Multifunctional Educational Toy Design: Engaging Children and Parents

1. ss GCSE Resistant Materials Coursework Edexel Controlled Assessment Candidate number: Centre number:

2. DESIGN BRIEF Task Analysis Material ? Type? Wood? Plywood; hardwood; softwood; MDF? Cost? £30-£50? Properties? Strong? Time? 20h-48h working Appearance? Joints? Finger or dowel joint? Size? 6*A3 Colours? Primary or secondary? Decoration? Motives? (own or existing?) Paints? Where? Playroom? Nursery? Features? Glue? Pins? Needles? Safety? Health& safety? Finishing process? Paint? Vanish? Sawdust? Packaging? Material? Colour? Images? Promotion? Introduction In this analysis I am going to explain in depth what I am going to design and make in this practical and why I decided to make it. Throughout this design brief I am going to develop and explain my ideas for an educational toy for children with many features. I am going to compare already existing products by having researches with my own ideas to design and develop an unique product, which could suit my target market. I am going to use my knowledge of wood toys of my childhood and carry out researches to consider advantages and disadvantages by using specific materials for my final product. Brief For this project, I am going to design and make a multifunctional and educational toy to entertain children. My targeted customer or consumer are the parents of 2-5 years old children. I have chosen this specific design brief because I want to create unique products by mixing already existing product features together, to get an unique and useful final result, which probably will be successful in the market as well. The problem with the similar products sold in the market right now is that they are functional, although there is room for improvement. Children nowadays are focused on electronic products than educational-wood products, therefore parent save their money and buy them the electronic product. That is why my aim is to persuade them to buy my product. To get there I want to have advantages for parents or guardians and for children because if the parents find my multifunctional product worth while they will buy it and if the product is already bought children will have a goal and try my product, even if they do not like it my product will find another way. Mt target market are children under 3 years and obviously their parents or guardians. My product will not be gender specified and is made to develop hand and eye coordination skills through playing and using my product. I am convinced that this is the target market for my product because I purpose to create a multifunctional and educational toy for children as well as a furniture or storage for their parent or guardian to use it in children’s playroom or nursery. I hope to see entertained children faces and confident parents. Recycle? Sustainability/ Environment To make my product I am going to use wood such as pine because it is available in our school work shop and also environment friendly than other materials such as metals and plastics. It is also a renewable source whereas fossil fuels and mineral based products are not. Wood products also achieve negative CO2 emissions. Another good thing about wood is that it uses less amount of energy used to harvest, transport, convert and recycle than other materials. Wood material does not release carbon because it is carbon neutral. Trees do not die quicker than they grow, that means if they release carbon while the decay season, there will be another tree, which is taking in all that carbon. The materials are not going to cost that much and some waste material are going to go to the DT office to use them for other projects if enough material. Needs/Users The market does have activity cubes but not the same one as mine. There are already similar products existing in the market, although they are not special because it just has activities on it. After the child stops playing with the expensive wooden toy it has to get recycled, so it was just waste of money. My product is needed in the market because it will not be wasted as quick as the standard wooden cube with activities because my one has extra functions such as a storage box. These extra functions of my product should persuade the target market, which are the parents or guardians of the consumer, toddlers to buy it. My target market will be parents or guardians of toddlers. Situation I have been playing with those wood activity cubes when I was younger whether in nursery or doctor’s waiting room. It entertained all children because not everyone had those at home. Parents thought it is not worth for the price. Most of them thought they are going to play with it for a limited time and then it will be waste of money. I agree and that is why I decided to make those cubes a bit differently whereas consumers can do activities, store things in it or even us it as a table or sit on it. It is also not gender specified, which makes the use of the product much better. Conclusion By working on this page I clearly get familiar with my target market and the product I want to make in the end. It is good to get familiar with the task to work straight forward in the limited time by managing it properly for a qualitative result. 1

3. RESEARCH PLAN & MOODBOARD Introduction I am going to plan my research, so I have a view about what to do and how. This will help me to focus on my actual work and to manage my given time for this assessment properly. Conclusion By completing this page I actually know how to move on with this task and what I still have to do. Every time when I loose the view about my task I am able to go back to this page now to find out what to do next because the plan is already made. I just need to follow these instructions on this page to go further with my assessment. 2

