Class Notes from Research Part 2: Experimentation & Selecting a Design Path — Creative Engineering with Mark Rober
- Brainstorm
- Research — we are here
- Prototype
- Final Build
Research
As you are researching, you need to look at the the ideas you have and then start narrowing them down. One way to narrow down designs is to:
Look for open questions and run experiments
Mark calls these ‘Science Fairs’
Build them into your story and video.
Experiments are 4 step process:
- define question and variables
- Get the materials, setup the experiment
- Run the experiment, measure the outcomes
- Analyze data, form conclusions
Independent variable you chose.
Dependant variable you measure.
Watch out for lurking variables. Keep everything the same except for the one thing you changed.
Make sure your materials match.
Your results can be Qualitative or Quantitative.
Quantitative = quantity. A number.
Qualitative = quality or how it felt. How red is it. How jello-y is it.
How to measure speed of something using iPhone slo mo footage (240 frames per second)
( 5.4 x distance ) / slo mo time = mph
Narrow Down Design Choices
4 step process for narrowing down the design choices as well:
- meets the requirements
- has a good story
- maximize simpliciaty, minimize build time.
- works with external constraints
External constraints can be time, money, space, skills
