Resource: Design for Function

Print Background Essay

When faced with a mathematical problem or design challenge, it is helpful to draw or plan an idea on paper before beginning construction. If you are working on a team, the brainstorming process involves communicating your ideas to other team members. Many times it is easier to represent ideas on paper by making drawings.  During the design phase, it is easy to analyze the benefits and disadvantages of a certain design before moving forward to start the building process.

Here are the steps of the design process:

-  Identify the Challenge

-  Research and Brainstorm

-  Design a Solution

-  Test Ideas

-  Evaluate Ideas

-  Build It

This Cyberchase segment focuses on multiple steps in the design process. First the CyberSquad recognizes the challenge they must overcome, which involves creating a means of transportation that would allow them to cross a swamp and then reach the top of a cliff. Next, they brainstorm possible designs for their invention. With the help of Wanda, they are able to draw sketches of a number of ideas, which helps them to identify the best design. For example, Rollerblades© were designed in 1980 by Scott Olson and Brennan Olson, brothers and hockey players from Minnesota. At the time, roller skates had two sets of parallel wheels. After coming across a pair of antique roller skates which featured the "in-line" wheel design, the brothers were inspired to apply the design to a hockey skate. They decided to use polyurethane rollers and a rubber heel brake on their new skate.

The first mass-produced in-line skates had some design flaws, so the designers looked for ways to improve the overall design and function of the skates. In the first design, ball-bearings collected dirt and moisture, and the skates were hard to put on. When the Olsons sold their company, Rollerblade, Inc., the new owners were able to improve the design.  Stronger breaks were used, the wheels were protected, and the skates were easier to put on. While other companies have imitated the design, Rollerblade, Inc. has been an industry leader and has been awarded over 200 pending patents for its various designs.

Site referenced: http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa050997.htm

To learn more about the design process, check out What Is the Design Process? QuickTime Video and Testing with Models QuickTime Video.

To learn about kid designers, check out Kid Designer: A Comfortable Cardboard Chair QuickTime Video.

To learn about kid inventors, check out Young Inventors Flash Image, Kid Inventor: Newspaper Crank QuickTime Video and Kid Inventor: Tennis Ball Picker-Upper QuickTime Video.

To learn more about kids using engineering design principles, check out Automatic Door Opener QuickTime Video and LEGO® Robots QuickTime Video.

Print Questions for Discussion

• What steps did the CyberSquad take to determine the best solution to their problem?
• What were the problems with the CyberSquad's first design? What were the problems with their second design? 
• How important do you think it was to figure out exactly what the invention needed to do before the CyberSquad began coming up with solutions?
• How did the CyberSquad decide which possible solution was the best one to try to build?
• Discuss the positive aspects of teamwork when faced with a problem to solve.