Prototyping with Visitors

Here’s some footage of our first attempt to make kaleidoscopes with visitors. Anyone can look up a project online and assume that people will enjoy it.

I’m the kind of person who needs to get the opinions of visitors before I believe that an activity is worth doing. Plus, I really enjoy having the opportunity to teach something new.

In this case, we were testing out the kaleidoscope activity we had modified from an old book that Christina and I had found. It is great to test things out with visitors because sometimes you get ideas that you would never have imagined.

Prototyping is an extension of a brainstorming session. I have always used these prototyping sessions to figure out the factors involved in the making process: tools needed, materials needed, the allotted time, age ranges, potential problems, further exploration, etc.

It is always better to prototype than to simply assume.

-Kevin