Background

Containers are used for storing goods of all types, and are used in all kinds of applications in industry, transport, commerce, and in the home. Boxes, baskets, and bottles are containers, and they may be open or sealed. Containers are used throughout the home to organise and store things like books, linen, tools, toys, photographs and papers, and so forth; as well as in the kitchen to store and dispense foods, and many other things. A system of containers will have additional features, for example they may have the ability to stack, modular sizes, interchangeable parts, labelling, spare parts, and so forth. The goal is an efficient and tidy home, with a place for everything and everything in its place.
 

The design brief

Design a home container system for your home that employs simple electronic circuitry, or a microcontroller board like the Arduino. The home container system may be used to contain anything that you choose; and it may be used in any part of your house inside or outside, such as the living areas, kitchen, garage, and so forth. The container system may be portable or fixed, as you wish. Construct a working prototype of your home container system and test it. Alternatively, you may build a computer-aided design (CAD) model of your design concept, if you prefer. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.

​​​​​The design thinking process

Follow the six stages of the design thinking process to ensure that you are thorough and do everything necessary to succeed in your design project. First, you endeavour to understand the design topic and EMPATHISE with the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DEFINE what is essential to the product or system that you are designing. Then you IDEATE, that is, you creatively come up with ideas and develop them. The next step is to PROTOTYPE your chosen design solution in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Then you TEST your design idea to elicit the opinions of users. And finally, at the end of the process, you REFLECT upon your project to benefit from the experience. Use the appropriate methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you proceed along the design thinking process.
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Note for teachers

Read the guide for teachers on Safety for the PROTOTYPE Stage for Level IV to safely supervise this design project.