IdeationStudioFOLIO

JesseTonkin
LSGTeacher/Number:KayGillett(LSG18)

 -Scaffolds and Examples-

(delete when Folio is complete)

Do once at the start of the semester

What is your project? What problem are you trying to solve through design and making?

Answer these questions on a regular basis

Since your last journal entry:
What did you make?
What worked well with your project?
What didnt work with your project?
What did you learn?
What obstacles did you overcome?
What learning from Concept and Create classes did you use for your project?
What did your project help you understand better of your learning in class?
What new learning did you discover that you need?
What changes did you make to your plan?
What specific progress do you intend to make next week?
What do you need to learn to make further progress?

Do this once at the end of the semester

Prepare a 5-minute conversation to reflect upon your project. Guiding questions include:
What problem did I originally set out to address through my project?
What modifications did I make to my project goals and why?
To what extent does my project succeed in its original aims?
The overlying project that I have for Concept and Create is to invent a showerhead named the
showerbuddy that is designed in a way such that it can alleviate various problems that occur with
the average showerhead. Key to the showerbuddy idea is that the water is heated as it runs up
the pipes and through the showerhead. This means that the pesky situation when you are having a
shower and someone flushes the toilet, resulting in a really hot or really cold shower is no longer a
problem because the heating of the water for the shower is isolated to the showerhead. A large
amount of power is required to power this function and for this reason, the showerbuddy is
powered by a miniature arc reactor. While this inflates the original cost of the item, being powered
by an arc reactor means that there are no electricity costs required to run the showerbuddy. It also
includes features such as an automatic shampooer and deodoriser, and even a coffee machine.
Overall, the showerbuddy makes showering much easier and quicker.

Journal entry 1 - 12th February 2016 (Technical Drawing)

I am participating in year 12 math studies as a replacement for year 11 math classes. As a result, I
miss numerous lessons for central studies which I must attempt to make up for in my own time,
where possible.
For the first lesson of ideation studio, the class learnt about technical drawings, what must be
included in them and how to maximise the effectiveness. In years 8 and 9 I had a lot of experience
in this area and I was already reasonably accomplished at this task. I didnt need to do a lot of
catch-up work for this particular task and I decided that quick research using resources on the
ASMS portal was all that was necessary for me to achieve a standard that I was happy with. The
presentation on the portal suggested that we have knowledge in a variety of areas;
scale: https://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/scale.html
side/elevation view: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/maths/geometry/3dshapesrev2.shtml
top/plan view: http://www.graitec.com/en/FAQ_view.asp?FAQID=931
sections: http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/me2011/handouts/drawing/blanco-tutorial.html
perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGh9kkcrKxk

The main thing that I learnt from this research is the importance of displaying the drawing of the product
from every angle and provided accurate measurements.
Journal entry 2 - 24th February 2016 (3D Sketchup Program)

The initial task in Concept and Create involved learning how to use the computer program Sketchup
effectively. This was required for us to be able to utilise the 3D printer in our projects. As I had never used
this program before, I began by using tutorials to understand the basic commands and controls. I used
guides created by the company behind sketchup and also private youtube videos.
http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos/58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsHRGDvN4sM
This led me to create a simple house.

After I had a rudimentary understanding of the program, I used Sketchup to create various projects myself. I
also talked to teachers and other students for advice. Through this I learnt things such as how to apply colour
and texture to my design. This allowed me to continue to develop and advance my skills.

This process worked extremely well and I was able to grasp an understanding of many of the workings of
Sketchup. I believe that I now have the ability to effectively use Sketchup wherever is necessary for my
Concept and Create project.
As a result of this lesson, I realised that the final project for Concept and Create needs to be designed so that
it could be produced using the methods that are available (eg. 3D printer and laser-cutter). I intend to
continue to improve my skills at operating this program so that I can use it effectively for my final project.
Journal entry 3 - 25th February 2016 (3D Printing)
I used my newfound skills in the program Sketchup to design and print an original design of a
topper for a pencil. My design was a top hat.

