http://catalystgroup.tumblr.com/post/41301930543/how-to-teach-design-to-4th-graders-in-an-hour-part I had the honor of being invited to help my 9-year-old daughter’s Girl Scout Troop earn their Product Design Badge. The main goal of the badge is to introduce the kids to some basic design concepts using “hands-on” methods as much as possible. I had an hour. (Actually, I was able to finagle a second hour-long session by offering to host it at my office, complete with cool whiteboards, stacks of Post-its, and jars of M&Ms.) I probably over-prepared, but I’m glad I did. The kids were even more dynamic, engaged, and informed than I expected. It was a fantastic experience that left me hungry for more similar opportunities. I started with what I hoped was an achievable, but still valuable set of objectives for the session: 1. Introduce design as a discipline and a profession (really a group of professions) 2. Encourage awareness of the design decisions that produced the products and services we use every day, and a curiosity about the basis of those decisions 3. Explore the crucial role that empathy plays in the design process 4. Facilitate an initial exposure (through fun activities) to basic design techniques and terms

1. Product Design Badge
Chapter 1
January 18, 2013Troop 2295

2. What are we going to do?
★ Learn about design and how design is used
to make everything we use in our daily life!
★ Learn about who does design - and how they
do it !
★ Try out some design exercises ourselves!
★ Have fun!!

3. What are we going to do?
Meeting 1:!
★ Talk about Product Design!
★ Try a fun group design exercise!
★ Plan for Meeting 2!
!
Between Meetings:!
★ Use your Design Journal to take notes on
some of your experiences.!
!
Meeting 2:!
★ Interview each other!
★ Design Challenge!

4. What is a
“product”?
Something made
by people for the
use of other people.

11. What is “design”?
Creating a plan for how to
make something and
communicating your plan
so that others can
understand it.

12. What do these people
make?
★ Fashion Designers!
★ Industrial Designers!
★ Graphic Designers!
★ Service Designers!
★ Website Designers!
★ Landscape Designers!
★ Game Designers
So many kinds of
designers! What
skills do you think
they all share?

13. !
!
Why is this
funny?
Or this?

14. Empathy
Putting yourself “in
someone else’s shoes”
to understand their
needs or feelings.

15. So, in conclusion...!
!
Design is about making
something for the use of
other people based on
empathy for their needs
and feelings.

16. bored students
Any questions?

17. Design Exercise
Step 1: Read and discuss the
facts about the object and
about the user!
Step 2: Decide how your
design will be based on these
facts!
Step 3: Draw your design (or
part of it)!
Make your design decisions
based on empathy for the
“user”!
You don’t need to use all of the
“facts”!
You can use any other facts
you know!
Your design doesn’t need to be
possible - but NO MAGIC!
You don’t need to answer all
the questions!
Don’t worry if your design is not
perfect or even complete - just
express your ideas

18. What shape should
the bristles be?
What should they
be made of?
How will the
elephant hold it?
What size should it
be?
What shape should
the handle be?
What should it be
made of?
Example

19. African Elephant
• The animal's sense of smell may be four times as
sensitive as that of a bloodhound.!
• When underwater, an elephant can use its trunk as a
snorkel.!
• African elephants have two finger-like extensions at
the tip of the trunk that allow them to grasp food and
bring it to the mouth.!
• Elephants usually have 26 teeth, including the tusks,
which are actually their front teeth!!
• The African bush elephant can be found in habitats as
diverse as deserts, marshes and lake shores.!
• Elephants are eat leaves, twigs, fruit, bark and roots.!
• Elephants are among the few species known to use
tools. An Asian elephant was recorded modifying
branches and using them as flyswatters!

20. What should they
be made of?
Example
What shape should
they be?
How will the
penguin put them
on? Take them off?

21. Emperor Penguins
• Emperor Penguins can’t fly. They have a
streamlined body, and wings stiffened and
flattened into flippers for use in swimming.!
• They live in Antarctica (where it is VERY cold).!
• They are the fifth heaviest living bird species.!
• They have webbed feet, for use in swimming.
They also have sharp claws that are not
retractable.!
• Sometimes Emperor penguins that are standing
still, rest only on their heels. They point their feet
in the air, minimizing contact with the cold ice. !
• As a defense against the cold, a colony of
Emperor Penguins forms a compact huddle (also
known as the turtle formation) ranging in size
from ten to several hundred birds, with each bird
leaning forward on a neighbor.

22. Example
What kind of seat
should there be?
How will
the
octopus
pedal?
What shape
should the
handlebars
be?

23. Octopus
• Octopuses have eight arms, usually bearing suction
cups.!
• They have no skeleton, so they can squeeze through
very narrow slits between underwater rocks, which is
very helpful when they are fleeing from moray eels or
other predatory fish.!
• Octopuses have keen eyesight.!
• Octopuses move about by crawling or swimming. Their
main means of slow travel is crawling, with some
swimming. To really move fast, they use jet propulsion! !
• Octopus uses the suctions cups on its arms to grab onto
prey, but they also allow the octopus to smell and taste
its environment.!
• When threatened, the octopus squirts ink at the
predator. This blocks the predator's view of the octopus
as it escapes. In some cases, the ink also damages the
predator's senses so it can't find the octopus as easily.

24. Example
What shape should
the bristles be?
What should they
be made of?
How will the yak
hold it (or use it)?
What size should it
be?
What shape should
the handle be?
What should it be
made of?

