Design Project One

Progress Report

Redesigning Construction Toys For Terminally Ill Children

Introduction to Engineering Design EDSGN 100
Hufflepuff
Tatiana Klett, tmk5570@psu.edu
Charlie Canby, ctc5299@psu.edu
Kristin Sickau, kxs823@psu.edu
Matthew Li, mwl5628@psu.edu

Submitted to: Dr. Menold

Date: 03/4/2018
Executive Summary- Our team worked to design a construction toy for terminally ill children.
Through external research, surveys, and interviews, we identified a large gap in the market for
this particular population. In order to develop the ideal toy product, we began by identifying the
top needs that the design would need to meet. These included- sterility, safety, durability (in
order to withstand children’s use in and out of the hospital) and an aesthetically appealing
appearance which would be appealing to children between the ages of 3 and 10 years of age. In
order to create a product that met each of these needs, we engaged in multiple brainstorming
sessions which resulted in eighty potential toy designs. Methods like low-fidelity prototyping,
user feedback, a concept selection matrix, and an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) matrix,
allowed us to refine our ideas and narrow down our options to the final prototype which
incorporated all of the features and met the product design needs. We branded the final prototype
as Linx, a construction toy that incorporates a virtual aspect, which allows terminally ill children
to interact with other users while they are hospitalized, strengthening their cognitive abilities
through creative building and construction projects and facilitating social interaction.

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 Redesigning Construction Toys For Terminally Ill
Children

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction 3
2.0 Customer Needs Assessment 3-5
3.0 Conceptualization 5-11
4.0 Preliminary Design 11-13
5.0 Detailed Design 13-16
6.0 Conclusion 16
References 17

1.0 Introduction

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Our group was tasked with redesigning a construction toy for children who may not be able to
enjoy traditional toys. In order to identify our target population of children, we considered
several different groups which might benefit from this new type of toy. The groups included,
children with learning disabilities, children living in refugee camps, and hospitalized children.
After completing a gap analysis of available toy products, we decided to focus our project on
redesigning a construction toy for terminally ill children between the ages of 3 and 10. We used a
traditional design process, focusing on identifying customer needs and researching existing
products. We then took the best features from some of the available products and integrated them
with new and improved concepts and attributes.

Below, we describe the customer needs identified, and how we arrived at each one. In addition,
we assess each need and how it is addressed by existing products and patents to benchmark
available solutions. We then compared existing solutions, to the concepts and ideas we
developed through the pugh chart method. After we completed this, we successfully refined our
ideas to focus on the ones that best met the customer needs for our target population.

1.1 Initial Problem Statement

The initial problem statement given to our team was to redesign a construction toy for an
underserved population of children. We focused on terminally ill children between the ages of 3
and 10 because we had previous experience with this population and personal ties to children
affected by life-threatening conditions. One of our group members had a younger cousin who
was diagnosed with an acute cardiac condition and had been in and out of the hospital for years.
When taking an in depth look at this particular demographic of children, we recognized that they
were primarily restricted to their hospital bed and had minimal social interactions, as they could
not leave their hospital room. The main concerns voiced by parents were that the toy should be
safe, sanitary, durable, so that it would not break if it were dropped, and large enough to be
easily located. In assessing these concerns, along with the needs of our population and applying
these elements to our initial statement, the final problem statement was to:

Design a construction toy that allows hospitalized children to feel a connection to others,
while also providing them with something safe, sanitary, and engaging.