4. PRODUCT ANALYSIS Introduction I will investigate the used materials. Colours, theme, dimensions/size/weight, sustainability / environment, ergonomics, function and target market of two similar products. The results should help me to have an idea about those categories for my own products. Aesthetics This product looks very bright and colourful. and interests myself. It is 55 x 30 cm and weighs 4500g. Aesthetics This cube looks very bright and colourful with all the themes and images as well as the colourful shapes. It is 55 x 55 x 47 cm and weighs 15kg. Customer Parents or relations would buy this product for a toddler. Min. 36 months should use this product. Younger children need to be looked after by someone, so that they can not swallow small articles From the activity cube. Customer Parents or relations from a toddler would buy this product. The target market for this product is 36 months+ because there are also smaller materials used; a 12months old could swallow small articles easily than a 36months old. Cost £196.00; this is expensive even though it does have a better quality. A better price would be at least £120.99 Cost £50.30; this is an acceptable price because it has a suitable small size with 4-5 small activities with less colour and themes than the other product. Ergonomics This cube also has a good size, so the consumer does not have to adapt himself to use the product such as stretching or use a gadget to be tall enough to play with the motor circuit. The consumer is not in danger due to sharp edges, as they have been sanded down. Ergonomics The size of this product is optimal for the consumer, so they do not have to adapt such as stretch themselves to play with the motor circuit on the top. There are no edges to harm the child while playing. Safety This product by itself and its smaller articles do not have sharp edges. Safety This cube by itself has no sharp edges and is therefore safety enough. But the smaller articles could harm children if they try to swallow it. Sustainability/Environment Usage of wood is recyclable and therefore good for the environment. For the product by itself the advantage of wood is it long=g lasting and will hold for a long time without any scratches. Sustainability/Environment This product is made by recyclable materials such as wood and therefore it will not have any negative impact on our environment. It has also an advantage as a product because wood does not scratch or break easily and will last long, so the customer can keep this product for a long time. Function This is a product to have fun with while playing, discovering and training the motor skills at the same time. Function The main purpose of this product is a educational toy for children. At the same time it trains the consumers motor skills, shape and colour recognition and logical thinking. Materials Wood is used for aesthetics. Conclusion Finishing off this page I have learned about the ACCESS FM. Hopefully these information will help me when I design my product. I need to focus on these points to make sure that my customers can get the best product out of the market. Materials Solid wood and plywood are used as the main materials. These materials are used for aesthetics. 3

5. MATERIAL RESEARCH TARGET CONSUMER RESEARCH Introduction I will investigate my materials and their suitability for my product. Conclusion By working out different materials and their manufacturing processes I have an image of the advantages and disadvantages of using them for my product. Also working out the target consumer ha helped me to find the required sizes for each of the materials. 4

6. QUESTIONNAIRES/ INTERVIEW WITH TARGET MARKET Introduction I will investigate my target market and their expectations for my product by interviewing people or giving out questionnaires. I think is one of the fun parts in the whole assignment task. Questions for questionnaire 01. When did you see an activity cube or similar product at last? Ages ago or childhood or yesterday or can not remember 02. Did you ever play with it? Yes or no or can not remember 03. What activities/features do you prefer for an activity cube? Music instruments or labyrinth or puzzle or blackboard or something else 04. What colours do you think suits the best? red, blue and yellow or bright and mixed up or does not matter 05. What themes should an activity cube have? Disney or animals or random childish stuff 06. Would you buy one? Yes or no or do not know 07. How much would you spend? £0-20 or £21-50 or £51-80 or more than £81 08. Who do you buy it for? Child or nephew/niece or friend or someone else 09. How old are you? 0-16 or 17-21 or 22-35 or older than 36 10. What is your gender? M or F or n/a Conclusion After interviewing my target market I found out many thing. I look forward to use the results to design my final product and meet the expectations of my target market. Evidence Majority of volunteers have seen an activity cube or a similar product in their childhood Most of them also played with it when they were younger Many of them asked for a music instrument, a blackboard, a puzzle and storage box. There was a mixture of view about the colours; some preferred primary colours but others preferred a mixture of everything. As well as for the colours; there was a disagreement between the themes. Some of them told me a mixture of everything would be unique to other products. The majority would spent more than £51 based on the materials and features of the product itself and the production lavishness. The majority of people between 22-35 wanted to buy it for their child. The gender was split fairly. 5

