Project Proposal
Empathy and Design
Ideate, Prototype 1, Feedback 1
For my first prototype, I created a colored paper prototype of my water filter.
Prototype 1
Prototype 1 FeedBack
1. What kind of feedback did you get?
After I presented my prototype 1 many people asked my questions. One of the questions that I got was how is the plant able to get sunlight. The plant is suppose to get sunlight from being by the window. The container that the plant is in is made out of plastic, being clear. Since the container is clear, the sunlight is able to pass the container and hit the plant. Another question that I got was if the water filter is suppose to work inside the house or outside the house. The water filter is able to work inside and outside of the house. The main purpose of the water filter is to prevent bugs from getting to the plant. Bugs are both inside and outside of the house. With the container being around the plant, it prevents bugs from climbing into the plant. With the water filter, it cleans out any of the bugs that get stuck in the water you are giving the plant. One feedback that I got was to make the container bigger to allow the plant to grow its full length. Since my container is small, my plant will only be able to grow a little bit before I have to take it out of the water filter. To allow the plant to grow more, I can either make the container bigger or create an add on to the water filter. With the add on, the container will keep getting bigger and bigger when the plant is getting bigger and bigger. Another feedback that I got was if the water filter can only hold one plant in it at a time. Since the water filter is so small, it can only hold one plant in it at a time. To allow the water filter to hold many plants at one time, I can have a divider to split the water coming in the container; in different directions. Once the water is split into different directions, water can be evenly split between multiple plants; being to hold multiple plants in the container.
2. What will you change about your first prototype and why?
One thing that I will change about my prototype is to add a water divider. I will make my water divider out of plastic. The water divider will be in the top of the container. After the water exits the water filter, it will hit the water divider. In the water divider there will be holes. Once the water hits the water divider, the water will split into going in each holes. After the water goes into the holes, the water will drop to all the plants on the bottom. By putting the water divider, I will be able to put many plants in the container.
3. What will you keep the same? How will you improve your prototype.
One thing that I will keep is the materials in the water filter. The materials in the water filter is a sponge, fiber, and a coffee filter. When I tested the water filter with dirty water, clean water was able to come out through the bottom. Since the water filter was able to work, I feel that I should keep the water filter. One thing that I will change in my water filter is the container. When I first made the container it only had one hole in it. Since the container only had one hole in it, the water was only able to go through one hole. With the water only being able to go through one hole, it is only able to hit one plant in the bottom. The thing that I will change in the container is having two holes instead of one. When the water comes out of the water filter and hits the container, the water will split into the two holes. With the water splitting in between two holes, the water will go in 2 different directions. Since the water is going in 2 different directions, it will be able to hit 2 plants. My change will allow me to have multiple plants in my container at one time.
After I presented my prototype 1 many people asked my questions. One of the questions that I got was how is the plant able to get sunlight. The plant is suppose to get sunlight from being by the window. The container that the plant is in is made out of plastic, being clear. Since the container is clear, the sunlight is able to pass the container and hit the plant. Another question that I got was if the water filter is suppose to work inside the house or outside the house. The water filter is able to work inside and outside of the house. The main purpose of the water filter is to prevent bugs from getting to the plant. Bugs are both inside and outside of the house. With the container being around the plant, it prevents bugs from climbing into the plant. With the water filter, it cleans out any of the bugs that get stuck in the water you are giving the plant. One feedback that I got was to make the container bigger to allow the plant to grow its full length. Since my container is small, my plant will only be able to grow a little bit before I have to take it out of the water filter. To allow the plant to grow more, I can either make the container bigger or create an add on to the water filter. With the add on, the container will keep getting bigger and bigger when the plant is getting bigger and bigger. Another feedback that I got was if the water filter can only hold one plant in it at a time. Since the water filter is so small, it can only hold one plant in it at a time. To allow the water filter to hold many plants at one time, I can have a divider to split the water coming in the container; in different directions. Once the water is split into different directions, water can be evenly split between multiple plants; being to hold multiple plants in the container.
2. What will you change about your first prototype and why?
One thing that I will change about my prototype is to add a water divider. I will make my water divider out of plastic. The water divider will be in the top of the container. After the water exits the water filter, it will hit the water divider. In the water divider there will be holes. Once the water hits the water divider, the water will split into going in each holes. After the water goes into the holes, the water will drop to all the plants on the bottom. By putting the water divider, I will be able to put many plants in the container.
3. What will you keep the same? How will you improve your prototype.
One thing that I will keep is the materials in the water filter. The materials in the water filter is a sponge, fiber, and a coffee filter. When I tested the water filter with dirty water, clean water was able to come out through the bottom. Since the water filter was able to work, I feel that I should keep the water filter. One thing that I will change in my water filter is the container. When I first made the container it only had one hole in it. Since the container only had one hole in it, the water was only able to go through one hole. With the water only being able to go through one hole, it is only able to hit one plant in the bottom. The thing that I will change in the container is having two holes instead of one. When the water comes out of the water filter and hits the container, the water will split into the two holes. With the water splitting in between two holes, the water will go in 2 different directions. Since the water is going in 2 different directions, it will be able to hit 2 plants. My change will allow me to have multiple plants in my container at one time.