2.0 Customer Needs Assessment

In order to properly gauge what our customers needed without bias or assumptions from our
design team, we conducted telephone interviews, surveys, and external research. The telephone
interviews were to an employee of the Ronald McDonald House at the Children’s Hospital in
Cleveland and to a parent of a child who spent a significant amount of time in the hospital with
their terminally ill child. Our survey was written in a manner that was geared towards parents
who had children suffering from a life-threatening illness. The survey was released to multiple
Facebook groups whose members included parents with terminally ill children. The survey was

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composed of questions that asked parents to identify priorities for an ideal toy for their sick
child; specifically we asked about preferences regarding aesthetics, cleanliness, and durability of
the toys. It also included questions about the length of their child’s hospital stay(s), the quality of
the toys that their child played with while hospitalized, and toy preferences for long-term
hospital stays. Lastly, we did second-hand user research through blogs which gave us additional
insight on parent toy preferences from those whose children had a terminal illness.

Table 1. Initial Customer Needs List Obtained From Telephone Interviews, Surveys, and
External Research
Customer Need Method Frequency

Sterility Interview, survey All participants

Size (large enough to find if Interview, survey All participants

dropped in a hospital bed)

Connectivity Project Requirement ------------------------------------

Cooperative play Interview, blog 2 Participants and blog

Multi-use Interview 1 Participant

Durable (can withstand drops Interview, survey, blog All participants and blog
from hospital beds)

Ease of use (3-10 age range) Interview All participants

Aesthetically pleasing Interview, survey All participants

2.1 Weighing of Customer Needs

After properly gauging our customer needs through interviewing, surveying, and external
research, our team created an AHP Matrix to successfully weigh the importance of each
customer need. We used the analytical hierarchy process to determine the importance of each
category. This was invaluable because it identified the categories which were most important and
which we could not compromise, such as toy sterility. The toy had to be sterile in order to be
safe for children whose immune systems were often highly compromised.

Table 2. AHP Matrix

Size Ease of
Sterility feasibility Connectivity Cooperativity Multi-use Durability use Aesthetic Total Weight

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Sterility 9/5 3 9/4 9/4 9/5 9/5 9/2 17.4 0.246

Size
5/9 5/3 5/4 5/4 1 1 5/2 10.22 0.145
feasibility

Connectivity 1/3 3/5 3/4 3/4 3/5 3/5 3/2 5.13 0.073

Cooperativity 4/9 4/5 4/3 1 4/5 4/5 2 7.18 0.102

Multi-use 4/9 4/5 4/3 1 4/5 4/5 2 7.18 0.102

5/9 1 5/3 5/4 5/4 1 5/2 10.22 0.145

Durability

5/9 1 5/3 5/4 5/4 1 5/2 10.22 0.145

Ease of use

Aesthetic 2/9 2/5 2/3 1/2 1/2 2/5 2/5 3.09 0.044

70.64

As you can see from the AHP matrix, sterility outweighed every other category. This solidified
our earlier findings from external research and interviews. We also found that durability and size
were high on the list. These three needs were the most commonly identified by all of the parents
interviewed and surveyed. Our research confirmed that sterility, durability and size would be the
most crucial aspects of our final design.

3.0 Conceptualization
In order to ensure that we had a full understanding of both the problem and the customer needs,
further research proved necessary. Thus, we undertook additional internal and external searches
of existing toys that were available for our target population. The internal searches were
comprised of aforementioned surveys, blogs, and interviews which provided us with a
foundation to better understand our target audience and their key needs. Literature reviews,
patent searches, and benchmarking served as external searches, and facilitated the transition from
a superficial understanding of the problem definition to a more solution-oriented process. Our
external searches included lists of prohibited toys in hospitals, searches for general construction
toys from Amazon, Target, and ToysRUs, and patent searches for general construction toys,
multipoint touchscreens, and other connectivity via Google Patent.

3.1 Literature Review

After conducting an extensive literature review, we noticed a trend towards magnetic
construction toys for children in the target age range. Products with themes such as outer space
exploration, motor vehicles, construction sites, and more emerged. However, many of these
products incorporated small pieces which could easily be dropped from a hospital bed,
swallowed, or lost. Additionally, hospitals publish lists banning the donation of fabric/plush toys,
sand, clay, balloons, and more (Harrington, 2016). While these products often promote an aura

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of comfort and emotional connection which is commonly lacking in the hospital setting, they are
not considered sterile or safe. Our research confirmed that the existing market lacks a toy with
the ability to be easily sterilized and which would be comforting to younger children, as well as
safe, sterile and durable.

