Design Matrix

Fifth grade students in Principles of Design have been learning how to brainstorm ideas and refine them using Fay’s four pillars of design which state that designs should be useful, functional, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing. 

Students broke into groups, and each group received a brown paper bag containing a variety of four or five objects. Bags might include a notecard, a straw, a coffee filter, a plastic cup, some string, a rubber band, a cotton ball, or a popsicle stick. Design Teacher Deborah Morrone Bianco challenged each group to generate as many ideas for things they could create with the items as possible in a set time. 

Brainstorming is about churning out ideas without editing. This can be a challenge as students can be hesitant to suggest or quick to dismiss ideas that sound fanciful. However, it is also the unusual ideas that sometimes spark a great idea. Using recycled items lower the stakes of suggesting an idea and several. For example, one group quickly came up with a list of fourteen items, from a pulley, an ice cream, a necklace, a tower, a boat, to a bathtub. While some groups excelled at generating a steady flow of ideas, others struggled to get beyond three or four ideas and were eager to move out of the uncomfortable brainstorming process and onto the project's next phase. 

Once each group had a healthy list of ideas, they returned to Fay’s four design pillars. Each idea was plugged into a decision matrix chart with a column for each design pillar. The students discussed whether each idea was useful, functional, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing, adding a simple “yes” or “no” in each column and row. Ideas like a “mini-person” or bathtub that scored 0 or 1 out of 4 were discarded. While one group decided to construct a hot air balloon because everyone was excited about the concept, and it scored 4 out of 4 on the matrix. 

After each group constructed their item, they tested it to see if it works and then presented it to the class. Afterward, students provided constructive feedback on each group’s design, and then the groups met for a final time to reflect on their work and discuss what was successful in the project and what could be improved.