W09: Visual Communications

Welcome to TECH 120. This is a 3 credit hour course and meets for 2 hours and 50 minutes weekly. The syllabus describes the course:

Students in this course will engage in critical analysis of real-world problems and global challenges. They will demonstrate the ability to recognize opportunity and to take initiative in developing solutions applying the principles of human-centered design. Students will be able to communicate effectively and to work well on teams. Problems and solutions will be examined from societal, cultural, and ethical perspectives.

View the entire syllabus at: http://bit.ly/design-thinking-syllabus

View the course schedule at: http://bit.ly/design-thinking-course-schedule

COVID-19 VARIATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Objectives

The objectives of this HYBRID session are to :

review the global grand challenge
present final designs proposals
learn the basics of 3D printing
creating effective presentations
share and discuss core values document
add interactive features to a prototype
control a servo motor with an Arduino and rotary encoder

Design process review

In this section, we focus on the EVALUATION and COMMUNICATION phases of the Design Process (see image below)

The global grand challenge

Let's take a look a few videos. Will your final project make an impact?

Final Project Proposals

Teams will share their final project proposals.

Basics of 3D Printing

Students will receive instructions on the use of the 3D printing lab as well as take a tour. The use of the 3D printing lab is be a requirement for the final project. Each final project prototype will utilize a least one 3D printed component. The size of the component will be no more than 5" x 5". The part can either be student designed or can be a component downloaded from a site such as:

Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/
Pinshape: https://pinshape.com/
All 3DP: https://all3dp.com/printables/
Cults3D: https://cults3d.com/

The Advent of affordable 3D printing technology means some of you may have 3D printers in your home or dorm room. If you do, you may use that printer instead of the 3D printing lab. 3D printers have dropped in price dramatically. Below is the model I own:

Creality Ender 3 $230 – With just a bit of tweaking, you can create some amazing things AND it's very hackable for even better quality prints and features.

While reviewing some of the parts sites listed above, you will also notice that there are 3D models (.stl files) that enhance accuracy and performance of these open source 3D printers. Start with a basic 3D printer and then print additional parts to add features to turn it into a customized and more capable device.

Watch the videos below to learn how to navigate and use the Thingiverse site as well as how to use the free TinkerCAD to create your own models.

3D printing laboratory instructions

To submit 3D models for printing to the 3D printing lab, be sure to read and follow the directions in the two documents below (official forms from Lab Technician):

For additional instructions, contact the 3D printing Lab Technician.

Core Values

Teams will share their core values document.

Refine visual communication skills

There are various tools used in visual communications to convey ideas. The most popular is the electronic presentation. Three of the most popular tools for creating striking and engaging electronic presentations are Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides and Apple Keynote. In this course we will use Google Slides. Key features of Google Slides include:

anywhere access to presentations
any device access to presentations via a web browser or via apps for iOS and Android
exceptional collaboration tools to multiple individuals can work on the same presentation
comments and chat window to facilitate collaboration
embed option to share the presentation online
export option to provide presentation in various vector and image formats

To get started, read the following resources:

Watch the video below to learn about the creation of effective presentations. While the focus of the video is on Keynote and PowerPoint, the tips provided work just as well for Google Slides. You will be required to create a presentation that uses the guidelines provided so ensure one team member has watched and will take responsibility for the direction of your team's presentation.

Add interactive features to a prototype

During the Fall 2018 semester, groups created rough soldering iron prototypes as part of the requirements for Project #1. Watch the video below from Electronoobs.com and read the associated article. While the designer has created a functional, and open source, soldering iron, many of the steps in the process are identical to the development of a prototype. His design is actually the ultimate prototype and includes several ideas that you can incorporate into your own Project #2 prototype.

Of interest is that this soldering iron is based on "off the shelf" items and is powered by an inexpensive $2.00 ATMEGA328P single-chip micro-controller. This is the same chip that powers the Arduino - an inexpensive micro-controller board that is the basis for many maker projects. See this Amazon listing for a complete kit that includes electronic components, sensors, motors, LCD displays and controller.

