Paper holds books
Using 2 sheets of ordinary 8.5 x 11 inch paper, create a structure that supports the weight of 10 pounds worth of books for 30 seconds. How tall can you make that structure?
Hugh Dubberly visited our grad seminar last week week and posed us design problem. Stacking three dictionaries on top of the table, he handed us a ream of paper and let us - students and faculty alike - loose. It was a nice moment, seeing that much experimentation and innovation (not to mention excitement) in such a short period of time. In the land of thoughtful, user-centered design, I enjoyed having such a difficult yet clearly defined challenge. You might want to try it sometime as an icebreaker or kickoff activity for a brainstorm. Track the height of the successful designs against time to reflect on once you’re done.
Anyone who tries it out is welcome to post their results - think tall…
eric fader said,
March 1, 2003 @ 3 pm
I would simply cut the paper and rest it along the sides of the stack of books. Support doesn’t necessarily mean bear all weight.
chad said,
March 1, 2003 @ 4 pm
No cheap tricks - just good, clean design. The books must not be touching the table, and the paper alone must bear the entire weight of the books.
sean@cheesebikini.com said,
March 1, 2003 @ 6 pm
To start, I’d experiment with rolling tight cylinders out of the paper and standing them up as legs to support the books.
So what sorts of designs were the most successful?
chad said,
March 1, 2003 @ 6 pm
One of the great things about the activity was that the iterative cycles took about a minute each - no need for untested hypotheses, no excuse not to try out your idea. So, let me know how those tight cylinders work out for you :)
One suggestion: collaboration makes it easier.