Finial Prototype Check-In 1
Finial prototype Check-in 1 Test
Test 1
In test 1, I poured a half a cup of dirty water through the water filter. When the dirty water was going through the water filter, the water was getting cleaned. By the time the dirty water went through the water filter, the water was clean. A problem I had while pouring the water through the water filter is that the water started to pour off the sides. Since the hole on the top of the container was so small, all the water couldn't go through the hole at once. With all the water not being able to go through the hole, some of the water would go through the hole while the rest of the water would come off the sides of the container. Since the water would come off the sides of the container, I will be designing a wall around the hole; to prevent the water from spilling off the sides. Another design idea I have is making the hole bigger, to allow more water to go through the hole at once. If more water would be able to go through the hole at once, it would prevent the water from dripping off the sides.
In test 1, I poured a half a cup of dirty water through the water filter. When the dirty water was going through the water filter, the water was getting cleaned. By the time the dirty water went through the water filter, the water was clean. A problem I had while pouring the water through the water filter is that the water started to pour off the sides. Since the hole on the top of the container was so small, all the water couldn't go through the hole at once. With all the water not being able to go through the hole, some of the water would go through the hole while the rest of the water would come off the sides of the container. Since the water would come off the sides of the container, I will be designing a wall around the hole; to prevent the water from spilling off the sides. Another design idea I have is making the hole bigger, to allow more water to go through the hole at once. If more water would be able to go through the hole at once, it would prevent the water from dripping off the sides.
6th Grade presentation Feedback
1. How did their presentation go? Did it go well, why or why not?
I think that my presentation went well because I was able to complete the presentation in the given amount of time. My presentation was about 1 minute long. The cause of my presentation for being a minute is that I it was basic with details. In my presentation, I clearly showed what I did for each of the design thinking steps. After I presented on what I did for all the design thinking steps, I said the materials I used in each of my prototypes. In prototype 1, I said that I made it out of paper. I also explained that I made my finial prototype out of a water bottle and a container. The water bottle was used as the base of the water filter. Inside the water filter, I put a sponge, coffee filter, and a piece of fiber to clean out the water. Another reason why I think my presentation went well was that I was able to answer questions. One of the questions a 6th grader ask was how was the plant suppose to get sunlight. After the 6th grader asked the question, I explained that since the container was clear; the sunlight would be able to go through the container and touch the plant.
2. What feedback did you get?
One of the feedback that I got was to use a different material in the water filter other than a sponge. The reason why the 6th grader didn't want me to use a sponge in the water filter was that a sponge soaks up water. Since a sponge soaks up water, it would take a lot of water until it went through the water filter.With the water filter having a sponge, the sponge would soak up half the water; leaving only half of the water to be given to the plant. In the end, the water filter would be wasting water. The water that the water filter soaked up could be life or death of a plant in a dry country. In dry countries, they have very little water. Since dry countries have little water, they would want to waste water to make the water filter work. If the dry country doesn't want to waste water, they won't buy my water filter idea. Instead the 6th grader thinks that I should use a mosquito net. A mosquito net has holes in it. Since the mosquito net has holes in it, the water wouldn't get stuck in it. With the water not getting stuck in the mosquito net, the water filter wouldn't need a lot of water to make it work. If the water filter wouldn't need a lot of water to make it work, dry countries would buy my idea.
3. What do you plan on doing with this feedback? How will you use it for your final prototype?
Since a sponge soaks up water, I will test the mosquito net with a different water filter. In my finial prototype, I plan to make multiple water filters. Once I make multiple water filters, I will test each water filter out to see which one is the most effective. In the testing process I will write down data on how much bugs are left in the water, after it goes through the water filter. Another piece of data I will be collecting is how much water goes through the water filter. To be able to count the number of bugs in the water, I will just need a pencil and paper. To be able to see how much water goes through the water filter, I will need a measurement cylinder. The water cylinder will tell me how much water there is in ml. In the end, I will choose the water filter that will provide the most and cleanest water. After I figure out which water filter is the best, I will tape the water filter on the top of my container. One of the water filters I will be trying is the water filter that I already made. The water filter that I already made is made out of a sponge, fiber, and coffee filter. Another water filter I will be testing is a water filter filled with sand, rocks, and charcoal. The last water filter I will be testing is a water filter filled with a mosquito net, rocks, and cotton balls. To
I think that my presentation went well because I was able to complete the presentation in the given amount of time. My presentation was about 1 minute long. The cause of my presentation for being a minute is that I it was basic with details. In my presentation, I clearly showed what I did for each of the design thinking steps. After I presented on what I did for all the design thinking steps, I said the materials I used in each of my prototypes. In prototype 1, I said that I made it out of paper. I also explained that I made my finial prototype out of a water bottle and a container. The water bottle was used as the base of the water filter. Inside the water filter, I put a sponge, coffee filter, and a piece of fiber to clean out the water. Another reason why I think my presentation went well was that I was able to answer questions. One of the questions a 6th grader ask was how was the plant suppose to get sunlight. After the 6th grader asked the question, I explained that since the container was clear; the sunlight would be able to go through the container and touch the plant.
