2.0 Construction | |
| Apr 7 | Mon | Plastic (AM) | |
| Apr 9 | Wed | Plastic (PM) | |
| Apr 10 | Thrs | Sketch Model 2.0 Construction | |
| Apr 14 | Mon | Design Consulting (AM) | At MIT Museum |
| Apr 16 | Wed | Design Consulting (PM) | At MOS |
| Apr 17 | Thrs | Prototyping | |
| Apr 23 | Wed | Design for Manufacture | |
| Apr 24 | Thrs | Prototyping | |
| Apr 28 | Mon | Designing Presentations (AM) | |
| Apr 30 | Wed | Designing Presentations (PM) | |
| May 1 | Thrs | Prototyping | |
| May 5 | Mon | Presentation Prep (AM) | |
| May 7 | Wed | Presentation Prep (PM) | |
| May 8 | Thrs | Presentation Prep | |
| May 12 | Mon |
Practice Presentations | |
| May 13 | Tues | Final Playsentations 8pm | Design Notebooks |
| May 14 | Wed | Class Wrap up | |