Design Session 1
Human Obstacle Course
In our first team session we had focused on team building, working with a multi-generational design group meant we needed to break down traditional power dynamics between adults, teens and children.
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What is a human obstacle course?
It's an activity we learned from Jason Yip's Design Thinking course at the UW. The activity doesn't need props, and can be repeated many times. A group works to make an obstacle course out of their own body and lead teammates through the course blindfolded.
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What about accessibility?
This activity does rely on a certain amount of mobility. We didn't have any issue with this in our experience, but this activity might need to be modified or switched if we have kids working in a tight space or participants with mobility issues.
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February 3– Team Building Exercise, Basics of Co-design
Technique
Human Obstacle Course
Goal
Experience and see what it takes to work in a team: trust, communication, creativity
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Materials
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Blindfolds
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Name tags
[3:30-4:00] Set Up
Camera (memory card, mic, 3 lights!)
[4:00-4:15] Snack Time
[4:15-4:30] First Circle
Start by describing KidsTeam
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KidsTeam is kids, teens, and adults working together to design the future of technology in libraries
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KidsTeam is a chance for young people like you to practice being a designer, a problem solver
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KidsTeam is a chance to have fun after school in a safe place to learn, share, and collaborate
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The Library wants our help to answer these questions:
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How can you design and e-textiles project that is fun for kids to do?
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What activities will help kids understand basic programming concepts/logic?
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What skills do kids need to be good at creating e-textile projects?
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What kid friendly techniques can we use to learn about electricity and circuits?
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What will it take for us all to answer that question together? Ask for examples.
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Teamwork
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Problem solving
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Stamina
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Every time we meet we do four things:
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Snack Time - relax, laugh, connect
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First Circle - question of the day to focus our thinking and creativity
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Design Session - practice design skills we need to explore
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Last Circle - look back on what we did, what we learned, and what that means for the future of e-textiles in libraries
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We did snack time, so now let’s do our First Circle:
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Share your name, age, and response to our first “Question of the Day”
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What are you scared of, and what is something scary that you are not scared of?
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Ground Rules that help design sessions and teamwork be fun and productive:
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One Mic
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Safe Place
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People Before Technology (PBT)
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Participate
[4:30-5:15] Design Session
Human Obstacle Course
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One kid and one adult leave the room blindfolded, and wait for the group to create an obstacle course.
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The remaining team members all work together to design a human/object obstacle course for the blindfolded member to traverse
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Rinse and repeat, building a new course each time, allowing kids to creatively adjust the activity as they go along.
[5:15-5:30] Closing Circle Time
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Why did we do Human Obstacle Course? Kids respond (team work, trust, problem solving, etc.)
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Next week. Explorers! Electricity and LilyPad Kits.
[5:30-5:40] Wrap-Up
Clean Up, Debrief, Take out SD card and put the camera away