2. What feedback did you get?
One of the feedback that I got was to use a different material in the water filter other than a sponge. The reason why the 6th grader didn't want me to use a sponge in the water filter was that a sponge soaks up water. Since a sponge soaks up water, it would take a lot of water until it went through the water filter.With the water filter having a sponge, the sponge would soak up half the water; leaving only half of the water to be given to the plant. In the end, the water filter would be wasting water. The water that the water filter soaked up could be life or death of a plant in a dry country. In dry countries, they have very little water. Since dry countries have little water, they would want to waste water to make the water filter work. If the dry country doesn't want to waste water, they won't buy my water filter idea. Instead the 6th grader thinks that I should use a mosquito net. A mosquito net has holes in it. Since the mosquito net has holes in it, the water wouldn't get stuck in it. With the water not getting stuck in the mosquito net, the water filter wouldn't need a lot of water to make it work. If the water filter wouldn't need a lot of water to make it work, dry countries would buy my idea.
3. What do you plan on doing with this feedback? How will you use it for your final prototype?
Since a sponge soaks up water, I will test the mosquito net with a different water filter. In my finial prototype, I plan to make multiple water filters. Once I make multiple water filters, I will test each water filter out to see which one is the most effective. In the testing process I will write down data on how much bugs are left in the water, after it goes through the water filter. Another piece of data I will be collecting is how much water goes through the water filter. To be able to count the number of bugs in the water, I will just need a pencil and paper. To be able to see how much water goes through the water filter, I will need a measurement cylinder. The water cylinder will tell me how much water there is in ml. In the end, I will choose the water filter that will provide the most and cleanest water. After I figure out which water filter is the best, I will tape the water filter on the top of my container. One of the water filters I will be trying is the water filter that I already made. The water filter that I already made is made out of a sponge, fiber, and coffee filter. Another water filter I will be testing is a water filter filled with sand, rocks, and charcoal. The last water filter I will be testing is a water filter filled with a mosquito net, rocks, and cotton balls. To
Reflecting on Whole Project-Weebly Entry 5
1. Give a summary of the project
In the 4th quarter, we got assigned a project that is suppose to last the whole quarter. In the 4th quarter project, we could choose to make a design in a topic we were interested in; making the project be called the choice project. In the choice project, I decided to create a water filter for plants.
2. How did you go through the design thinking process in the project?
Empathy
The first step in the choice project was empathy. In the empathy step we had to understand a problem in the world. To understand a problem in the world, we first had to choose a topic that we were interested in the first week of the 4th quarter. Once we choose a topic that we were interested in, we had to interview people to find a problem that happened in our chosen topic. In the empathy step, I choose the topic of plants. The reason why I choose the topic of plants is that I have a hydroponic system in my house. Once I choose the topic of plants, I had to interview my friends and family to find an common problem that happens to plants. When I interviewed my parents, I learned that one of the problems that happen in my hydroponic system is bugs. In my hydroponic system, slugs take a bite out of the tomatoes. Since bugs take a bite out of the tomatoes, my family can no longer be able to eat the tomato.
Define
The second step of the design thinking process is define. Our class also had to define our problem by the first week. The define step means to define your problem. in the define step, our class came up with a question to define the problem. My define question was "How do you create a design to make plants live longer?".
Ideate
The third step in the design thinking process is ideate. In the ideate step we have to brainstorm different ideas of our design. The ideate step was due by the end of the second week. In the ideate step, I brainstormed 3 different ideas for my water filter design. My first idea was about the overall view of my water filter. In my water filter design, I was going to include a water filter, box, and plant. The second idea was about the materials in my water filter. In my second idea, I was thinking of putting rocks on the top of my water filter to clean out the big bugs. My third idea was about putting rocks on the bottom of the box/container, to prevent the container from getting blown over by the end.