There were many factors of this project that worked well. My design was relatively simple, which allowed me
to design it quickly, without any imperfections that would disallow the 3D printer from accepting it. I also
took the time to take measurements from my pencil and use these in my design. This meant that the topper
was a perfect fit for the pencil and was able to sit in place without any glue to hold it. Lastly, I think that my
top hat looked pretty cool and it was exactly what I was aiming to make. There wasnt really anything major
that went wrong with my design and it went pretty well to plan. One thing that I could improve is my
Sketchup skills because they still remain a limit to what I want to achieve and what I actually can achieve
with the software. If I had more knowledge I might have attempted a more complicated design.

The main thing that I learn through this project was how to use the 3D printer as I had never done this
previously. This presented an obstacle and it took some time and effort to work out how to use the 3D
printer. As a result of this, I have made notes of the process of transferring the Sketchup design to the
printer.

Journal entry 4 - 3rd March 2016 (Arduino Programming)

I was not present for the Arduino programming lessons and since I have no experience in Arduino
programming so I decided that it was necessary for me to do my own research. I downloaded the program
and used the arduino website to research the basic skills required to use it.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/HomePage
I discovered that I had done some similar programming in a Maths through Programming class in year 10.
This was helpful and was a good starting point for my research and learning in the Arduino programming.
Despite this, it was still difficult for me to understand how to effectively program without teacher direction.
While my understanding is still basic, I have made some progress in this area and I will continue to improve
so that I can use these skills if necessary in the future.
My progress in programming helped me realise the limitations and possibilities related to design. I will use
this knowledge in my final project. Something that I want to add to my design as a result of my findings is to
incorporate LEDs. I will ensure that I continue to make progress such that I have the ability to install LEDs in
my design.

Journal entry 4 - 10th March 2016 (Laser-cutting)

In order to learn how to use the laser-cutter and the program that is associated with it, inkscape;
we were required to design and create a coin that had a custom design of our choosing. To do this,
we could use any of the basic shapes or upload a picture onto the coin. I chose to use shapes and
indents to form my coin instead of picture because it provided me with more practice. Since my
design was simple, I didnt use a guide and tried to work out the basics of inkscape by myself.

Something that worked really well with my project and that gave me the most understanding in the
use of inkscape was the indenting that I used. Included in my design were numerous different
depths, shapes and sizes of cuts. Using so many different techniques meant that I developed a wide
range of knowledge in the operation of the program, which was the main objective of this project.
However, I think that the design was boring and restricted because I only used basic shapes. This
meant that I didnt get practice in the more complicated workings of inkscape which was the main
drawback of my project. Additionally, this meant that I did not learn as much from this project as I
would have liked.
The main obstacle that I had to overcome was the different colours and widths that the lines had to
be drawn in for the laser-cutter to be able to cut at the right depth. As I had never used this
machine before, I found this difficult and I had to constantly refer to the provided documents about
the laser-cutter. I ensured that I used various depths and sizes of cuts to improve my skills in this
area.
Since I did not use a picture on my coin and wasnt there for the lesson when the class was
informed about how to do this task, it is something that I need to learn how to do because it could
be useful for the final project.
As a result of this lesson, there is a possibility that the laser-cutter will be used in the final project,
mainly for decoration on the showerbuddy. In order for the design to appear professional, the
laser-cutting must be precise, so I will need to continue to improve my skills in this area before I use
it in the final project.

Journal entry 5 - 17th March 2016 (Idea Generation)

