This Morning
I started work by meeting with Katie Siek and Ben Jelen about my project for the summer, Empowering Older Adult Crafters to Electronically Enhance Artifacts for Health. I’m going to be assisting with participatory design workshops in which we will learn from older adult crafters, then teach them about electronics, and finally hold a brainstorming session about potential applications of the maker technology.
I have a few ideas about potential applications of the maker technology, like a sensor in a pill bottle to indicate if the medication has been taken already that day. I will also be learning more about the arduinos as well as laser cutting and 3D printing. I’m very excited to start working on the project and to see what ideas the crafters have for potential prototypes.
Then I went to the ProHealth Design Lab Meeting and heard about PhD students’ goals for the summer. The theme of the meeting was Bloomington events, so we heard about Food Truck Friday, the Farmers Market, and the B-line trail. After the meeting I worked on my elevator pitch for my summer project.
This Afternoon
I worked on my elevator speech a little more.
Hi, I’m Anne Freeman. I’m a rising junior at Georgetown University performing research at Indiana University. Maker technology is designed almost exclusively for children but older adults are capable and enthusiastic about learning these skills. We are planning participatory design workshops to teach older adults about electronics and brainstorm possible applications. Our ultimate goal is to form a comprehensive toolkit so older adults can design devices independently.