"The term "open source" refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible."

http://www.electronoobs.com/eng_arduino_tut42.php

IN LIGHT OF COVID-19 LET'S PROBLEM SOLVE THIS TOGETHER: This week, teams will create an interactive prototype for next week's presentation. This prototype will follow the specifications below:

includes sufficient detail to point out key features of the design
is approximately the same size of a final manufactured product
composed of materials that mimic materials used in final project
includes at least two interactive features such as a dial, switch, button or light (these will be actual hardware version of the same or creative reconstructions)
includes at least one text based feature (displays, dials, text, logos, instructions, meters, etc.) that will be designed on a computer, printed and then applied to the prototype

Project two initial presentations (next week)

Students will have 20 minutes during the beginning of class to practice/prepare for their in-class presentations (be sure to review rubric!)
Each team will have four minutes to present (each team member should participate for approximately the same amount of time)
Those not presenting will close all devices, use their notebooks to capture questions/notes, and listen attentively
After each presentation, the instructor will facilitate a critique of the presentation and the design:

Instructions:

Students will be respectful
Comments will be constructive
Students being critiqued will capture critique in their notebooks
Students being critiqued will answer questions non-defensively and encourage continued discussion to improve their presentation and/or design
The instructor will use the following questions to guide the critique:

Presentation:

What did you like about the presentations?
How could the presentation have been more effective?

Electronic Presentation:

What were the highlights of the electronic presentation?
What design changes could be made to the electronic presentation?

Design:

Did the design meet the grand global challenge?
What are the unique features of the design?

Prototype:

How did the prototype assist in the presentation?
What are the unique features of the prototype?

Control a servo motor with an Arduino and rotary encoder

To learn how to add interactivity to your prototypes, we continue our discussion and creation of Arduino projects. This week, you will begin the project found at:

https://www.stevencombs.com/arduino/2020/03/15/elegoo-kit-servo.html

This project builds on our last and demonstrates how to control a micro servo using a rotary encoder. A video I created is also included on the page that provides step-by-step instructions.

Homework

See Course Schedule at: http://bit.ly/design-thinking-course-schedule.

W09: Group: Google Slides presentation (70 points). Use a Google Slides presentation template and create a final project group presentation for next week that includes the requirements below:
- created in Google Slides and submitted as a PDF file (2 points)
- presentation does NOT include animations or transitions (2 points)
- presentation does NOT include any bullet points (2 points)
- presentation includes imaging on each slide (2 points)
- presentation includes a common theme among each slide (2 points)
- follows the guidelines presented in this presentation (10 points)
- includes the following slides:
  - Slide 1: Title slide that includes:
    - public URL to the presentation (2 points)
    - name of the product (2 points)
    - company/team name (2 points)
    - members of the team (2 points)
    - background image with legible text (2 points)
  - Slide 2: Core Values
    - Visually demonstrates all core values (10 points)
  - Slide 3: Creatively demonstrates the grand global challenge chosen by your team to address and includes a sourced data point located during research of the issue (10 points)
  - Slide 4: Shares your preliminary design with the audience (10 points)
  - Slide 5: Presents a call to action that includes why the design is important to the issue (10 points)'Review the rubric provided before submission (10 points)
  - Review the rubric provided before submission
W09: Individual - Control a servo motor using an Arduino (100 points)
- Complete the tutorial found at this link.

NOTE: This tutorial uses the desktop version of the Arduino IDE. The IDE is only available on Macs, PCs, and Linux. If you use a Chromebook, or have issues installing the desktop version, use the online version of the IDE.

Submit a short (20 seconds or less) video video that shows an operational project (80 points)
Submit the Arduino program file (20 points)
Review the rubric provided before submission
You have two weeks to complete this project

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