The three group members brainstormed ideas for the final project in ideation studio and then critically
analysed each idea, considering the difficulties associated with the project, how it improves upon what is
currently available and also how it could help people.
All group members contributed ideas and thoughts and we were able to bounce possibilities for the
project between each other. This was extremely helpful in the decision making process and we generated an
idea that provides a large improvement on what is currently available. The creation of the prototype is
achievable within the timeframe and all group members are interested in the project. However, something
that was overlooked during this phase was the achievability of a functioning model. Due to the immense
amount of power that would be required to heat the water in a short time-frame, it is too difficult for us to
provide this with the time and materials that are available. This is the main drawback of the showerbuddy
design and has shown that in the future, more time must be spent on determining every possible
disadvantage of each design before making a decision. Since all members of the group missed numerous
lessons in this class, it was difficult for us to find time to share our ideas. We decided that it was necessary
for us to sacrifice some of our own time to meet and come up with a design. This was an effective way to
overcome this particular obstacle and we were able to remain up-to-date with the rest of the class as a
result of this decision.
The first module of Concept and Create was looking into the inspiration behind many famous inventions and
strategies that allowed the inventor to come up with the idea. This was helpful in the decision making
process of our ideation studio project because we were able to replicate the strategies used by other people.
In this module we were also taught to consider factors such as the improvement that the product would
offer, costs, material availability and time constraints, which we all extremely important considerations in
this decision. Prior to this process, I did not understand the importance of these factors but being provided
with a real-world application highlighted the significance of these elements.
Similar to many other inventors, we knew that the design would need to be improved and refined constantly
for a period to ensure that it was the best that it could possibly be.

Journal entry 6 - 23rd March 2016 (Clothes Peg Design Challenge)

A large portion of inventions are simply improvements upon previous inventions and a key skill involved with
creating products is realising ways that products can be altered in a positive way. As practice in this area, we
were required to 3D print a peg that was as strong and practical as possible, improving on the current design
if possible. Our design was a double-prong peg with large sections on each end. These ends interlock and
another circular section is place around them to secure the connection. Our peg focused on improving the
strength of the hold on the clothing rather than the practicality and ease of placing the peg on the line.
Something that worked very well during this process was the group's ability to come up with and analyse
ideas. This meant that we could effectively and quickly think of new ideas and designs. However, we were all
new to the laser-cutter and the program associated with it. This made it difficult to transfer the design from
our drawing, onto the laser-cutter. While this was a large obstacle and made the final product much worse,
it helped us to develop and learn new skills for the use of inkscape.
This process forced me to test my skills in creating a technical drawing because it allowed me to
communicate my ideas to the other group members. I learnt the importance of providing accurate scales
and images from every side of the object and I will use this knowledge in future technical drawings that I
create.
Similar to the idea generation process for the final product, creating the peg was assisted by the knowledge
that had been provided by the Concept and Create classes about inspiration. The peg challenge also
showed and helped me understand the design and refinement process required when inventing a product.
This task highlighted the weakness of our inkscape skills and showed that all members of the group need to
continue to learn and improve their skills in this area so that we can successfully create our product.

Journal entry 7 - 8th April 2016 (Hard Research for Project)

This lesson, as well as some successive class time, was dedicated to performing detailed research into our
proposed idea for the final project. We researched factors such as features, materials and material
availability, production cost and achievability of the project using resources where necessary and helpful:
http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Matter/Costs.html
http://ssc.wisc.edu/~eatalay/materials_prod.pdf
The main advantage of this process was that we were able to develop additional features for the project or
alter those that we already had. After this the design was much more interesting and had more potential
than it had previously.
Many of the features of the project are conceptual and have never been done before. This meant that it was
extremely difficult to estimate costs, which is an important factor, especially during the stage of attempting
to sell the product. Something that I learnt as a result of this obstacle was the ability to make accurate
assumptions and estimate costs based on materials.

Journal entry 8 - 21st April 2016 (Assigning Group Dynamics and Tasks for
Pitch)
The pitch video was a task that required each group to develop a video that described the product and
provoked possible customers to fund the idea, similar to Kickstarter videos. To ensure this task was
completed on time, we assigned tasks such as scriptwriter, actor and editor for each group member. This
was done using a document which outlined each possible task that would be involved with the creation of
the pitch video.