Prototype 1
About a week of the quarter was used to build prototype 1. Prototype means to build yours idea. In prototype 1, I created a paper prototype. In my paper prototype, I was trying to show the overview of the design; making a water filter, box, and plant. To make the water filter and box, I had to cut and tape pieces of paper together; to make the objects into a 3D cube. To make the plant, I had to first create a pot to put the plant in. While I was creating the pot, I had to cut and tape pieces of paper together to create a 3D rectangle. Once I was done creating the pot, I had to make the plant. To make the plant. I had to roll paper into a cylinder. The leftover paper I had from cutting, I crumpled it up and put the cramped paper into the pot; to keep the plant standing. Once I was done creating the plant, water filter, and box; I had to put all 3 objects together. In my paper prototype, I put the plant on the bottom. After I put the plant on the bottom, I put the box over the plant; causing the box to cover the plant. After I put the box on top of the plant, I cut a hole in the box; and put the water filter on top of the box.
Finial Prototype
In the project, we had about 3-4 weeks to build our finial prototype. For the finial prototype, we had to use real materials to make our design. Since we had to use real materials to make our design, I choose to use a water bottle to make my water filter. In my finial prototype, I had 3 parts. The first part was to make a water filter. The second part was to make a container. The third part was to get a plant that will be put in the container. Since the water filter was the first part, I created the water filter first. While creating the water filter, I had to look up materials that can clean water on the internet. When I was looking on the internet, I found that coffee filters, fiber, and sponges clean water. Since coffee filters, fiber, and sponges clean water; I decided to use those materials in my water filter. In my water filter, I decided to put the materials that had the biggest holes on the top; while materials with small holes would go on the bottom. The reason why I want materials with big holes on the top is that it is supposes to only catch the big bugs. With the holes in the materials being so big, smaller bugs can go through the hole. The reason why I want small holes on the bottom is that it is suppose to catch the small bugs. With the holes in the materials being so small, small bugs can't past through. A material with big holes in it is the sponge. Since the sponge has big holes in it, it goes on the top of the water filter. A material that has small holes in it is the coffee filter. Since the coffee filter has small holes, it goes on the bottom. The fiber has a holes in between the size of the sponge and coffee filter, so it goes in the middle. The second step in the finial project is to make a container. Since a container isn't the main focus of my design, I decided to recycle a container than make a new one. In the end, I used a plastic container for my design. The third step is to get a plant. Since I have many seeds that get blown into my yard from neighbors, my backyard is filled with plants. With my backyard being filled with plants, I decided to pull one plant out of the ground; and use it in my project. To keep the plant living until I got to test out my project, I had to put my plant in a container with water.
Test/Feedback
While I was making a hole in the container to let the water from the water filter get into the container, the class had to present our projects to the 6th graders. In the test/feedback step in our design thinking process, we have to present our idea to other people. After we present our idea to other people, those people are suppose to tell us on how to improve our design; to help make our design work better for people in the world(user). When our class presented to the 6th graders, we had to take pictures of our prototype; showing the 6th graders how we developed our design over time. After the class presented to the 6th graders, we got feedback on how to improve our prototype. One feedback that the 6th graders told me is to find a way to prevent the water from going over the sides of the container, after I pour water into the water filter. In my water filter design, I had to make holes on the bottom to allow the water to come out of the water filter, and go into the container. Since the holes on the bottom of the water filter is small, my water filter can only let a little water into the container at a time. If I poured too much water into the water filter at a time, the water would get stuck on the container; causing the water to be backed up. Since the water is being backed up, there is a lot of pressure to push out the water; causing the water to come out fast. When the water comes out fast, it goes out of the holes of the water filter; and onto the sides of the container.
Improvement
To prevent the water from coming out of the water filter and going onto the sides of the container, I had to figure out a way to block the holes. After thinking for a while, I though that putting a box around each hole would be the best way to prevent the water from coming out of the hole in the water filter. When the water comes out of the holes in the water filter, the water would hit the box. As the water hits the box, the box would help push the water back into the holes; preventing the water from coming down the sides of the container. The problem with making a box is deciding on the material. I first wanted to use cardboard because cardboard is strong. With cardboard being strong, it wouldn't get knocked over if a person touched it. The problem with the cardboard is that it isn't water proof. With the cardboard not being water proof, it would fall apart over time with the water touching it. So I decided to use plastic. The reason why I choose to use plastic is that the material is water proof. Since plastic is water proof, the material can last a long time without getting damaged. After I created the boxes around the holes in the water filter, I tested my design. To test my design, I got a bottle of dirty water. Inside the dirty water, there was dirt, bugs, and rocks. When I got my bottle of dirty water, I poured the water into my water filter. Once the water went inside the water filter, the rocks got stuck on top of the sponge. As the water goes through the water filter, the bugs get stuck in the fiber; while the dirt gets stuck in the coffee filter. When the water got poured in the water filter, the water went through the water filter and came out of the holes. Once the water came out of the holes of the water filter, the boxes pushed the water back into the water filter; causing the water to go into the container. By the time the water went into the container, the water was clear.
