Semester 2 - Week 3

Shaping Progress: Testing Lamp Forms and Light Interactions

These weeks, we went on our Passover break, but still made significant progress in developing and testing our product.

We used a 3D printer to create several different shapes for the lamp and went out for initial testing sessions. Our goal was to explore which shapes children found most intuitive and engaging, and to get a better sense of how the lamp should look and feel.

In addition to testing shapes, we also tested two interactions of the lights: one option in which, each day when the user completed an activity, the light was added in an order and counting up, versus a randomized light model in which lights appeared more unpredictably based on progress.

The early tests made it clear that children found the quantitative model easier to understand - they could connect their effort with the visible progress. However, this raised an important question for us:

While the quantitative model improves clarity, we are not entirely sure it aligns with the deeper goals of our research - fostering intrinsic motivation rather than emphasizing external counts and measurements.

This insight gave us a lot to reflect on as we move forward. We're excited to keep exploring how to design a meaningful experience that feels intuitive, motivating, and aligned with the core values behind the project.