Each group member had a specific set of skills and it was easy to decide who was going to do each task. For
example, there was only one person who was accomplished in editing and they were chosen for that task.
However, this fact made it much more difficult for people to contribute and help other members of the
group in their tasks because we didnt know how to use the program. In an attempt to assist in the editing
stage, I learnt various strategies and operations of the program that was used for editing the video and this
will be extremely useful in future assignments.
All members of the group have agreed to attempt to improve our skills in the different areas of creating a
film (script writing, acting and editing) so that we can all contribute as much as possible to the task.
Journal entry 9 - 27th April (Pitch Video Idea Generation)

In this lesson, we finalised our idea for the video pitch and we then presented the possible structure of the
video to the class. From this we received feedback that we were able to utilise in improving our video. There
was a wide range of feedback that was helpful in making adjustments such as ensure that the vision behind
the idea is expressed clearly because there are so many factors of the product that are completely new and
different.
Probably the biggest problem with this task was that our group was behind due to our absences and we
didnt have out design as finished as other groups. This meant that the feedback that we received wasnt as
useful as it could have been if our presentation had been closer to completion. As a result of this obstacle,
we discovered the importance of keeping up-to-date with work and the rewards that it offers.
There was an assignment in Concept and Create classes that was centred on a video that we had to film. I
used skills and knowledge that I gained from that task to structure the video pitch in the ideation studio task.
Receiving feedback on those techniques helped me to understand and improve them further.
As a result of this lesson, there were many changes that were made to the structure of the pitch video that
improved upon the ideas that we originally had. Similar to drafting in other projects, we will continue to
analyse the feedback that we received and continue to make improvements.

Journal entry 10 - 5th May (Pitch Video Prototype Creation)

Included in the pitch video, there had to be a prototype of the final invention. Our prototype did not have
any of the features (LED, Speakers) that we would have like to include and was just a simple 3D printed
representation of the shape of the final product.

The prototype was effective because it displayed the likely shape of the final product and it was useful in the
pitch video. However, we would have liked to include more of the features into the design because it would
have helped to describe the appearance of the showerhead. Unfortunately, this was unachievable in the
short time-frame that was available. Attempting, but failing to overcome this obstacle showed all the group
members the importance of time-management and making the most of the time that is available. If we had
been more focused, we might have been able to complete a more detailed prototype.
Creating this small prototype of the final product displayed the difficulties and time involved in the process
of constructing the device. Over the next weeks, we intend to continue to improve the skills that are
required in the creation of the product so that we will be able to complete it in the time-frame that we have.
We would also like to begin this process as early as possible so that we can maximise the available time.

Journal entry 11 - 12 May (Pitch Video Script and Filming)

There was a lot of work that contributed to the pitch video and this lesson focused on beginning to write the
script. We had a couple of weeks of lessons to continue to develop the script and film. I also worked on
creating a technical drawing of the showerbuddy to be included in the pitch video.

The group worked extremely well together during this process and we were able to contribute our ideas with
confidence that other group members would be respectful of our thoughts. I felt that the final product was a
really good representation of the product and there was a large contribution from each member of the
group. I thought that there wasnt anything that didnt go to plan with the film and I was extremely happy
with the final result. The only improvement would be to use a more finalised prototype. Creating the
technical drawing allowed me to consolidate the research that I did in the area which was extremely helpful
for my own learning and progress.
The main thing that I learnt during the process of creating the film was how to edit videos more effectively.
Prior to this task I had very little knowledge in this area and I struggled with assignments involving filming.
Through working with group members who are more accomplished in this area, I was able to improve my
skills in editing immensely.
Acting confidently is something that I constantly struggle with and this assignment was no exception. While
my acting was still not as good as I would like, having encouraging group members helped to overcome this
obstacle and even through the time of this task, my acting and confidence has improved.
During the process of creating a video to promote our product, we discovered some flaws in the design and
made changes to improve the device. In the near future we intend to update the things that have been
changed on our drawings and plans for the product.