3. How does your finial project meet the needs of the user?
The needs of the user is to find a way to prevent bugs from getting onto plants. I met the needs of my user because my design prevents bugs from getting onto the plant. A way my finial prototype prevents bugs from getting onto my plant is with my water filter. Sometimes bugs that are too tiny to be seen by the human eye get stuck in the water. The purpose of the water filter is to clean bugs that get stuck in water. When people use my water filter, they have to pour the water through my water filter for the water to get to the plant. While the water is going through my water filter, the bugs that were stuck in the water; get caught in the water filter. By the time the water comes out of the water filter, the water if free of bugs. Another way my design meets the needs of the user is with my plastic container. Even though the water filter is suppose to clean bugs that get stuck in water, not all bugs get stuck in water. Some bugs get onto the plant by just crawling onto the plant. The purpose of my plastic container is to prevent any bugs from crawling onto the plant. The reason why bugs can't get onto the plant with my container is that my container has a lid. With my plastic container having a lid, bugs can't even crawl under the container to get to the plant. With my design preventing bugs from getting onto my plants, bugs aren't able to eat my plants. Since bugs can't eat my plants, my plants are able to grow to their fullest and produce as much food as possible.
4. What did you learn throughout this process of building your prototypes? If you could go back, what would you do differently? If you did one more prototype, what would you do and why?
I learned that it's important to fully think out your plan before you do it. When I came to the finial prototype stage, I started off with a water bottle. Since I needs a hole in my water filter, to allow the water to go from the water filter and into the container; I decided to cut holes on the bottom of the water bottle. Since the bottom of a water bottle is the most sturdiest part of a water bottle, it was hard to cut holes in the water bottle. With the holes being hard to cut, I had to spend a whole work day just to cut the holes in the water bottle. By the end of cutting holes in the water bottle, the holes weren't nice. The best hole that I could cut was to skinny, not allowing a lot of water out of the hole at one time. If I thought out my plan fully before doing the action, I would have be able to figure out that using the hole on the water bottle would have been much easier. On the top of the water bottle, there is an already made hole to allow people to drink out of the water bottle. Since there is an already made hole on the top of the water bottle, I could of used the already made hole for my hole in the water filter. To use the already made hole in the water, all I have to do is turn the water bottle upside down. The top of the water bottle would be going in the hole in the container, allowing the water to go from the water filter into the container. If I used the already made hole in the water filter, I wouldn't have to cut a hole in the water filter. In the end, I wouldn't have wasted a whole day to cut a hole in the water filter since it already had one; instead I would use that full day to put materials in my water filter.
If I was able to fix my prototype, I would fix my prototype by having a bigger container. In the finial prototype that I built, my plastic container was only about 1ft tall. Since my plastic container was only 1ft tall, only seedlings(beginning stages of a plant) could fit inside my container. With seedling being the only stage for plants to fit inside the container, my container would only lasts about a month before people throw my container away. If my design only allows people to use it for a short amount of time, most people won't buy my design. People want a design that will last them a long time so they only have to buy a design once. With people only having to buy one design, they would save money. If people bought a design that only lasts for a short amount of time, people would have to keep buying new designs every time the old design got bad. With people buying new designs often, they would be spending a lot of money. People want to save money on buying designs, so they can use the money that they saved for other cost. One other cost people would use the saved money from designs on is food. With people having more money to buy food, they would be able to buy better food like steak. To improve my design, I can use a bigger plastic container in my next design. For my next design, I think my plastic container should be about 3 ft big. With my plastic container being 3ft big, plants would be able to fit in the container for their whole life. If plants are able to fit in the container their whole life, people would only have to buy my design once; to prevent bugs from getting to my plant. Since people only have to buy my design once, more people would buy my design to prevent themselves from spending a lot of money on other designs. If a lot of people buy my design, then I would make a lot of money.
If I was able to do one more prototype, I would want to use different materials in my water filter. While I was looking on the internet, I found that there was many materials that can be used to clean the water. Some of the materials that can also clean water is charcoal and sand. To figure out what water filter material I would use in my next prototype, I would take a few weeks to test materials. To test the materials, I would have decide on the group combinations. The reason why I'm groping multiple materials together is that I want to figure out which materials go the best together. After I figure out the group combinations for the test, I have to put the selected materials in a water bottle. The reason why the materials is being put into a water bottle is that I'm trying to concentrate the water in one area. With the water bottle having sides, the water would bounce off the sides and go onto the materials. The type of water that I will be using in the test is dirty water filled with dirt, rock, and bugs. Once I have my dirty water and water filter ready, I have to pour the water through the water filter. When I pour the water through the water filter, I'm looking at how dirty the water is when it comes out of the water filter; measuring turbidity. The less dirty the water is when it comes out of the bottom of the water filter, the higher the score it will get. After I do all of my different water filter testing, I will look at my results. The material group that has the highest score will be the type of water filter I will be using. Once I decide on the group of materials I will be using in my filter, I will turn the water bottle upside down. Since my water bottle is being upside down, the actual top of the water bottle will be pointed down. After I turn my water bottle upside down, I will cut part of the bottom of the water bottle off; allowing me to put the water filter materials inside. Once I'm done creating the water filter, I will create the container. In my next prototype of my water filter design, I will have a big plastic container. The plastic container will be 3 ft tall. Once I find a container, I will cut a hole in the container; to allow the water to go from the water filter into the container. The hole in the container has to be big enough to put the top of the water bottle inside. Once I put the top of the water bottle inside the container, the water bottle shouldn't be able to move. To make sure the water bottle will stay inside the hole of the container, I will tape the water filter to the container. With the water bottle being turned upside down, the water would have to come out of one hole to get into the container. The hole in the water bottle is slanted to allow the water to move faster down to the hole. With the water being able to move faster to the hole, I'm able to pour more water into the water filter at once. Another plus with the water only going down one hole is that all the water is focused in one area. Since the water can only go through one hole, the water can't come out of the sides of the water bottle; not being able to drip down the sides of the water bottle.
