TIME BUILDERS

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The Brief: The Importance of Play

The mission of the project was to produce a child's toy that would aid cognitive development in an interactive and creative way.

My final solution to the brief was Time Builders: a creative and educational way for children aged 2-5 to learn how to tell the time, as well as aiding multiplication and problem-solving skills.

Project Completed: Spring 2018

MARKET RESEARCH

Market Research

I began the project by conducting research into what is currently available on the market for children to help with cognitive development, and from there I narrowed down the areas of the market with the most potential, and explored other external factors which would tie in to my final product such as ergonomics for children, as well as health and safety regulations for toys.

SOLIDWORKS

Solidworks Development

This is the final SolidWorks assembly drawing of the product, also with a Bill of Materials showing each individual component.

The number blocks and hands of the clock are separate components to the face. The principle behind the product is to teach children how to tell the time by allowing them to work out the order of the numbers and their placement with the use of colour and shape to help them. There are pre-cut shapes in the face designed for the blocks to be placed in, but the challenge lies in the order of the numbers - the colour and shape of each block associates with the multiple of the number on it, therefore testing the child's multiplication skills in order to work out the right solution.

The hands are clearly labelled as 'hour' and minute' and the minutes of each quarter hour are displayed on the centre circle at the corresponding positions on the clock face, introducing children to the concept of 'quarter past', 'half past' and 'quarter to' the hour when telling the time.

The clock face also acts as a lid to the box beneath, which is to be used as storage for the blocks when not in use.

Branding Development

BRANDING

Once my final concept was complete, I had to decide on a name and branding for the product. I produced 3 different logo design options before deciding on Time Builders.