After lots of prototyping and testing yesterday, we sat down today and analyzed the tests and concluded with the fact that all our prototypes and tests have failed and that we were still missing a real problem.

Good thing that failure is encouraged in this course/project, as long as we take valuable lessons away from it. This is exactly what we have done. This week, we’ve learned a lot about how to work with each other, or not to work with each other. Create a team dynamic that we can take with once we’re back in Sweden and have 9 hour time difference again. 

The morning therefore went by really quick and we were ready for our presentation in the afternoon. The presentation itself went really well and we received some important input from the teaching team. Once the presentation was over, we discussed a quick game plan on how to tackle the next mission and decided to wrap it up. 

In the evening all ME310ers met again at the loft for a SUDS dinner. The last dinner before heading back to Linköping! 

We spent an incredible interesting time here at Stanford University with lots of new experiences. The Stanford team will come to Sweden in March for a week to work with us, before we go back to Stanford in June for the final presentation! 

Xo

Florence

Today was all about finishing up our first challenge as an entire group, a critical experience prototype. 

Since we’re looking into rescues in difficult to reach terrain, we came up with a bunch of problems that could come up or improvements for current procedures. 

One big problem we identified was communication devices among rescuers but also the quantitative and qualitative communicaton between each other. These problems were derived from interviews and observations in rescue missions. 

Based on these observations, we came up with a prototype to automate commands while doing a ground search and rescue around Stanford University campus. The testing was a complete fail and the result was the exact opposite of what we expected. 

After the testing, we made our way back to the loft and analyzed the challenge again and came up with 2 more scenarios. One scenario was to train the rescuers eyes and another one was to find a victim in a dark room (burning fire) with a map. Both tests were yet again fails. 

After those fails, we decided to call it a day and go to cheesecake factory for dinner before heading home. 

Tomorrow is another day to prototype and test and hopefully succeed! 🙂

Xo

Florence

It was a long day, it was a very long day! 🙂

We met the Stanford team at the d.school at 9:30am and left the building shortly before 9pm again! 

What did we do for this long? Basically brainstorming user needs and creating questions that are relevant in the need space. The discussions were very interesting and intense, so time passed very fast until 4pm. Around that time we started to get really powered out, but still had so much left to do that we just kept going and going and going until the power was fully out around 9pm. 

It’s difficult to work such long days but at the same time it is very important for us as we’re only now being in the same timezone. Once we fly home it’ll be a lot more difficult again with 9hrs time difference, so this is time here should be high quality time. Not only for school work, but also about getting to know your new teammates and how they work.

Additionally, we have to present a critical experience prototype on Tuesday where we still have to do testing and analysis and so forth. 

Overall, great day, great experience! I’m looking forward to some more! 🙂 

Xo 

Florence

Finally, it was the day of the paper bike challenge! Every year during the kick-off, each team is competing with their previously built paper bike against each other! 

Approximately a month ago we were given the instructions for this challenge and started designing and building it. The instructions were simple, it had to be built out of paper and cardboard, except for 500g non-paper material was allowed. Additionally there was a size limit as well, as everyone had to fly it to San Francisco… and that was pretty much it for instractions! 🙂

We started brainstorming and prototyping and bulding right away until today, the day of the race! 

We decided to have a fully Swedish bike and would wear our university overalls. I might be a bit bias but I think we were the best looking team! 🙂

The race was so much fun, we started around 11am and raced until 4pm. It was though, as we had to go over obstacles and ramps and run (or rather sprint) over longer distances! 

Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the final, but our bike was a huge success. It was holding all the way, with rain and waterballon attacts and so on until we than had to deconstruct it and throw it in the garbage at the end of the day. 

The night ended with a SUDS at a stakehouse before heading back home exhausted.
Xo

Florence