Purchased by Street Lab as part of their Play Kit
“Chalk the Block” brings the spirograph, a classic geometric drawing tool, to the street, creating patterns using chalk. The large-scale design allows children (ages 8+) to create life-sized chalk art and cover the streets. By moving the wheel along the inside of the ring, the chalk draws a distinct pattern on the ground, varying based on which hole the chalk is placed in.
Through using this, children are introduced to mathematical concepts in an engaging way while practicing body coordination and creativity.
FEATURES
The chalk spirograph was carefully designed for optimized usability and assembly. The inner gears each had roller ball bearings that allowed for seamless rolling on the ground. The outer ring consists of four (4) identical parts that come together using a puzzle joint to create the circle. To make the chalk stay in the hole, the chalk holder can be placed in the desired hole that is held to aid in rolling. Lastly, the outer ring is squiggly on both the inside and outside to maximize where the rings can be utilized.
Roller Ball Bearings
Four Parts to Create Outer Ring
Puzzle Joints
Chalk Holder
Curves for Chalking Inside and Outside the Ring
PROCESS
My process explored a lot of testing with gear designs, how the thicknesses of the inner gears and outer rings affected how it rolled, sizes of roller ball bearings and how elevated the inner gears should be from the ground, and adding chalk handles for ease of rolling.
USER TESTING
I conducted user testing at the 34th Ave Open Streets program in Queens in collaboration with Street Lab to test my design. Through user testing, I learned that the large scale drew children in to learn what it was. The large-scale design worked very well with multiple children, allowing them to collaborate and take turns rolling the inner gears. I found that the roller ball bearings I used were too small and did not help in gliding the gear seamlessly on the ground. Also, the children had difficulty using the chalk as the handle to move the inner gear, which led me to designing a chalk handle.
FINAL