In the 4th quarter, we got assigned a project that is suppose to last the whole quarter. In the 4th quarter project, we could choose to make a design in a topic we were interested in; making the project be called the choice project. In the choice project, I decided to create a water filter for plants.
2. How did you go through the design thinking process in the project?
Empathy
The first step in the choice project was empathy. In the empathy step we had to understand a problem in the world. To understand a problem in the world, we first had to choose a topic that we were interested in the first week of the 4th quarter. Once we choose a topic that we were interested in, we had to interview people to find a problem that happened in our chosen topic. In the empathy step, I choose the topic of plants. The reason why I choose the topic of plants is that I have a hydroponic system in my house. Once I choose the topic of plants, I had to interview my friends and family to find an common problem that happens to plants. When I interviewed my parents, I learned that one of the problems that happen in my hydroponic system is bugs. In my hydroponic system, slugs take a bite out of the tomatoes. Since bugs take a bite out of the tomatoes, my family can no longer be able to eat the tomato.
Define
The second step of the design thinking process is define. Our class also had to define our problem by the first week. The define step means to define your problem. in the define step, our class came up with a question to define the problem. My define question was "How do you create a design to make plants live longer?".
Ideate
The third step in the design thinking process is ideate. In the ideate step we have to brainstorm different ideas of our design. The ideate step was due by the end of the second week. In the ideate step, I brainstormed 3 different ideas for my water filter design. My first idea was about the overall view of my water filter. In my water filter design, I was going to include a water filter, box, and plant. The second idea was about the materials in my water filter. In my second idea, I was thinking of putting rocks on the top of my water filter to clean out the big bugs. My third idea was about putting rocks on the bottom of the box/container, to prevent the container from getting blown over by the end.
Prototype 1
About a week of the quarter was used to build prototype 1. Prototype means to build yours idea. In prototype 1, I created a paper prototype. In my paper prototype, I was trying to show the overview of the design; making a water filter, box, and plant. To make the water filter and box, I had to cut and tape pieces of paper together; to make the objects into a 3D cube. To make the plant, I had to first create a pot to put the plant in. While I was creating the pot, I had to cut and tape pieces of paper together to create a 3D rectangle. Once I was done creating the pot, I had to make the plant. To make the plant. I had to roll paper into a cylinder. The leftover paper I had from cutting, I crumpled it up and put the cramped paper into the pot; to keep the plant standing. Once I was done creating the plant, water filter, and box; I had to put all 3 objects together. In my paper prototype, I put the plant on the bottom. After I put the plant on the bottom, I put the box over the plant; causing the box to cover the plant. After I put the box on top of the plant, I cut a hole in the box; and put the water filter on top of the box.
Finial Prototype
In the project, we had about 3-4 weeks to build our finial prototype. For the finial prototype, we had to use real materials to make our design. Since we had to use real materials to make our design, I choose to use a water bottle to make my water filter. In my finial prototype, I had 3 parts. The first part was to make a water filter. The second part was to make a container. The third part was to get a plant that will be put in the container. Since the water filter was the first part, I created the water filter first. While creating the water filter, I had to look up materials that can clean water on the internet. When I was looking on the internet, I found that coffee filters, fiber, and sponges clean water. Since coffee filters, fiber, and sponges clean water; I decided to use those materials in my water filter. In my water filter, I decided to put the materials that had the biggest holes on the top; while materials with small holes would go on the bottom. The reason why I want materials with big holes on the top is that it is supposes to only catch the big bugs. With the holes in the materials being so big, smaller bugs can go through the hole. The reason why I want small holes on the bottom is that it is suppose to catch the small bugs. With the holes in the materials being so small, small bugs can't past through. A material with big holes in it is the sponge. Since the sponge has big holes in it, it goes on the top of the water filter. A material that has small holes in it is the coffee filter. Since the coffee filter has small holes, it goes on the bottom. The fiber has a holes in between the size of the sponge and coffee filter, so it goes in the middle. The second step in the finial project is to make a container. Since a container isn't the main focus of my design, I decided to recycle a container than make a new one. In the end, I used a plastic container for my design. The third step is to get a plant. Since I have many seeds that get blown into my yard from neighbors, my backyard is filled with plants. With my backyard being filled with plants, I decided to pull one plant out of the ground; and use it in my project. To keep the plant living until I got to test out my project, I had to put my plant in a container with water.
