In August, I barely had an idea of what I am going to do for my thesis project. I was so lost until I made my domain map. At first, I just wrote down everything that came up to my mind- such as things i like, things i hate, things i get inspirations from, etc. I always wanted to do branding project for my thesis, but did not know WHAT kind of brand I wanted to do. After finishing my domain map, I decided to combine 2 things from “things i hate” category and “things i like” category - which are “BUGS” and “TOYS.” When this idea first hit my head, I was excited because it sounded fun and interesting and I really wanted to do this project. Making bug toys was something new that i have never tried before, but it was successful. I got good comments on my critique, and was able to expand my project more and more. At first, I wanted to make toys, box packaging, and advertisement. However, as my project expanded throughout the semester, I added more elements, such as children book. Many people suggested me to make a children book where children can play with the toys while reading the book. Then, I started making children book …and realized making children book is not an easy thing. It was my biggest challenge this semester since I’ve never made a book in my life and making books especially for young children required so many things I didn’t know. I had to work my ass off coming up with the storyline, drawing them on illustrator and coming up with a concept that combines story and toys together (and I’m still working on it. hopefully i can figure it out over the break.) Thus, over the break, I am going to brainstorm more ideas, combine feedback i got from my critique, and research more children books. Moreover, when I go back to Korea, I am going to show my books to my little nephews/nieces and get feedback from them because I think user test is the most important part in my project.

For my final critique, I was able to show my whole process throughout the year. By organizing the files and making the final presentation slides, I was able to look back at my old prototypes and realize how I have developed so far.

It is very interesting how I get different feedbacks everytime I present my work. The feedback helps me to develop my work and come up with a better result. The Final critique was also very helpful because I got a lot of comments from Michael, Jess, and classmates. The problem I had with my children books was that I focused too much on “toy part” that the story line wasn’t fully developed. Danielle gave me a nice comment that I should try to fit toys into story, rather than having story direct book/toys. I feel like this will be my ongoing issue because it is very hard to combine storyline and toys together. Over the break, I am planning to research more children books to get more ideas and better concept. I am definitely going to find Bruno Munari and El Lizitsky (thanks to michael!) Also, I’m going to sketch more storyboards to come up with the best one.

Oh! and I’m also waiting for user test from Jess’s daughter. Hope she liked it… :)

I found a really inspiring toy. Basically, the toy is made of papers with holes in it, so people can connect them with legos through the holes. After looking at this toy, I started to think “what if the toy is made of thick papers, so children have to pick colors, trace the shape, and cut the shape with scissors, then connect the different parts together to complete the toy. In this case, children can use their imagination on colors, learn how to cut well, and learn about body parts!

During the fair, I was able to show my prototypes and concepts to other students from different classes. I was happy that people were interested in my bug toys and wanted to play with them as I explained. I had a print out of information of each bug to show my purpose- “bugs are beneficial to the environment.” Someone gave me a nice feedback that since the information is targeting children, the vocab words should be easy and the sentence should be fun. When I told them I am actually going to make a story book, they all agreed that it is a good idea. Another good point I got from the fair was that one professor told me “kids like to dissect things” and since my bug boys can be disconnected, it is a good concept.

However, when I saw people playing with the toys, I realized that the velcro tape should be replaced with other material. I am still researching on it and trying to figure out the best solution. People seemed they are fine with felt because of its texture and color, so I am still thinking whether I should explore more or not. Definitely for next prototype, I am going to replace velcro tape with other materials and maybe create more bugs with different materials.

I am researching how to make informational bug toys that are engaging and educational because I want to help foster kids positive attitudes towards bugs, in order to help them understand that some bugs are beneficial to the environment and kids shouldn’t be afraid of them.

Annie is a 5 year old girl who HATES HATES HATES bugs. The reason why she hates bugs is because when she was 4, she was bitten by a bee. Her mom got worried every time Annie freaks out after watching a bug, so decided to buy a bug toy to make Annie become friendly with bugs. Annie’s mom went to the toy store and bought a bug toy where children can learn about different body parts and read stories about how the bugs are beneficial to the environment. She thought this toy is perfect for Annie because Annie can not only have fun playing with the toy, but also learn about information/body parts of the bugs. When she brought the toys back home, Annie was curious what her mother bought for her. She showed her interest when she saw the box because the bugs looked friendly and cute. By playing with the toys and reading the story book, Annie started to get friendly with bugs and thanked bugs for existing! :)

lol. i think this story is crap….

1.what remains unknown?
-I’m still not pretty sure about which material to use. For now, felt seems to be the best medium since their texture is nice, they have different colors and it is easy to connect and disconnect. However, i want to explore more.
2.what do you need to discover?
-i need to work on how to make the toy more educational and how i put this into a story book. I need to make the story book interesting because most kids don’t like reading boring texts.
3. what magic may come of this project ? (for you)
-by working on this project, i wish i get rid of my fear for bugs!!!
4. what magic may come of this project ? (for audience)
-i want kids to be familiar with bugs and not afraid of them. Also, I want them to learn about good and beneficial things.

Mid term critique was very helpful and useful. I think it was a nice timing to show my process and prototypes so far. By putting down all the information (introduction, proposal, research) together, I was able to rethink about my overall concept and idea.

From the critique, I realized I need to research more about toys and rival companies. Someone said there is a bug game called “cooties.” The purpose of this game is to build a three dimensional bug-like object from a variety of plastic body parts. I found it similar to my concept since I am also diving the bugs into different body parts and having kids to connect them together to complete the toy. Moreover, I realized I need to put more educational aspect of it. I need to use more academic muscle to examine how my toys can be educational: eg. names of bugs, body parts, functions, the environment. To do this, I was going to make an information card with information about good things about the bugs and how they are beneficial to the environment. However, I got a feedback that kids tend to throw those kind of cards away and focus only on toys. Therefore, I am going to make an interesting story book where it’s about how bugs are beneficial to the environment. I am also thinking maybe I should make a book where kids can actually interact - play with physical object while reading the book.

For next step, I am going to explore more with the materials. I am satisfied with felt right now, but since I know there are tons of other materials to explore with, I want to do experiments with them. I also need to think about more ways to connect body parts other than the velcro tape. As Jess mentioned, I can use zippers or snaps. By experimenting more, I hope I can figure out which one works the best.

The critique was very very helpful since i got a lot of ideas from other people. first-  making the toys informative and educational. Someone suggested that i should make educational toys for kindergarten or elementary school so children can learn different parts of insects, or even build insects. (I’m thinking of using felt for this) The different parts can disconnect, so kids can put them together and by doing this, they are learning about insects. I heard MoMA had a show with toys where they used technology in them, so im going to check that out.