25. Yak
• Yaks are heavy and bulky with sturdy
legs, and rounded hooves. They have
extremely dense, long fur that hangs
down lower than the belly.!
• Yaks have a pronounced hump over the
shoulders.!
• Their hair this may form a long "skirt" that
can reach the ground. The tail is long and
horselike rather than tufted like the tails
of cattle or bison.!
• Yak's wool is naturally odor resistant!!
• Although there are wild Yaks, this one
lives with humans.

26. Homework
• Task 1: Getting up in the morning. Everything you do, think, or feel
from wake-up to leaving the house.!
• Task 2: Doing your homework. How you do it, where you do it,
when you do it.!
• Observe yourself doing the task and take notes about:!
• The steps in the task!
• Who else is involved?!
• How you feel during the task!
• What are you thinking?!
• What parts of the task are difficult or could be improved?

28. First of all, thanks for your GREAT participation at our
discussion about Product Design. I appreciated all
your attention and your designs were super-creative,
super-smart and, most important, super-EMPATHIC!
Since our meeting, have you been thinking about how
many of the things around you were designed by
someone? Have you noticed that some things seem
to have been designed with more empathy than
others? I hope so, because in our next meeting we'll
be putting your new design skills to the test in a more
real-world situation (no more Yak hairbrushes). Don't
worry, it'll be fun – and there might be M&Ms. But you
do have some homework to do before we meet…!
!
Your homework is to observe yourself doing a task
(the tasks are on the next page) that you probably do
every day and taking note of as many details as you
can observe. !
!
First, you should break the task down into steps and
then focus on each step separately. Try to end up with
between 3 and 6 steps. You can observe yourself
(and ask your family for their ideas) on different days
and see if the task is different or if it's the same every
time. Collect your observations on the attached
worksheet. I've given you a few questions to get you
started. It's also great if you can draw a picture of the
step, because this can help you focus on the
important details and it will also help your troop-mates
understand what you are talking about. !
!
When we meet, each of you will present your steps
and observations. Our goal for the meeting will be to
design ways to make your tasks better, easier, or
more fun.!
!
Let me know if you have any questions or if you don't
understand the homework. !
!
I'm looking forward to designing with you all again!!
!
Nick
Greetings Troop 2295!!

29. Getting up in the morning
on a school-day.
Everything you do, think,
or feel from wake-up to
leaving the house.
Doing your homework
after school. How you do
it, where you do it, and
when you do it.!
• Ashley Albinus!
• Lauren Anatol!
• Maris Hayes!
• Sophie Gould!
• Lucy Graham!
• Charlotte Hampton!
• Moya Linsey!
• Ana Mesa
• Lavoneia Mayers!
• Elsa McElhinney!
• Joan Marie Varous!
• Lily Hughes-O'Higgens!
• Lila Blank!
• Alexandra Conklin!
• Maggie Schaffzin
Group 2: HomeworkGroup 1: Mornings

30. What happens in this step?!
!
What things are you using in this step?!
!
Where are you?!
!
How do you feel during this step?!
!
Who else is involved in this step?!
!
What do they do?!
!
What parts of this step are difficult or could be improved?!
!
What would make this step more fun?
Step #___ Draw this step

31. Product Design Badge
Chapter 2
February 15, 2013Troop 2295

32. What are we going to do?
★ Quick review of last session!
★ Watch some “design-y” videos!
★ Do an imagination warm-up!
★ Review your task observations (2 groups)!
★ Break out into design teams!
★ Present your designs!
★ Have fun!!

33. What is a
“product”?
Something made
by people for the
use of other people.

40. What is “design”?
Creating a plan for how to
make something and
communicating your plan
so that others can
understand it.

41. What do these people
make?
★ Fashion Designers!
★ Industrial Designers!
★ Graphic Designers!
★ Service Designers!
★ Website Designers!
★ Landscape Designers!
★ Game Designers
So many kinds of
designers! What
skills do you think
they all share?

42. !
!
Why is this
funny?
Or this?

43. Empathy
Putting yourself “in
someone else’s shoes”
to understand their
needs or feelings.

44. So, in conclusion...!
!
Design is about making
something for the use of
other people based on
empathy for their needs
and feelings.

45. Design-y Videos
!
★ Studio-H (2:00)!
★ 21 Balancoires (0:32)!
★ Sifteo!
!

46. ★ Transform all 30 circles into something
recognizable like a face, a planet, a ball,
bicycle wheels, etc.!
★ You have 2 minutes!!
★ It’s OK to draw outside the lines!
Imagination Warm-up

47. Getting up in the morning
on a school-day.
Everything you do, think,
or feel from wake-up to
leaving the house.
Doing your homework
after school. How you do
it, where you do it, and
when you do it.!
• Ashley Albinus!
• Lauren Anatol!
• Maris Hayes!
• Sophie Gould!
• Lucy Graham!
• Charlotte Hampton!
• Moya Linsey!
• Ana Mesa
• Lavoneia Mayers!
• Elsa McElhinney!
• Joan Marie Varous!
• Lily Hughes-O'Higgens!
• Lila Blank!
• Alexandra Conklin!
• Maggie Schaffzin
Group 2: HomeworkGroup 1: Mornings

48. Design Jam!
!
★ 4 Groups!
★ Decide on your product!
★ Design it!
★ Tell us about it!
!
!