Water Xylophone

Kesariya, Adyana, Nate

Project Statement

؜This device is a two-person musical instrument intended to foster social collaboration and challenge fine motor skills for people on the Autism Spectrum (ASD).

We wanted to take on the research because we care for the people who are part of the Autism Spectrum (ASD) and have similar conditions.

؜modality and The project reaching as many out to more people is what we want for this project. the general population as well.

Overall, creating a physical installation that looks fun to use

Our Thesis

؜Finding a User

Why interview:

1. To avoid making assumptions to focus more on solving real problems
2. interviewed the user's parent to get a better understanding of who they were
3. their likes and dislikes

About the User:

1. Nine years old
2. Enjoys structure and routines
3. Struggles with Rs, Ls, Ts
4. Interested in Arts, Games, and Music

Some questions included:

1. What is your current support doing well?
2. What tools ( or products ) does your child use?
3. What are some of your child's biggest strengths or areas of interest in free time?

Some of this seems like stuff you could say just keep the KEY details and write in bullet points

Project Paths and Directions

Fine Motor

Social Skills

Emotional Regulation

؜Food

؜General Motor

Speech

Loud Sounds

We identified seven categorizes following interviewing our user.

Thus we went down seven paths of ideation until...

Project Paths and Directions

Fine Motor

Social Skills

Speech

We identified seven categorizes following interviewing our user.

Thus we went down seven paths of ideation until...

We decided on three!

This slide is PEAK

3 Options

From there we developed three project directions.

؜All of this text should be said, make 3 icons or images evenly displaced horizontally that represent your ideas

3. Instrument

2.Game

1.Chair

Instrument

؜We decided on creating an instrument to:

1. focus on 2/3 categories being
2. Social skills and fine motor skills.
3. Specific to our user

Ideating Build

؜Two person instrument: this allows for users to have social connection while doing something they enjoy!

One person makes the note while the other changes the pitch by changing the level of water in the cups

To change the pitch, one has to use fine motor skills based off of existent theraputic games with screws.

bowls instead of cups bc we couldn't find enough

Precedents

Conceptual / Visual Precedent

Water Xylophone

Technical Precedent

Camping Sink

Visual / Technical Precedent

Game with Screws

Prototyping

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

Key parts of our build were

The frame: where the system would be housed

The drainage system: how someone would allow for water to fall in or go out

The Arches: where the bowls would be held

؜Frame

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜The frame: where the instrument lives

We went through many iterations. One of the main ones was changes in thickness depending on material use.

Acrylic or Wood? Both!?

prototyping

؜ expand this

؜Frame

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜

Before making our decision...

We made a prototype out of cardboard first under the dimensions for acrylic depth

prototyping

؜ expand this

؜Frame

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜

Remaking the model: we adopted thin wood for our bottom base, thicker wood for the supports, and acrylic for the top reservoir.

We also shrunk our model to four bowls instead of six.

prototyping

From there we developed three project directions. The first was to design a new kind of chair for the classroom. As we grow older and, these previous seating choices are limited if offered at all. These chairs in the classroom are also meant for school-year children with vibrant colors, floor seating, or smaller sizes. We were thinking about how to design more options that could be appropriate in adult environments.

We swayed away from this in order to center our project more around our user and due to

for people with are neurodiverse and to make it accessible for higher levels of education, such as universities, where seating options become limited.

working on making a sleek design to help children they grow up

؜Mini iterations for Design

1. One Support Shorter
2. Slanted floors: guides water to plumbing
3. Hole for plumbing
4. Side cabinets for plumbing

*Inside View

؜Frame

prototyping

؜Arch Supports

؜How were we going to support the weight of the bowls on the box?

We went with arches to hold them.

؜ expand this

Arch Support

؜- Having the gaps and the arches allows the plumbing and the valves to ave acess to the water

؜- using a lip to secure its place rather than a flat stand, so as not to disrupt the sound vibrations of the glass bowls

؜Pinch valve

؜- A valve the will pinch the tubing forcng the water to stop

؜- Demonstration with a screw and bolt

؜Prototyping: water valves

We had to print many times because the calculations were a bit difficult. And also understanding the location of the valve itself.

Valve

؜Handle

؜ expand this

Iteration I Pinch valve

Iteration II Pinch valve

؜

؜- Keeping the function of the valve the same but changing the desing

؜- Be able to stick to the arch base of the bowl so it can screw secrewly in

؜We ended up with three types of materials:

Thick Wood

Cut with a handsaw then ____

Thin Wood

Laser Cut Pieces

Acrylic

Laser cut pieces

؜

Top Resevoir

prototyping

Printed six three by three scrap pieces؜

Tape Tension

Superglue

Silicone Calking

؜Building

؜

Thick Wood

Cut with a handsaw then ____

Thin Wood

Laser Cut Pieces

Acrylic

Laser cut pieces

؜

thick wood

thin wood

acrylic

bottom

Building

bottom

tape tension and superglue

Calking after dry

Building

؜Laser cut arches and glued them

؜

Arch Supports

Build

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

؜The Water Xylophone

group photos

next steps:

1. 3d print?
2. switch the pump for the right thing
3. go on vacation play music

All Photos

All Photos

؜The Water Xylophone

Thank You for Listening!!!

Any questions, meet us at our table in the fishbowl

Key takeaways from the project

--> When wanting to create something for a specific target audience or user group. Meeting and working side by side with that group is important; don't make any assumptions

-->This project is more of an art installation than a product, and if we were to do it again,n we would have focused more on making the physical product than on the software ideation.

--> The ideation process can be long and difficult, and being okay with the uncertainty

Drumroll...

Prototyping : The Base

1. ؜Depth: changed based off of the material we chose to use. begun with one inch everything thinking we would need thick wood to hold it together
2. individual pieces: changed the base to be four pieces instead of its individual components like the walls bottom and top. this turned out to be too big for the acrylic and wood we were using. needed to redo it and scale it down
3. acrylic or wood? both!
4. change the thickness to account for two types of wood and the acrylic too.

Testing: the top rreservoir

We wanted to test the silicone caulk first before going on to the real thing. We printed out six 3x3 acrylic scrap pieces to try!

The strategy we used was to first use tape tension to line the pieces up, superglue them, then wait for them to dry before moving on to the calking gun.

؜Material analysis

Thank you for listening

Project Paths and Directions

؜Instrument

Chair

Game

... we picked three

Fine Motor

Social Skills

Speech

?

After ؜many ideating sessions and sketches...