7. SPECIFICATION Introduction I will list all specification points for my final product to have a good view overall. Materials I must use strong and long lasting materials to make a good product with a good quality. I could use plywood, MDF and pine because they have a good strength as the material research has shown. To make my product I need to use strong joints, which are still easy and quick to make. But I should still spent a good proportion of time to make the joints as they are really important for the quality of the product. Other materials I could use is paint such as blackboard paint, especially without toxin to not harm the user. There will be also acrylic used for shapes. Aesthetics My product is going to be colourful, as it is going to follow the colour themes of children’s TV programme such as Winnie the Pooh. My final product is going to be smooth and without any sharp edges, so it will not harm the target consumer. The size of the product will be suitable to the target consumer. The weight of the product will be proportional. But because the product is not a small toy to play with like a ball it should have an acceptable weight with min.1.5kg to max.3kg and a height of around 40-45cm. Health& Safety My product will not have sharp edges, which can harm the consumer. Even though it might have smaller articles, which can be swallowed by toddlers. Therefore it is beneficial to let the toddler consume my product under a charge of an adult. Wood is a good material to use, which is not brittle and therefore cannot break easily as well as the target user or consumer cannot be harmed from it. Target Market My product does not have a specific target market and therefore I split up my target market into two groups. Target customer is someone, who is able to buy the product, because he or she has the money for it. Target consumer is someone, who is using the product. In this case my target consumer is not able to buy my product. As a result of toddlers 36 months + do not have any money. That is why their parents or guardians as my target customers buy them my product to use. My product needs to appeal to my target customer based on the price and its functions. The aesthetics and ergonomics must appeal to the target user or consumer. Ergonomics All the activities need to be reachable by the target consumer, so the height of the product needs to be suitable. Also the product needs to be handy, so it is saving space such as a multi-tasking product which can be have various purposes such as a activity cube including a storage box all in one. This will enable the customer to save money, space and increase the life time of a child’s toy from 1-3 years to 5+, as the customer will always find some way to put the product in use. Function The main aim or objective of my product will be to entertain toddlers and a bit older children in an educational way. Meanwhile, it will train the motor skills, shape and colour recognition and develop their thinking. I could use famous characters from the media to let them get familiar with the TV characters such as Winnie the Pooh. Colours Mixed bright colours should be the perfect mix because when children grow up they need to get familiar with secondary colours as well, so it is suitable. Cost My product will cost at least £20-40, which is quite inexpensive because of the time, materials and designs used to make the product. The highest rate for my product I would charge is £60, which is a fair price for the manufacturer and the invested work behind the product. Sustainability/ Environment My product will be made of wood, which is eco-friendly . Wood is recyclable and long lasting. Also the quality for the price will be acceptable. Another thing is that, if a child finishes to use the product, younger siblings can use it or even other relatives or friends. If there are no younger siblings or other relatives, who can need it; he or she can give it to charity, which is free and a good thing at the same time. If no one can do anything with my product just recycle it and re-use the material for something new. The use of acrylic is also very useful, as it is light in weight and cheap. It is not harmful either. Conclusion After having my final specific points I can start to design my product based on this page full of information. My final product needs to fit perfectly to my final specification decisions as written on this page. 6

8. REVIEW Introduction I will keep all specification points for my final product together. Conclusion After having my final specific points I can start to design my product based on this page full of information. My final product needs to fit perfectly to my final specification decisions as written on this page. 14

9. Introduction By developing each point separately I am looking forward to meet the needs of my customer. DEVELOPMENT: STRUCTURE I have designed a final product which has been declaimed by my customer due to various reasons. One of the main was that this design did not fit to health and safety. Half of the product was flexible, so that it was compressible into the box. But this feature was hazardous because fingers could get trapped and injure the user. Additionally, there is a higher risk of lose screw fixings to break away from the main structure and harm the user. Furthermore, the structure of the object was too big for a children room, as it has activities all around it and therefore have to be set in the middle of a room taking up space for movement. I have designed different lids for the customer. However, my customer did not like most of it because the fingers of the toddler could get trapped in it because it was quiet easy to lift. The most suited lid design was the one which was easy to lift for the adult but not for the toddler. Additionally, the lid had to carry the weight of the content of the lid without to break when lifted. Furthermore the customer had the choice between variety of joints. The most suited used to be the joint with the dowel in the lid, as it enabled the lid to be flexible. However, as the design of the box has changed the joints had to be changes as well and for the new design the most suited was the halving joint as it has a high surface area increasing the strength of the joint. The joints will be reinforced with a dowel so it has an extra strength. Conclusion This page helped me to develop the final features of the product by comparing the different advantages and disadvantages of each. 15