3.2 Patent Search And Benchmarking Of Existing Products

After conducting a literature review, we found many existing registered patents that could meet
some of our customer needs. Thus, we researched several patents that aided us in the design
process. We used these to benchmark pre-existing products which targeted our pediatric
population. The benchmarking confirmed the large gap in the toy market for terminally ill
children between the ages of 3 and 10 who are restricted to a hospital bed.

Table 3. Summary of Patent Findings

Patent name Owner Relevance
Multipoint touchscreen Steve Hotelling, Joshua A. Strickon, A similar touchscreen could serve as the screen for a
US20090096757A1 Brian Q. Huppi possible virtual component of the design

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Combining multiple slate Howard J. Locker, David William Combining multiple touchscreens may be a more
displays into a larger display Critchley III, Mika Majapuro economic alternative for the
US20120062475A1

Magnetic toy or building Robert F Strohmaier The building block portion of our product will be
block consisted of magnetic unit cubes, so a design similar
US3601921A to this will be applicable

Magnetic toy building block Robert G. Duggar A similar item to US3601921A

US2939243A

Toy building block kit and Larry N. Ballard A building toy whose pieces connect in very novel
pieces thereof ways and may give us inspiration in designing our
US4676762A own interlocking mechanism later on

Toy construction kit with Paul Thomas Maddock Similar to US4676762A, but has joint and stick
interconnecting building connecting mechanism kind of like Kinect. May be
pieces used as inspiration for our own design later on
US6059631A

Interconnectable Building Boaz leicht A simpler construction toy composed of unit cubes
Elements For Intellectual that attach and detach with screw-like mechanisms,
Challenge Games may be used as inspiration for own design later on
US20080160875A1

Methods and apparatus for David George Doak, Stephen John If we were to implement a digital and virtual aspect to
constructing virtual Ellis our software as a complement to the physical
environments component of our concept, such methods may be
US6961055B2 useful

Augmented reality creation Glen J. Anderson If an accompanying virtual component were included,
using a real scene this patent may be a good way to combine the virtual
US20130307875A1 and physical components. The physical construction
could be reflected in the virtual environment

Table 4. Benchmarking Similar Products

Features Mega Bloks Magna-Tiles Shape Mags Logitow Koski

Sterilizable 0 0 0 0 0
Size (large enough to find if 0 0 0 0 0

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dropped in a hospital bed)

Connectivity 0 1 1 1 1

Cooperativity 0 0 0 0 0
Replayability 0 0 0 1 1

Durability 0 0 0 0 0

Ease of Use (Age Range 3-10) 0 1 1 -1 -1

Aesthetic 0 0 0 0 1

TOTAL 0 2 2 1 1

After our literature review and patent searches, we learned that the market is heavily saturated
with general interlocking building toys, specifically magnetic connecting toys. However, there
were limited alternative building toys for children between the ages of 3 and 10. Thus, we
utilized benchmarking to brainstorm ideas that would fill this void in the construction toy
market.

3.3 Concept Generation

Once we identified clear concrete needs for our target population, we entered the concept
generation phase. In concept generation, we brainstormed ideas that incorporated either all or
some of the features that met each customer need. Through the 4-3-3 concept generation method,
mock-ups, and other brainstorming ideas, we came up with eighty concept ideas that
incorporated our customer needs in different ways. We used a concept screening matrix to
narrow down our ideas. Because concept generation is a divergent process, concept screening
aided us in successfully narrowing down and choosing the four best ideas.

3.4 Concept Selection

The design phase began with concept selection. To aid us in this process, we used a concept
screening matrix that allowed us to rate each of our ideas against our top customer needs, with a
reference toy that is currently available in the market (MagnaTiles). Our top four ideas were a
magnetic car mat kit, L.I.V., virtual tetris, and sanitizing conductive putty. These concepts met
the greatest number of our customer needs. The final four ideas are sketched and described
below.