Journal Entry 12 - 26th May (Pitch Video Reflection and Refinement for Expo)

The lesson after our pitch videos had been finalised, we were given time to reflect on our final product. The
Concept and Create Expo is an opportunity to present our project to students, teachers and various experts
from the community. We would like to include the pitch video in our website, which will be displayed in the
expo. To ensure the best possible reaction to the video, we have planned time to edit and refine the pitch
based on our reflections. There was one section of the video that we wanted to completely rewrite and film
because we had changed our ideas on the energy supply for the heating. Instead of using an arc reactor, we
are using average powering methods (gas, electricity etc.) because the arc reactor is a Sci-fi design and we
wanted to make the showerhead more realistic. Instead, we have shaped the inside of the pipes in a way
that is similar to the villi within human intestines. This will allow the water to be heated quickly because
there is a larger surface area on the pipe.
http://www.cbid.gatech.edu/biomimicry_defined.html

This process was able to work effectively because we received feedback from the teacher quickly and we
analysed the comments, making the necessary changes. Having numerous group members allowed the new
idea to be devised and refined within a short period of time. Lastly, all group members had the experience of
script writing, acting and editing from the first take of the pitch video. This allowed us to use the skills that
we had developed previously to improve upon our video. These advantages combined resulted in a process
that worked smoothly and there was nothing that didnt work well. It was vaguely annoying and difficult to
agree on a time to perform the filming and editing adjustments. However, all group members are
participating in maths studies and have frees as a result and everyone was cooperative in giving their own
time toward the project.
While this process ran smoothly, it was still annoying to have to refilm parts of the video. As a result, I have
learnt that more effort in the planning stage of an assignment can save time and effort later. This is a
philosophy that I have already seen to be useful in other areas of work (essays, maths assignments etc.) and
the knowledge will allow me to complete work to a higher standard. It is also helpful for keeping arguments
and writing concise for essays and investigations.
Earlier in the year the Concept and Create class learnt about biomimicry, which is the use of natural
structures and designs to make human-made products more effective. Knowledge of this principle was the
root of the decision to alter the design of the showerbuddy to utilise a naturally occurring structure that has
been designed and evolved over an immense period of time to a point where it is extremely effective. Prior
to this, I didnt fully understand the concept of biomimicry and I was unsure of its use. I mostly thought that
it was referring to architecture. However, making use of biomimicry in my product has shown the power and
effectiveness of the natural world and how biomimicry can be used to benefit and improve inventions.
https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/#.V1eF6WR96Xc

In order for the showerbuddy to utilise the structures of villi, I will need to understand biomimicry and the
intestinal system more deeply. I will endeavour to research these areas to ensure that these concepts are
displayed correctly in the showerbuddy design.

Journal Entry 13 - 7 June (Expo Planning)

The focus of this lesson was to begin planning the set-out and information to be displayed in our expo. We
worked as a group to decide what features the display should include and how it should be laid out. There
were various ideas and we are yet to decide which would be the most effective. We did a good copy drawing
of the two most popular layouts for the expo and we will continue to brainstorm the good and bad features
of each design so that we can come to a final decision.

This process worked well because each group member had a lot to contribute to the idea for the display and
there was numerous designs to choose from. While we are still working on narrowing the design down to
the best one, it is better to have too many ideas, rather than not enough. The main difference between the
two ideas that we have currently is that one is designed to look professional and clean, while the other is fun
and interesting. The two designs are completely different and it is helpful having a wide range of different
layouts to choose from. However, there is limited available time to work on the expo and spending more
time picking a format for the display means that there is less time to work on the content itself.
Through research into making displays effective and interactive, I learnt that the layout and sizing of
different sections is extremely important. This fact is the reasoning behind the length of time that our group
is taking to decide on the format of the expo.
The marketing module in Concept and Create classes developed many skills and provided knowledge that is
used in the designs for the final expo. Our presentation will use repositioning to show the audience that our
showerhead is better than any other. It will also include colours that are known to provoke the emotions
that would result in people enjoying the display and increasing the chances of them buy the product. Using
these techniques in the project has shown how effective they can be and why the emotional response from
the audience is so important.
As the process of deciding on the format of our expo display has taken longer than expect, all group
members must be focused on the tasks ahead for the next week. We have set aside time to work on the
project during our own time to ensure that we finish the project to a standard that we are happy with. We
will also write a plan of the tasks that we must still complete before the expo so that we are able to visualise
the amount of time that is remaining. In order to make a final decision about the layout of the expo, we will
complete more research in the area so that we can make the best choice.