Lecture Assignments
Assignment 1
During this session, we presented our building block concepts and discussed them with the group to gather feedback. For my concept, the response was positive in terms of clarity and construction. People understood how the parts fit together, and the self-guiding aspect was seen as a strong point. The connections and overall setup were also considered well thought out. At the same time, the main point of critique was that the current version is not yet very tinkerable. Right now, it leans more towards modularity than open-ended tinkering, which made me question where the actual room for experimentation is in the concept.
The feedback shifted my focus from "does it work?" to "what can people actually tinker with?" That was the most useful takeaway from this session. The next step is therefore not only to improve the existing form, but also to add more ways for people to explore and repurpose the block. Some directions that came out of the discussion were adding an Arduino section, testing whether the blocks can be stacked, checking whether they could work with server racks or magnetic mounting, adding a loose cable so the block can connect to other devices through USB-C or USB-A, and exploring whether the system could also function as a laptop stand.
It was also interesting to compare my concept to the building systems made by others in the group. Bas used white blocks with pins and hooks, Ewout worked with wood and bolts, Jasmijn used velcro and attachable shapes, and Tycho built around a power strip. Seeing these different approaches made it clear that connection methods strongly influence how a product invites tinkering. For my own project, that means the next iteration should focus less on neat modularity alone and more on creating clear opportunities for experimentation, adaptation, and unexpected use.
Assignment 2
A second "assignment" involved experimenting with a play kit called Klik Block. The kit was inspired by the video game Minecraft and consisted of square magnetic blocks that could be attached to each other in different ways. Some examples of what we made can be found in the figures below.
Figure 1. The box of Klik Blok.
Figure 2. The contents of the kit.
Figure 3. Starting with building the house.
Figure 4. Close-up of the house.
