Boys and girls in collaborative design workout create a sparkling music glove!

1) The originalMini-MU KIT FOR KIDS

1) The originalMini-MU KIT FOR KIDS

2) THORT’s sPARKle Glove modified by kids

2) THORT’s sPARKle Glove modified by kids

We cut and sewed the glove out of felt and overcame some problems along the way.

  1. Pattern too big: The pack suggest it can be made for an 8 year old, but the smallest pattern offered in the pack is far too big for this age.

    • Solution 1: Lay the girls hand on the felt and outline it loosely in another colour.

  2. The wires were considered messy: The large loose wires displeased the girls sense of design, but not the boys.

    • Solution 2: Replace wires with conductive thread and sew circuits into the design.

    • We also moved the loose wire from the battery pack inside the glove and used non-conductive thread to harness it in place (so it didn’t get tangled in fingers when putting on the glove. We then cut a hole in the fabric to allow the wire to come forward and plug neatly into the microcontroller.

  3. Crocodile clips shifted: As the hand wriggled, the connections became faulty connections, especially at the edges and had to be reconnected.

    • Solution 3: Bolt the microcontroller to the speaker at the edges. We scavenged screws from a micro:bit coin battery power supply And used them to attach the two holes at the edges where the metal of the screws consolidated the need for a conductive agent.

    • (We also experimented with small metal paper clips to joining them but they tended to slip as the hand moved and sometimes created a short circuit.)

 
 

Girls and boys made unique contributions to the final design:

  • The boys seemed to enjoy the large stiff glove but some of the girls wished for softer fabric.

  • A girl suggested we try stretchy fabric so it can fit many size hands. — but we mustn’t let it fray.

In response, we cut out a fabric glove from unwanted scraps. The bolt connection took less space so the palm of the hand was now free:

  • the girls asked to add sparkles to the now-free space on the glove.

  • The boys asked to make the lights flash in time to the music.

At the end we asked which glove they preferred:

  • 12% of boys preferred the original large felt glove with crocodile clips.

  • 100% girls and 88% of boys preferred the later THORT Spark design.

… and many favoured it because ‘they had a say in the final design’.

 

The real value of a collaborative Open Voice process

The real win was to create an online space where both girls and boys felt free to express themselves without judgement, and to agree or disagree with no consequences. This created a dynamic pace for them to ;earn and innovate with no Ego or restraint.

 
 
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Solution: THORT Wave aims to share global expertise with African youth:

  1. Host an open source platform linking African development hubs, services, resources and support.

    We share our resources and learning, so teachers, parents and grandparents can benefit via:

    - The Wall of Fame for successes

    - The Process for learning based in the MIT process

    - Supply sources in Africa, and names of available tech experts to guide new learning.

  2. Run an Online Competition for schools and communities.

    Core products for 100 kids will be sponsored - at least 50% must be girls.