Overview : Design a screenless toy for children between the ages 2-6; that is interactive, educational and has minimal user interface.
Role : Research, Ideation, Benchmarking, Design, 3D Modelling
Tools : Rhinoceros 3D, Vray, Adobe Illustrator
Context : Personal Project
Fundoe : A Tactile Adventure-
A screenless toy for kids
Solution?
A screenless toy, with features similar to a smartphone.
Problem these days?
Children are more inclined towards screens.
They prefer to watch TV, play games on an iPad/ phone, etc. rather than playing with physical toys or going outside.
Which can hamper with their brain development overtime.
Research
Age group - 2-6 year olds
Toddlers are rapidly learning language and have some sense of danger.
Nevertheless they do a lot of physical “testing”.
They have good control of their hands and fingers and like to do things with small objects.
Preschoolers and kindergartners have longer attention spans than toddlers.
Typically they talk a lot and ask a lot of questions. They like to experiment with things and with their still-emerging physical skills.
Montessori Form of Education :
Children (under the age of six) have an innate path of psychological development.
Children and developing adults engage in psychological self-construction by means of
interaction with their environments.
Key Learnings
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Organizing
-
Building
-
Memory
-
Language
Cognitive Development
Requires :​​
Children are naturally
eager for knowledge
and capable of
initiating learning!
Learnings
-
Toy should be able to spark curiosity so they can enjoy and learn from it and not reach out for devices with a screen.
-
Kids need to touch and feel things in order to understand what they are being taught.
Toy Elements to add :
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Things for solving problems - Blocks that snap together, objects to sort, etc.
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Soft edged buttons, snaps, etc.
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Colourful elements to engage and interact
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Activities that give a sense of a accomplishment and satisfaction
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Make sounds (speaker) and are responsive
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Twisting and turning parts for physical interaction and high engagement
Solution
Screenless toy to engage child’s attention, while also teaching them. Addition of similar qualities of what a TV or iPad provide -
​
Sounds, Colours and Information!
Main Body :
Chips containing animal pictures will have sensors, that when touched with the external sensor, will enable the speaker inside to say the name of the animal
Buttons when pressed will enable speakers to say
the name of the shape.
Contains speaker, sensors, battery,
charging point, and place to insert
educational chips to format device
into any lesson category.
Details
Text will be printed in a phosphorescent
material to enable it to glow in the dark
Bluetooth for connecting
to the Fundoe app.
Colourful buttons with numbers, to help them learn colours and numbers simultaneously.
(Press the button, and the device will say
which number has been pressed).
Chips containing animal pictures
will have sensors, that when touched
with the external sensor, will enable
the speaker inside to say the name
of the animal
Rotating knob of alphabets,
which will enable the speaker
to say the letter, when stopped
at a certain point.
Kids can make their own words and hear them through the speaker
Buttons for turning
device on/ off
A screenless toy
to enjoy every where!
Fundoe!
Next Steps
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Design an application, that will allow parents to control what their children listen to and learn.
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App will include features for parents to choose from audiobooks, stories, music, etc.
Other Projects
Let's get in touch!
I'd love to hear from you, if you're looking for a chat over coffee or someone to work with ;)