2013 Team (Michael, Madisen, Alonso, me, Jessy, Natalia)
Prototyping a Bike Computer
Human-Centered Design & Engineering is a field of study in which “putting people first, we research, design, and engineer interactions between humans and technology.”
An essential part of the field involves prototyping interactive systems. Prototyping refers to the process of trying out design ideas and evaluating them before committing to a finished engineering solution.
In this short workshop, we explore both the design and engineering aspects of the prototyping process, applying that methodology to the challenge of developing a bike computer for different kinds of cyclists.
Gallery
Click to see a gallery of images from the 2013 workshop
Click to view 2013 students’ summary presentation
Schedule
This is a compressed, fun, whirlwind version of the user-centered design process! Here is a summary of the three days’ activities:
| Day | Design | Engineering | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research: brainstorm cyclist computer needs | Physical Computing: Intro to Arduino, “Hello, World!” | Use personas to represent users |
| 2 | Ideation: create bike computer UIs | Sensors & Displays: Magnets, LCDs, speed algorithm | Embrace the constraints |
| 3 | Evaluation: test and summary report | Prototype: implement and test | Test designs with hardware and software |
Resources
- Bike Computer Design Brief: Bike Computer brief.pdf
- Physical Computing Intro: Physical Computing.pdf
- Bike Math Calculation Worksheet: bikemath.rtf
- LCD Layout Worksheet: LCD Layout.pdf
- LCD Commands: LCD Commands.rtf
- Thermometer Arduino code: Temperature.txt; hardware: schematic, photo
- MagTest Arduino code: MagTest.txt
- SpeedCalc Arduino code: SpeedCalc.txt
- SpeedLCD Arduino code: SpeedLCD.txt
