I’ve made substantial progress since my last blog post. I currently have a physical prototype of “BoxBox”, and I must say I am quite pleased with how it turned out. However, I have also thought of a different method of using music to help individuals.
Problem (Definition Statement): People should be able to practice/learn music while staying engaged and motivated, building discipline and healthy habits. They should be able to develop skills for a respective instrument if consistent practice is imminent. A user using this product should be someone who is interested in music but lacks the motivation and time to learn/practice.
Research: I’ve noticed/learned that people tend to participate in productive activity with the presence of an adult/older figure near. Additionally, there is an immensely increased percentage of people under age 18 with lower attention span, so I will have to make this tool entertaining and force the individual to practice/study without outside distraction.
Solution: Still quite confident in BoxBox. I know the primary goal of our personal projects is to help others with problems they face, but my secondary goal is to get better at designing via Onshape and using circuits and TinkerCad; building skills that will ultimately help me in the future (whether I choose to pursue something that requires those skills or not).
Progress: Built my first physical prototype.
Here are some photos:
Box
Box
Pros:
- Dimensions of the box are perfect (in my opinion)
- Looks pleasing, outside boxes (for the cards that tell the person how long practice will take and what to practice) are nicely sized and fit.
Cons:
- Dimensions of the rod that connects the top of the box to the box itself is too large; will have to adjust.
Challenges: How do I create a circuit that closes the top of the box? This will be a challenge. I am working towards becoming more comfortable with circuits.
Next steps: Adjusting my prototype, learning more about how circuits work and what pieces I will need for my build. I know it is a bit early to be thinking about my persuasion speech at UVic, but I am thinking about how I will execute my speech and how the tool/solution I use will depict my speech.
AI Assistance: Not too much so far. Will definitely consider using AI when getting into circuits.
AI Transcript with Notion: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XEm13px_Pq3XQm98LWxX6on6m452WKLjDp3Bs0P74kg/edit?tab=t.0