Background

A system in a home or other place is any class of functions that are done in the course of normal day-to-day operation. For example, the heating and air-conditioning system is for heating and cooling the interior of the building; and the security system is for securing the building from intruders; are systems that can be found in a typical building or home. Smart homes and buildings use automation to control and operate some part of a system, for example, where the heating and air-conditioning system heats and cools a building automatically according to a timer and thermostat. The goal is to improve their performance and efficiency, and the well-being of the occupants. A lighting system improves the environment for the occupants by ensuring that illumination levels are suitable to the tasks being performed; it can create the right mood for the occupants by adjusting colour and so forth; and it can save energy by turning on and off as required.
A smart electronic device is a useful instrument, machine, or gadget that is controlled by electronic circuitry microcontroller boards, or sometimes by a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, and that perform only a few limited functions. We have many different kinds of devices at home, on our person, or at school to perform useful work for us, or to provide us with information, in order to increase our well-being.
 

The design brief

Design a lighting system for your home or other place of your choosing, using simple electronic circuitry, or a microcontroller board like the Arduino. Your lighting system may illuminate a single room or space or more, indoors or outdoors. Think about the function of the lighting, its efficiency, the ambiance created by the light too, because lighting affects our mood as well. Construct a working prototype of your lighting system and test it in situ. 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

Undertaking a student design project using electrical parts or microcontrollers such as Arduino requires:

• teachers who are able to supervise such a project;
• laboratories or workshops with electrical and electronic parts and tools;
• ​​​​​​​and students who are trained to work with electricity, tools, and equipment.

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