Table 1. Concept screening matrix

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 Concept
Variables

Magnetic
Magnetic Car Building Plant Growing
Mat Blocks with Set with Butterfly Growth
Selection Construction Outer Space Construction L.I.V. (Animal Kit with Buildable Build a Stuffed Candy Making Sanitizing Ski Slopes Magnetic Reference
Criteria Kit Theme Aspect IV Machine) Virtual Tetris Habitat Animal Kit Conductive putty Building Set (MagnaTiles)

Sterilizable 0 0 -1 0 0 -1 -1 -1 +1 0 0

Connectivity 1 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 1 1 0

Cooperative
Play 1 1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 0 1 1 0

Multi-Use 0 -1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 1 0 0

Durability 1 0 -1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 0

Ease of Use 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

Size
feasibility 1 1 -1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

Aesthetically
Pleasing 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

Plusses 6 5 2 6 7 3 4 3 8 5 0

Same 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 8

Minuses 0 1 6 1 0 5 4 4 0 1 0

Net 6 4 -4 5 7 -2 0 -1 8 4 0

Rank

Continue? Yes No No Yes Yes No No No Yes No

Sketching Of Top Ideas

Figure 1. Mixed Reality Tetris

While adolescents and adults alike have enjoyed the game of Tetris for years, no one has ever
placed an emphasis on the idea of interlocking blocks. Through a mixed reality adaptation of an
old classic, younger children can engage with peers or parents to place tangible blocks on an
electronic screen and watch them come to life on the board. Additionally, the blocks can be used
as a building block set which can be played with separately.

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Figure 2. Car Mat Magnetic Construction Toy
Since durability and ease of finding the toy in a confined hospital bed prevailed as a key
consumer need, we strived to create toy ideas which could reside on a hospital tray table. Hence,
the idea of a car mat which is table derived. Resembling a cityscape rug which children may sit
on in an elementary school classroom, this magnetic mat contains roads, landscaping, and other
prominent features of a city. Children would use magnetic blocks to create homes, buildings,
sculptures, or other landmarks and they would all be within arm’s reach on their hospital tray
table.

Figure 3. Sanitizing Conductive Putty

Moldable, shapeable putty has been a beloved children’s toy for many years. The ability to make
any shape you want from this malleable, formless mass has been out of reach for hospital
children because of its inability to be properly sanitized. Creating a sanitizable putty would be a
wonderful addition as a hospital toy and making it conductive would be even more appealing.

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Figure 4. LIV.
LIV, pronounced livey, stands for “Live Intravenous” and is designed to allow children to
customize their IV machine, making it child-friendly and fun. Customizing the IV machine,
would allow children to express their creativity and create a theme that is fun, comforting and
original. The LIV can be built to look like animals, plants, favorite characters and anything that
the child desires.

4.0 Preliminary Design

After finishing concept generation, we moved into the preliminary design phase. Once we had
these top four ideas, we began low-fidelity prototyping. Through prototyping, we were able to
test our ideas in the real world and further refine our ideas through a concept selection matrix.
Due to LIV being too far from a construction toy, along with sanitizable conductive putty being
too close to pre-existing ideas, we decided to move forward with our other two concepts.

4.1 Prototyping and Design Reviews

Following aforementioned concept scoring and screening methods, we created low-fidelity
prototypes for our top two ideas: virtual tetris and the magnetic car
mat construction kit.
Virtual tetris served as our first prototype. We created it primarily
to see how users would react to the idea of a “mixed reality”
construction toy. After hearing a brief overview of our problem
statement and attempted solution, all participants then received a
brief moment to freely interact with the prototypes. Our virtual
tetris prototype is depicted on the left, and was tested with two
professors (Dr. Jadrian Wooten, an economics professor, and Dr.
Matthew Peddie, a math professor) and a myriad of students.
Reactions proved mostly positive as they tested the prototypes.
Both professors loved the combination of a physical entity and
electronic component since they had never seen a children's toy of
this nature before. However, none of our users attempted using the
building blocks as their own, separate construction toy, which was a key component of our
prototype. When expressing this concern to one user, she shared that while the various shapes
would be interesting to build with, she saw nothing that set the blocks apart from typical,
everyday building blocks.