10. DEVELOPMENT: DECORATION Introduction On this page I am planning to list all the different ideas I have developed for the final design. Additionally, the classic design was not fit for the target user, as it is more suitable for children above 6 years. The colours are not bright and the theme does not suit. However, my customer did like the winnie the pooh based puzzle but decided against it due to the small hazardous size. For the final product my customer really wanted to include the bright colours related to the winnie the pooh theme. One of the activities were a mobile under the cart track, so if the user crawled below the car track he or she could look up to the mobile and play with it. However, my customer decided against it due to health and safety issues. The fact that the mobile would be quite heavy and screwed to a thin MDF was not safe enough. Additionally, there is a risk of the toddler swallowing any lose small articles without anyone knowing due the mobile being out of sight. My customer also declaimed the 3D puzzles on the car track of the classic as well as the winnie the pooh based because there was a risk of the toddler swallowing the 3D puzzles due to the size. I have used foam board to design the xylophone to see how everything fits together. For the xylophone I have used salt to test the tones on the wood blocks. The experiment has been tested on variety of surfaces and it has shown me that a soft surface gave a better clang. Therefore I have started to cover the pine frame with cloth which had a nice sound, however my customer did not really like the appearance. Therefore I have used mint coloured wool to cover the pine stripes. Materials Primer: It is a undercoat to apply the colour finish better Poster paint: It is to paint an object but the pigmentation is not very good PVA: It is a white glue to stick wood Acrylic: It is to colour an object such as wood because the pigmentation is very good Epoxy resin: It is an adhesive to stick any objects together Clear varnish: It gives a high quality finish to the wood and makes it more durable Conclusion This helped me to present all the different ideas to the customer and to let them choose and verify the final choices. Tensol cement: It glues acrylic together 16

11. GANTT CHART Introduction Planning the time I am going to spent on each task beforehand will help me to manage my time better. Conclusion By This helped me to manage my time properly and meet the dead line on time. 20

12. FLOWCHART C Introduction On this page I have planned to list out very single process I have done to make my product. No No Are all uniform? Key Command Product/Finish Quality control 21

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14. TABLE OF PARTS Conclusion This helped me to double check the quality of each component and make it a good product. 23

15. PRODUCTION PLAN Introduction By developing each point separately I am looking forward to meet the needs of my customer. Main box outlines Xylophone Counters Puzzle Conclusion This page helped me to get all the required equipment, as well as tools. This simplified the processes of getting the work done. 24

16. PROJECT DIARY Counters Introduction This page will represent all the processes I have been through and equipment, materials and tools I have used to make the product. The procedure of the counters is shown above. The first step was to measure the pine and cut it into equal sized cubes. Afterwards I had to sand the edges of each little cube down and make the surface smooth for the paint. This step was followed by measuring out the centre of each cube and drilling a hole using a pillar drill suitable to the metal dowel. The next step was the painting, for which I prepared paint in dishes so I could dip it using a pair of tongs. After the cubes were coated in paint I let it dry to paint another layer using a brush. I have put another layer of clear varnish onto each cube to make it more shiny and smooth for the user. For the frame I also measured, cut and painted two pieces of pine and drilled suitable holes. Main box outlines Xylophone For the xylophone I have again cut the pine into suitable sizes. I cut two pine pieces for the stand of the xylophone and drilled holes. I have used wool to cover the two pine stripes. For the next step I have used pine blocks and cut them into the suitable sizes. The next stage was to sand the edges and the surfaces to make it smooth for the painting. After the layers of paint has dried I have decided to give them a clear varnished finish. Additionally, I have drilled the holes to join the pine blocks with the frame using dowels. I have cut the dowels and assembled everything together. The next stage was to glue the xylophone on to its MDF side onto the activity box using epoxy resin. The first step was to cut the pine to make the frame of the box for stability. For this I have used the hand saw, as well as the fretsaw. To make everything fine and smooth I have sanded the edges using a sand machine. For each side of the main box I have cut MDF and primed each board using PVA, water and glue to make the surface suitable for paint. After priming I had to sand down the boards and paint both sides of the boards. After the pine was cut into the needed sizes the next step was to cut the joints. Therefore I had to mark them out using a try-square and a ruler. After using the marking gauge I have cut the having joints using a coping saw. Additionally I have used PVA glue to stick the joints together and assembled the frames. After gluing the frame I wanted to make sure that they are strong enough and therefore reinforced each frame by drilling a hole into the halving joint and put a dowel through. 25

