Lab 3 – Creative Design Thinking

Summary

The purpose of Lab 03 was to learn two techniques used for creative design thinking, to become familiar with obstacles to creativity, to become familiar with the components in the AEV kit, and to brainstorm individual AEV concept sketches. The lab manual introduced a few major concepts including the two processes for successful creativity and the difference between creativity and artistry. Other ideas discussed lab manual were aids to creativity and obstacles to creativity. Two examples of aids to creativity included “indulging in relaxing activities” and “taking part in activities outside of one’s current field of study.” Two examples of obstacles to creativity included “fear of criticism” and “lack of confidence.” Finally, the process of brainstorming and keeping a project portfolio was explained. Once the team had grasped the ideas introduced in the lab manual, it was time to complete the lab activity.

The setup for the Lab 03 activity was simple, requiring only the AEV kit and the AEV desktop stand. The lab equipment was to serve as a visual and cataloging aid when creating orthographic drawings. The activity consisted of two separate brainstorming periods. During the first brainstorming period, which lasted 15 minutes, each team member worked individually and developed an idea and a concept sketch of the AEV. During the second brainstorming period, which lasted 20 minutes, all team members worked together to choose a design. The goal of this period was to decide whether one of the individual member’s designs should be adopted or whether the team members should come up with a new design together. Several design considerations listed in the lab manual needed to be accounted for when choosing an AEV design. After deciding on a design, each group member drew concept sketch in an orthographic view.

Takeaways

Lab 03 introduced the team to several concepts that will benefit the team as a whole through helping its members become more creative. The team left the lab with many new ideas with regards to designing the AEV such as which parts should be replaced by 3-D printed parts, how weight should be distributed, and where the Arduino controller, support arm, battery, and motors should be placed. Moving forward, the team will have to make sure all limitations and requirements are taken into consideration. Two of the most important design parameters that the team will focus on include meeting all the requirements explained in the Mission Concept Review and minimizing weight to reduce energy usage. One final takeaway was that all team members were accepting and open to the ideas introduced by each other when deciding on a group design for the AEV. The group decided unanimously to have Ryan’s design be our final design seeing how it was fairly simplistic, effective, and included many of the group’s overarching ideas. This kind of teamwork will be critical when making major group decisions in the future.

Schedule

The lab will be completed on Tuesday, February 7th from 11:10AM – 12:30PM. Following the lab, the team will meet on Thursday, February 9th from 6:00PM-8:30PM to begin the progress report and complete as much of it as possible. If the progress report is not completed on Thursday, the team will meet again on Sunday, February 12th at 5:30PM and will work on the lab until it has been completed. The team will also update the project portfolio.

 

Meeting Notes

Date: 6 February 2017

Time: 7:00 P.M. (Remote – Skype)

Members Present: Gonzalo Diago, Trevor McDowell, Ryan Born, Khalid Musa

Topics Discussed:Lab 04 Progress Report

Objective:

Today, the group met in order to discuss the Lab 04 Progress Report as well as their final AEV design.

To Do:

  • Finalize AEV Designs (Drawings) (TM, KM, RB, GD)
  • Lab 04 Progress Report

Timeline/Schedule

– The group will meet on Thursday and Sunday to further discuss Lab 06 as well as to complete the Lab 05 Progress Report.

-Throughout the week, the portfolio will be updated when team members have free time.

Decisions Made

  • The group will meet on Thursday and Sunday to complete the Lab 05 Progress Report and prepare for Lab 06
  • The Group has also divided parts for the Lab 04 Progress Report.
  • Ryan’s design will be submitted as our group design.

Reflection

Last week was a little rough for the group compared to the previous weeks. Most of the group had illnesses, the Super Bowl was Sunday (so the group was not able to meet at the normal time), and every group member had midterms that they needed to study for. In the future, the group will have to prepare around said blockers and schedule further out to avoid any confusion.