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With this in mind, we combined the mixed reality component of the tetris prototype with the idea
of a car mat building set. We veered away from magnetic interlocking technologies and focused
on creating a set of wooden blocks boasting a greater variety of shapes. This time we tested the
product with both our peers and random community members on College Avenue. These
individuals seemed less receptive to the idea than our tetris audience. One user enjoyed the idea
of physical building blocks, but still saw little purpose in using them as a separate toy. Another
wanted to see a more educational component in our toy, along with the ability to create more
diverse shapes and figures.

In addition to interaction with users, we performed an analysis of each prototype’s ability to meet
customer needs as determined by the AHP Matrix. From here, we drew conclusions which
proved integral to our final design. In addition to feedback derived from user interaction, we
used the weights in our AHP Matrix to identify the most important customer needs. While users
loved a mixed reality building toy, everyday building blocks provided limited flexibility in terms
of what one can build and social interaction was identified as the second most important
customer need. For this reason, we shifted toward interlocking, hinging cubes which can be
arranged in many different ways. As opposed to simply creating generic structures, the range of
motion facilitated by our new blocks facilitates creation of any imaginable three-dimensional
structure. For this reason, both the structures appearing on the screen and the non-electronic
construction component were enhanced. Users can still play Tetris or build a cityscape, but these
include only a small fraction of the many possibilities enabled by our final product.

Table 2. Concept Selection Matrix

Magnetic
Car
Mat
Reference Weighted Construction Weighted Virtual Weighted
Selection Criteria Weight (MagnaTiles) Score Kit score Tetris Score
Sterilizable 24.6% 4 0.985 4 0.985 3 0.739

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Size Feasibility 14.5% 2 0.289 3 0.434 4 0.579
Connectivity 7.3% 3 0.218 3 0.218 4 0.290
Cooperative Play 10.2% 3 0.305 4 0.407 5 0.508
Multi-use 10.2% 3 0.306 5 0.510 3 0.306
Size (Can Withstand
Drop from Hospital
Bed) 14.5% 3 0.434 3 0.434 2 0.289
Ease of Use 14.47% 3 0.434 3 0.434 2 0.289
Aesthetically Pleasing 4.37% 3 0.131 4 0.175 4 0.175

Net 3.103 3.597 3.176

Rank 3 1 2
Continue? Yes Yes

5.0 Final Design

Our final design, Linx, supplies terminally ill children with a safe and sanitary construction toy
that can be easily contained within their hospital bed, along with the added bonus of social
interaction with nearby users. From the sleek design of hollow cubes, along with arms that
successfully connect each cube in an array of ways, Linx gives hospitalized children a
construction toy like never before. The underlying idea is that children that otherwise could not
interact with each other, are able to build and interact together in creating and designing
construction projects. They can physically build and design anything that they wish and virtually
share it. Our design combines the virtual and physical world so that hospitalized children with
restricted mobility can feel like they are not missing out on what every other healthy child
experiences. Included below are photos of our final prototype, both in person and on Solidworks.

Photos Of Our Final Prototype

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5.1 Design Drawings and Parts List
Our base set includes ten cubes along with twenty connectors. Additional sets which include
other 3D shapes and objects can be purchased separately. The base set runs on any iPad, tablet or
other mobile device. The cubes are .245 inches, and the connectors .25 inches. Detailed
Solidworks model drawings of both the cubes and connectors are shown below.