17. Puzzles PROJECT DIARY The images show the procedure of the shape puzzles made of different coloured acrylics. The use of acrylic is beneficial because it is cheap and at the same time bright and colour intense which suits the child. The shapes of the puzzles were drawn and designed on the 2D design software. The next step was to send the documents to the laser cutter. After inserting the correct acrylic sheets into the laser cutter and setting it up, the machine started to cut the acrylic into the required shape. As the acrylic sheets are very thin I cut every shape out twice and glued them together by using tensol cement solvent. For the handles I turned wood using the lathe. The next step was to drill uniform holes into the puzzles and the wooden handles using a pillar drill. I also used the hand drill. LED Lid After I cut out the MDF squares I have painted and varnished them. The next step was to cut a jig and use it as a template get uniform, equidistant holes for the bulbs. Additionally, I have screwed in the lamp holders into the holes. The next step was to cut a hole for the battery compartment using the laser cutter. Then I have screwed the MDF onto the circuit component and made sure that everything is fit and does not become loose. After that I have painted all the back sides of the MDF boards and screwed them onto the frame permanently. Conclusion These pages have helped me to view the different processes I have been through to be able to estimate the final price of the product. The next stage was to cut the wiring and the wood blocks for the circuit. In addition I have glued and stuck every components on to the MDF board to make sure that nothing is loose. 26

18. PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING THE TESTING OF MY PRODUCT Introduction Testing the product will help me to identify the weaknesses and he strength of the product. PHOTO 3 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6 • The product can be opened by an adult easily, however it is difficult for a child which is good. The storage is big enough, so the user can store a lot of things in it. • The decorations on the lid suit the target market, as it is not gender specified. Also children tend to change their mind about their favorite character regularly. Therefore this design simplifies the consequences of having a specific theme based on TV characters. • The lid has inserted light bulbs which can be used as night light for children, as it looks like the night sky. The xylophone gives out nice tones to the child which takes in the role as a child’s first music instrument. It is also very bright and colorful developing their color recognitions. The counters are moving freely, so it encourages the child and familiarizes it with colors, as well as counting numbers. This develops their color recognitions, as well as develops their thinking. The acrylic puzzles fit into the holes. They are again fit for purpose, as they are bright and therefore develop the color recognitions. Additionally it is also educational, as they come into touch with geometrical shape in a young age. Last but not least, it develops their thinking as they have to find the particular hole for each shape. PHOTO 1 Conclusion Testing the product has shown that it is working effectively. PHOTO 2 PHOTO 4 27

19. TESTING & EVALUATION Introduction Testing the product will enable me o compare the final result to the old expectation at the beginning. Conclusion the needs This page has shown that my final product is very similar to the expectations I had in the beginning. 28

20. CUSTOMER FEEDBACK Introduction Ton this page I am trying to list all the different customer feedbacks I have gained based on the product, which helps me to see the success rate of it. Strength Weaknesses Puzzles do not stay in their holes. The xylophone looks great and works effectively! The LED lid looks brilliant and represents a peaceful night sky full of stars! Product has been made with patience and time investment. Very acute details. Puzzles have very sharp edges. LEDs are easy for child to take out. The materials used have a good strength. It is very educational and has a good quality. Acrylic puzzles are brittle. Battery and LED easily changed. The materials used have a good strength. Test One: The child tried to play with the puzzles and insert it into the right hole. The child was very attracted to the colours. However , the child harmed itself due to sharp edges. Also the puzzles did not stay in the hole, instead it tend to fall out due to the gravity. Excellent colour choice and painting. Improvements Test Two: The child played with the counters. The counters moved easily, however the motion can be improved. The child was not as attracted to the counters as to the puzzles probably due to the colour intensity. Find the center of gravity for the puzzles to stay in their holes without to fall out. Test Three: The child played with the xylophone by knocking on the blocks of wood. The child really enjoyed playing with it and was attracted to it due to the colour intensity. Not only the child but also the parents enjoyed playing with the xylophone a lot. Cover up the LEDs so child cannot reach it. Test Four: The child used the lighting of the activity cube and enjoyed it a lot. The parents were surprised how similar the light component to the night sky full of stars. However, the child unscrewed the LED bulb easily out of the holder, which presented a hazard to the parents. But the lid was not easy to lift by the parents themselves, so they were sure that the child will not harm themselves with it. This was a good point for the parents. Sand down the edges of the puzzle. Test Five: The parents have brought in additional toys to use the product as a storage box . The storage box has been shown as very big and handy, as it can keep huge amount of toys without to make a mess in the child’s room. 29