Test/Feedback
While I was making a hole in the container to let the water from the water filter get into the container, the class had to present our projects to the 6th graders. In the test/feedback step in our design thinking process, we have to present our idea to other people. After we present our idea to other people, those people are suppose to tell us on how to improve our design; to help make our design work better for people in the world(user). When our class presented to the 6th graders, we had to take pictures of our prototype; showing the 6th graders how we developed our design over time. After the class presented to the 6th graders, we got feedback on how to improve our prototype. One feedback that the 6th graders told me is to find a way to prevent the water from going over the sides of the container, after I pour water into the water filter. In my water filter design, I had to make holes on the bottom to allow the water to come out of the water filter, and go into the container. Since the holes on the bottom of the water filter is small, my water filter can only let a little water into the container at a time. If I poured too much water into the water filter at a time, the water would get stuck on the container; causing the water to be backed up. Since the water is being backed up, there is a lot of pressure to push out the water; causing the water to come out fast. When the water comes out fast, it goes out of the holes of the water filter; and onto the sides of the container.
Improvement
To prevent the water from coming out of the water filter and going onto the sides of the container, I had to figure out a way to block the holes. After thinking for a while, I though that putting a box around each hole would be the best way to prevent the water from coming out of the hole in the water filter. When the water comes out of the holes in the water filter, the water would hit the box. As the water hits the box, the box would help push the water back into the holes; preventing the water from coming down the sides of the container. The problem with making a box is deciding on the material. I first wanted to use cardboard because cardboard is strong. With cardboard being strong, it wouldn't get knocked over if a person touched it. The problem with the cardboard is that it isn't water proof. With the cardboard not being water proof, it would fall apart over time with the water touching it. So I decided to use plastic. The reason why I choose to use plastic is that the material is water proof. Since plastic is water proof, the material can last a long time without getting damaged. After I created the boxes around the holes in the water filter, I tested my design. To test my design, I got a bottle of dirty water. Inside the dirty water, there was dirt, bugs, and rocks. When I got my bottle of dirty water, I poured the water into my water filter. Once the water went inside the water filter, the rocks got stuck on top of the sponge. As the water goes through the water filter, the bugs get stuck in the fiber; while the dirt gets stuck in the coffee filter. When the water got poured in the water filter, the water went through the water filter and came out of the holes. Once the water came out of the holes of the water filter, the boxes pushed the water back into the water filter; causing the water to go into the container. By the time the water went into the container, the water was clear.
3. How does your finial project meet the needs of the user?
The needs of the user is to find a way to prevent bugs from getting onto plants. I met the needs of my user because my design prevents bugs from getting onto the plant. A way my finial prototype prevents bugs from getting onto my plant is with my water filter. Sometimes bugs that are too tiny to be seen by the human eye get stuck in the water. The purpose of the water filter is to clean bugs that get stuck in water. When people use my water filter, they have to pour the water through my water filter for the water to get to the plant. While the water is going through my water filter, the bugs that were stuck in the water; get caught in the water filter. By the time the water comes out of the water filter, the water if free of bugs. Another way my design meets the needs of the user is with my plastic container. Even though the water filter is suppose to clean bugs that get stuck in water, not all bugs get stuck in water. Some bugs get onto the plant by just crawling onto the plant. The purpose of my plastic container is to prevent any bugs from crawling onto the plant. The reason why bugs can't get onto the plant with my container is that my container has a lid. With my plastic container having a lid, bugs can't even crawl under the container to get to the plant. With my design preventing bugs from getting onto my plants, bugs aren't able to eat my plants. Since bugs can't eat my plants, my plants are able to grow to their fullest and produce as much food as possible.
4. What did you learn throughout this process of building your prototypes? If you could go back, what would you do differently? If you did one more prototype, what would you do and why?