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5.2 How does it work?
Our product includes cubes and connectors that attach to each other through annular snap fits,
engineered to attach and detach smoothly. The blocks contain electronic hardware: RFID chips
that allow each block to be recognized. NFC chips on each side of the blocks facilitate
recognition among each other, accelerometers track the blocks physical orientations as well as
microcontrollers and wireless transmitters that send the combined information to each users
electronic device. The interactions are all controlled through an app on the mobile device.

The app allows two basic methods of play. The first is a refined version of our original car mat
concept, and facilitates block placement or unique construction design on the screen via
interactive, 3D mapping. Placing the blocks on the screen registers as touches, which the NFC
chips recognize as individual blocks. The app uses the RFID chips to recognize which individual
block is being placed on the screen. In addition, the app recognizes a completed construction
project. The user will also be able to save designs digitally for future use.

The second method of play includes a virtual environment that supports interactive play and
creates a mirroring of the block placement on the second players app. Each block will be
recognized as a unique entity, and the orientation of the blocks will be identical to how the user
connects them. When a physical construction is made, an identical virtual one will appear in the
second users app. Each user will be able to spin and orient their construction project, which will

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be reflected in the virtual environment. The users will be able to save designs digitally for future
use. Each user has the ability to watch other users build and design things in real time and
exchange design ideas. The game includes an online platform where users can download and
share designs.

6.0 Conclusions
After completing Project 1, our knowledge and ability to apply, the engineering design process to
a real-life problem became more concrete. While we encountered several roadblocks, unexpected
failures, and surprising user reactions, we analyzed such responses and leveraged them to adapt
the components of our prototypes and further test them. Greater creative freedom ensued as soon
as we drifted away from the tetris idea, and applied its mixed reality feature to a more versatile,
attractive building design prototype. After making necessary adjustments, our final design, the
Linx building toy, allowed us to successfully meet all of the top target population needs. It
provides a sterile, safe, durable design toy that facilitates social interaction through connectivity
and cooperative play. The main shortcoming is in the size of the toy components. While not
explicitly expressed as a consumer need, some individuals mentioned the struggle of losing small
toys in a hospital bed. The final size of the Linx design blocks is .25 inches which may not be
easy to find if dropped in the child’s hospital bed. However, the added feature of including a
virtual interactive play mode should result in additional benefits which overcome the
shortcomings of the block size. While building block sets and/or design apps are fairly common,
there are no existing toy products that combine the two ideas and facilitate interactive block
design play. Through Linx, we believe that we are filling a gap in the existing toy market, by
providing a sterile, safe and durable construction design toy that allows terminally-ill,
hospitalized children to engage in fun, stimulating and interactive play.

References

Damljanovic, M. (2018, January 22). [Personal interview by T. Klett].

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Harrington, Z. (2016, December 14). Seven tips for donating to hospitals [Blog post].

Retrieved from Lasso the Moon website:

https://letslassothemoon.com/2016/12/14/donating-toys-to-hospitals/

Miller, J. (2018, January 21). [Personal interview by K. Sickau].

Purnell, E. (2018, January 21). [Personal interview by K. Sickau].

Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. (2018, January 23). [Personal interview by T.

Klett].

Sauer, M. (2014, February 20). Hard to believe [Blog post]. Retrieved from Celebrating

the Life of Ben Sauer website: http://bensauer.blogspot.com

Silverman, M. (2014, December 12). Tis the season to donate to your local hospital.

Retrieved February 28, 2018, from Emergency Physicians Monthly website:

http://epmonthly.com/article/tis-the-season-to-donate-to-your-hospital/

Toys and personal items for patients. (n.d.). Retrieved from Seattle Children’s Hospital

website: http://www.seattlechildrens.org/ways-to-help/donate/toys/

Wyers, A. (2017, November 17). Mixed reality toy blocks. Retrieved February 28, 2018,

from Trend Hunter website: https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/building-blocks-for-kids

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