loc bloc toy

8/14/2019 Loc Bloc Toy

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Yoon Seo Bae...Jacqueline Hon...Sean Jo...Zackary Laut hDesign Research and Development Spring 2 009

Prof essor : Kimberly Snyder


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Project Statement

Loc Blocis an int eract ive childrens t oy t hat inspires independence, mot or skills, basic geomet ry,

and creat ive t hinking, for all children 2+ years. Loc Bloc makes no seperat ion between the visually

impaired and sighted children - equally as fun for everyone.

We employ t he classic building blocks with noise makers, tact ile response, and magnet s that def y

normal block st acking abilit ies to furt her engage the children in play as well as t he social skills of

cooperat ive play, and fine mot or skills. The noise makers give audio feedback whet her by just shakingt he block or as their creation comes crumbling down.

On an educat ional level, Loc Bloc comes included wit h an interact ive book. Each page of t he book

ut ilizes the different block shapes to create pict ures, when the correct shape is put in place it snaps

in, so t hey know t hey got it right. The skill level of t he book pages increase as the child grows, making

Loc Bloc a t imeless toy everyone can enjoy.


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Research

At ypical Child Development 2-3 y rs Old

Physical Development

- Moves around large obst acles- Walks up and down st airs with help- Squats, runs,jumps, climbs, throws- Stacks large object s- Uses hands for complex t asks- Copies simple shapes

Mental Development

- Likes to be praised aft er doing simple tasks- Plays with ot her children- Underst andsRules- Communicat es Clearly- Asks many quest ions

- Simple puzzles, sorts object s and counts

2 - 2.3

4.1 - 5

Average widt h and lengthof childs hand from 2 -5years old

Cognitive Development

- Child can thinkabout object s, people, or events intheir absence

- Child learns not only by sensing and doing, but byt hinking as well

- Basic underst anding of cause and efect


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Market Research

Images are t aken fro m t he

internet as well as at the

schools we visit ed.

A lot of t he toys were very

colorful and had a lot of

freedom on how to play

with it .


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Ideation


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Prototyping

Prot ot ypes were made with b asswood.Textures and objects t o create sounds used were household items.

Idea of game: int roduce concept of t wo halves making a whole.Matching and sorting wit h blocksSt acking with less limit at ions - because of magnet s embedded inside the blocks.


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User Testing

We t ested out our prot ot ype with sight ed chidren aged 10+m onths t o 3-6 y rs old.The 10 m ont h old baby could hold on t o t he block and when encouraged shook t he block in hishands. He also responded t o sounds of t he block when we shook it around him.Wit h t he 3-6 years group, they enjoyed stacking and matching t he sounds that t he blocksproduced when shaken. We also blindfolded some of t he children t o let t hem experienceplaying with t he blocks without vision.The size of t he blocks were perfect, however the t extures were gett ing in t he way of t hestackability of t he blocks. Lips will be added around t he t extures, some of t he problematict ext ures will also be changed.


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Design Development

Aft er user t esting, idea of game st ation came to us where all t he blocks would be boughtwith a set of t emplat es as well as a magnetic plat form f or children to play. With t he additionof t he t emplat es, older children would be able to play a diff erent game wit h t he same blocks.There will be differences in diff icult y t o enhance engagement and int erest .

The game platf orm can be used on a regular t able or set on t he floor in convenience ofclassroom or home environment s. The magnetic t able top will allow t he children t o st ack

and use the t emplat es wit hout t he need t o fear losing t he blocks when playing.


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Materials and Processes

omitting household items in blocksas well as the recycled fabric samplesfrom the materials library

Loc Bloc will be manufact ured using

a natur al kiln dry process, in place

of chemical t reat ment, t o preserve

and st abilize t he wood, t hus making

it preservat ive-free.

Loc Bloc will be finished wit h non-

t oxic lacquer paint .

New materials for t actile funct ionare upholst ery text iles wit h diff erentt extures, found at t he DonghiaMat erials Library.


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3.0

0

3.30

1.65 1.65

3.5

0

2.50

91.32

9.26

3.38

88.68

10.50

3.0

1

R2.83

3.01

10.

50


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Product Illustration


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Final Model

User Scenario

Loc Bloc can be played diff erent ly as the child grows. First asa rat t le at age 2, t hen it can be played wit h as st acking blocks.Creativ it y is encouraged as children can st ack wit h less limit .As they get older t hey can also use t he templates to creat eabst ract images by mat ching t he shapes on t he t emplat es.

Loc Blocis universal, whet her or not child is sighted, he or shecan have fun.


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Resources

The Measure of Man and Woman, Alvin R. Tilley & Henry Dreyf uss Associat es, Whitney Library o f Design, New York1993

The Baby Book: Everyt hing You Need t o Know About Your Baby f rom Birt h t o Age Two, William Sears, Lit t le, Brown,1993

American Foundation for t he Blind, htt p:/ / www.afb.org/

The Lighthouse Child Development Center, 1 11 East 59 t h St reet, New York, New York

The Jewish Guild for t he Blind, 15 West 65 t h St reet New York, NY 10 02 3-6 60 1

Donghia Materials Library, 2 5 East 1 3t h St reet , New York, NY 10 01 1

loc bloc toy

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