I learned that it's important to fully think out your plan before you do it. When I came to the finial prototype stage, I started off with a water bottle. Since I needs a hole in my water filter, to allow the water to go from the water filter and into the container; I decided to cut holes on the bottom of the water bottle. Since the bottom of a water bottle is the most sturdiest part of a water bottle, it was hard to cut holes in the water bottle. With the holes being hard to cut, I had to spend a whole work day just to cut the holes in the water bottle. By the end of cutting holes in the water bottle, the holes weren't nice. The best hole that I could cut was to skinny, not allowing a lot of water out of the hole at one time. If I thought out my plan fully before doing the action, I would have be able to figure out that using the hole on the water bottle would have been much easier. On the top of the water bottle, there is an already made hole to allow people to drink out of the water bottle. Since there is an already made hole on the top of the water bottle, I could of used the already made hole for my hole in the water filter. To use the already made hole in the water, all I have to do is turn the water bottle upside down. The top of the water bottle would be going in the hole in the container, allowing the water to go from the water filter into the container. If I used the already made hole in the water filter, I wouldn't have to cut a hole in the water filter. In the end, I wouldn't have wasted a whole day to cut a hole in the water filter since it already had one; instead I would use that full day to put materials in my water filter.
If I was able to fix my prototype, I would fix my prototype by having a bigger container. In the finial prototype that I built, my plastic container was only about 1ft tall. Since my plastic container was only 1ft tall, only seedlings(beginning stages of a plant) could fit inside my container. With seedling being the only stage for plants to fit inside the container, my container would only lasts about a month before people throw my container away. If my design only allows people to use it for a short amount of time, most people won't buy my design. People want a design that will last them a long time so they only have to buy a design once. With people only having to buy one design, they would save money. If people bought a design that only lasts for a short amount of time, people would have to keep buying new designs every time the old design got bad. With people buying new designs often, they would be spending a lot of money. People want to save money on buying designs, so they can use the money that they saved for other cost. One other cost people would use the saved money from designs on is food. With people having more money to buy food, they would be able to buy better food like steak. To improve my design, I can use a bigger plastic container in my next design. For my next design, I think my plastic container should be about 3 ft big. With my plastic container being 3ft big, plants would be able to fit in the container for their whole life. If plants are able to fit in the container their whole life, people would only have to buy my design once; to prevent bugs from getting to my plant. Since people only have to buy my design once, more people would buy my design to prevent themselves from spending a lot of money on other designs. If a lot of people buy my design, then I would make a lot of money.
If I was able to do one more prototype, I would want to use different materials in my water filter. While I was looking on the internet, I found that there was many materials that can be used to clean the water. Some of the materials that can also clean water is charcoal and sand. To figure out what water filter material I would use in my next prototype, I would take a few weeks to test materials. To test the materials, I would have decide on the group combinations. The reason why I'm groping multiple materials together is that I want to figure out which materials go the best together. After I figure out the group combinations for the test, I have to put the selected materials in a water bottle. The reason why the materials is being put into a water bottle is that I'm trying to concentrate the water in one area. With the water bottle having sides, the water would bounce off the sides and go onto the materials. The type of water that I will be using in the test is dirty water filled with dirt, rock, and bugs. Once I have my dirty water and water filter ready, I have to pour the water through the water filter. When I pour the water through the water filter, I'm looking at how dirty the water is when it comes out of the water filter; measuring turbidity. The less dirty the water is when it comes out of the bottom of the water filter, the higher the score it will get. After I do all of my different water filter testing, I will look at my results. The material group that has the highest score will be the type of water filter I will be using. Once I decide on the group of materials I will be using in my filter, I will turn the water bottle upside down. Since my water bottle is being upside down, the actual top of the water bottle will be pointed down. After I turn my water bottle upside down, I will cut part of the bottom of the water bottle off; allowing me to put the water filter materials inside. Once I'm done creating the water filter, I will create the container. In my next prototype of my water filter design, I will have a big plastic container. The plastic container will be 3 ft tall. Once I find a container, I will cut a hole in the container; to allow the water to go from the water filter into the container. The hole in the container has to be big enough to put the top of the water bottle inside. Once I put the top of the water bottle inside the container, the water bottle shouldn't be able to move. To make sure the water bottle will stay inside the hole of the container, I will tape the water filter to the container. With the water bottle being turned upside down, the water would have to come out of one hole to get into the container. The hole in the water bottle is slanted to allow the water to move faster down to the hole. With the water being able to move faster to the hole, I'm able to pour more water into the water filter at once. Another plus with the water only going down one hole is that all the water is focused in one area. Since the water can only go through one hole, the water can't come out of the sides of the water bottle; not being able to drip down the sides of the water bottle.
Finial prototype Pics
![Picture](/uploads/5/7/9/9/57999849/9538808_orig.jpg)
Caption: Water Filter. My water filter has layers of materials in it. To hold all the materials for the water filter, I had to get and put all my materials in a water bottle. On the bottom of the water filter is holes to let the water go from the filter into the container. Since there is holes in the water filter, sometimes the water comes out of the holes and onto the container. To prevent the water from going on the container, I put plastic boxes around the bottom of the water filter. The white pieces in the pic is the plastic boxes.
Adobe Slate Link
https://spark.adobe.com/#design/page/EBF7EBBE-9637-4C62-814D-61DEC525EBF6