Making Things Class Narrows Down Ideas

During last week’s Making Things Class, we discussed some tips for creating innovative products. One is to do the opposite, when everyone else is designing towards one direction, go towards the complete opposite way. Another is the principle of subtraction, where reducing certain features of a product can increase its value. For example the invention of stereo player replaced speakers with headphones, reducing its size to make it a portable device. Along with this invention came the need for headphones which didn’t exist before. The design of a new product can introduce a new need that didn’t yet exist.

Each group then discussed their product ideas and evaluated three favorite ones based on  their value propositions, target markets, competitors, required resources and challenges. Some ideas the groups came up with include: a sponge holder that can hang on side of the sink, an attachment to toothbrush that can divert water upward, a toilet paper holder that makes it easier to change toilet paper rolls. During the coming week, we will try to select our final concept!

By: Minion Makers

Find out more about whats happening at the Making Things Class 2015. Stay tuned for updates by subscribing to our blog feed, or just get our posts via email(subscribe on the right navigation). You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on twitter to stay updated.

Making Things Class Examines 3D Printing Opportunities

During this week's Making Things class, we began brainstorming 3D printing opportunities. Four students from last year's class (Brady, Jon, Jake, and Kevin) visited and shared some great advice based on their experiences building and designing their own products. We then came up with various problem areas to address possible consumer needs and ideas to fix those problems. Some of our team's preliminary ideas include redesigning spice jars for easier measuring and creating products using upcycled materials to promote recycling and reusability. We'll begin narrowing down our ideas and decide on a final idea in the next few weeks. Be sure to stay tuned and see what we're up to!

--By Team Repligator

Making Things 2015 Begins!

The 2015 edition of our Making Things Class began last Wednesday with 21 students (7 each from Art & Design, Business & Engineering). During our first session, these students formed interdisciplinary teams, came up with a team name, and designed and printer their team logo. They also participated in an conference call with two members of our MakerLab Advisory Board: Jarrod Phipps (Deloitte) and Zach Kaplan (Inventables). Jarrod and Zach discussed how 3D printers and other new digital manufacturing tools are democratizing our economy and changing the way in which products are made and distributed. They also gave our students some helpful ideas about what types of things they should be making in this course. During the next 15 weeks, our students will be posting weekly updates of their progress along with their reflections of the making process. Stay tuned!

For an overview of what the class did last year, have a look at Making Things 2014.