Development of Ideas and Co-design

Ava Shepherd
Apr 21, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Apr 22, 2022

Designers: Ava Shepherd, Parth Loliyania, Willow Yan, Ziyuan Dou

Regrouping our Ideas

Following last week we decided to regroup online on Monday to discuss where we want to go from here. We posed the option to change from rats to a different non human if anyone wanted to. However we all agreed that if we push through this rough patch we will come out with a design we all like.

Following this we brainstormed potential new avenues to follow. I suggested potentially creating a way to build tunnel systems under peoples homes so that rats can move around the city easier. However from this Parth then suggested what if instead they could cut just through walls? If fences and walls in London had passages they could cut through instead. We all really liked this idea as then we are creating a tunnel system in an area they can not bury through like they would with our previous ideas.

Tunnels in fencing

When walking around London we have all noticed these brick fences that fun all along the city. They often go for very long stretches without any breaks. So if a rat wanted to get to the area behind, it would have to run all the way along and around. However what if we designed a brick that could be used along the bottom of the wall and create quick and safe passageway.

For this idea we drew inspiration from the Bee Bricks that are being rolled out in Brighton. These are new bricks that will be used on developments over 5m tall to help bees and other small bugs roam around the city freely.

Building the Bricks

On Tuesday Parth went into LCC to build our first prototype in the 3D workshop.

We all agreed that we wanted it to be slightly larger than a normal brick so that it would definitely fit rats through it.

Co-design

While we all really liked this new idea we we unsure how we could continue the idea of co-design with rats like we had with the old tunnels. We wanted there to be at least one element that the rats could tale charge of themselves.

Rats are notoriously known for chewing through things. So we wondered what would happen if we made a 'door' that they could chew through... then they could still use they chewing instinct and have a safe passage. This lead us to our next idea of adding an additional layer to our tunnels that the rats can chew through and help co design the pathway they want to follow. Following this we decided to try a few different food options.

Therefore while Parth was at LCC I started making a possible food 'door' at home.

We decided to try make something that would be appealing to rats (with a strong smell) and completely safe. From this and what we had in the house I tried making a door from dog food and boiling sugar

Time lapse of trying to make our food door

Dog Food 'Door'

Making this first 'Door' was a really good learning stage. What we discovered from this is that while it worked really well. It was way too heavy and too think to attach to our bricks. We instead need something that can be made a bit thinner and has more movement. Once the sugar hardened it became a brick and would snap slight morphing of the shape. This was not what we wanted

Following this we decided that tomorrow Ziyuan and Willow would experiment making another kind of door that was not as heavy and more durable. While I would go into LCC to finish building the other 3 bricks that we need for Thursday. we decided to also try build one brick with a tube inside to see the different outcomes.

Building the bricks

Once I had built the other bricks Ziyuan and Willow came to LCC to join me and help attach their new food door that was made from bird seed.

Prototype with the door

Interim Presentation

This week we had our official Interim Presentation with Takram. The feedback we received this week was the complete opposite of last week. Generally everyone really liked our design and thought we are heading in the right direction. There was obviously still questions about how we will tackle the stigma around rats. However for now we feel like our main focus should be on the design itself and that will come with time. It was really motivating receiving positive feedback this week and after last week we all felt quite disheartened.

Overall we all really happy with how this week has turned out and now just needed to start testing our design. Earlier this week we put up a sign in LCC asking if anyone had any pet rats. While we did not hear back about a rat, we did hear about a hamster. So we have a hamster testing our products over the weekend!

Reflection

This week has been really positive for us. We feel like we are finally making progress to an idea we love. This week has really showcased that prototyping works best for our group. We all have different strengths and being able to freely explore different avenues and work with trial and error I think it working really well for our group. While some ideas do not end up getting used or were dead ends, they have always lead us somewhere new which I think is really beneficial. I am definitely learning a lot about my working style over this project.