Our team completed this activity very efficiently. We got together at a room in the SEL basement, discussed variations of our ideas, and put them on paper. It took about an hour, but we were able to create several practical variations of the ideas we had previously selected to move forward with.
While we could’ve completed this activity solo, it was very helpful to meet and work with the team in-person versus discussing through text messages. Meeting and working as a group increased efficiency by allowing us to not only present our ideas verbally, but also draw and show other members of the group what we were thinking.
It was interesting to begin thinking about more concepts. More specifically, we were at a point where we could hone-in on details instead of just thinking about solutions in broad terms. For instance, we thought of making the “Nail Biter” moldable to the user’s teeth for more stability. We also created an electric toothbrush attachment for users who prefer electronic brushes to manual brushes.
Overall, our final concepts are much more polished than our original ideas. We have been able to take the user into account on a much more detailed level, and make changes to our designs accordingly. They are becoming more viable as products, which is perhaps the most exciting part of the process.
The only other issues we can foresee concern the prototyping of these concepts. We need to ensure that the materials and resources at our disposal will yield sufficient prototypes. While the project’s requirements state that working prototypes aren’t necessary, we do need to ensure that they are of sufficient quality to properly convey their purposes to those outside of our team.