Wrong theory design at the 2018 ABQ Mini MakerFaire

With students from my Creativity and Technical Design course, I presented all weekend at our MakerFaire. We had lots of great conversations about how and why wrong theory works. We brought some simple design challenges for people to try:

• Design a key management tool to help you organize your keys
• Design a green chile peeler so you don't get burned
• Design an earbud/cord tangle-prevention system
• Design an assistive device to make opening doors easier

The idea of the green chile peeler resonated with many of our New Mexico locals.  

We brought lots of materials for people to prototype with. And mostly, they ignored the design challenges and just had some fascinating material conversations. 

A few insights, that I will carry with me as I work on my CAREER project:

• The value of mess. When the table looked tidy, people were less willing to get started. On Saturday, things were pretty neat at the beginning, and it took time for people to get going, and they seemed pretty constrained even when they did. On Sunday, I deliberately messed things up a bit before people arrived. People got right into it. 
• Quality versus quantity engagement. In 2014, we brought design challenges and 3D printers to the MakerFaire. We had MANY visitors, but they stayed for 5-10 minutes. Mostly we gave a quick overview of how different printers work, then answered questions. Shallow engagement. This time, we had fewer visitors total, but they spent much longer—4 stayed for over 2 hours, and 20 for over 1 hour. We always had a small crowd around the tables, working quietly and steadily. 
• Framing expectations. "What am I supposed to make?" "Do you have an example?" Some people expected that there was a right answer or a specific thing they were supposed to create. When invited to make whatever they wanted, to mess about, some people looked intimidated and others excited. This tells me (1) that people—especially adults—don't get many opportunities to mess about, and (2) that we need to better frame such experiences to invite people in. I wonder what was behind that sense of intimidation, and what was tied to it. I suspect some thought that I secretly did know the "right answer" but was just being mean and withholding it. Or that there was a rubric ready to judge the quality of their work. On the whole, adults were much more editorial and planful than kids. Younger kids dove right in and had vision for the materials quickly.  In both cases, some of the creations became at least briefly cherished objects, displayed for others proudly, and others were abandoned. 
• Material conversations. I introduced the idea of design as material conversations with a number of people. Kids and adults alike took to this idea, announcing that particular materials spoke to them, and that they were "listening" to what they wanted to become. Very little was treated as "being" materials. One of my favorite creations was made by a young girl who repurposed a yellow measuring tape, attaching it to a cup-like lid and adding copper tape accents. This inspired other makers, including several adults who were impressed by her aesthetic. Below, the top three photos of things kids made, and the bottom three are things adults made. 

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