DTC Projects

Design Thinking and Communications is a mandatory class, taken for two quarters, by all students in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern. Each quarter, the class is split into teams of 4 and assigned a project partner, a client from Chicago seeking a new design to fit a specific need. The teams work directly with their project partner using interviews, research, and user and performance testing to physically create a product prototype, write a full technical report, and present their design at a tech expo at the end of the quarter.

Feel free to contact me with any further questions!

lean on me

Project partner and description:

Our project partner was a physical therapist at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Her stroke patients were having difficulty completing gait training sessions due to severe shoulder pain.

Main requirements for design:

• Able to easily attach to and detach from Woodway treadmills

• Comfort and support for users during 45 minute training sessions

• Durability and ease of cleaning for multiple uses and patients

Our solution:

The Lean On Me is a strong, easy-to-use, and lightweight device featuring padded individual arm supports with grip handles, horizontally adjustable for various patients using a peg system. The design is supported by PVC pipes with clamps able to easily be attached and removed by a physical therapist. The entire arm support surface is covered in neoprene, a durable and easy to clean material.

mobile Bakerspace cart

Project partner and description:

Our project partner was a group of administrative staff at the Baker Demonstration School in Wilmette, IL. The school already had a makerspace room, but valued providing a design thinking education to their students throughout the school.

Main requirements for design:

• Remain within the confines of the school’s allocated budget

• Be of dimensions that will fit within school doorways and allow for reasonable transportation by teachers

• Able to be assembled safely by students in grades K-8 with teacher assistance

Our solution:

The Mobile BakerSpace Cart provides an interactive and educational, yet mobile solution to allow teachers and students at the Baker Demonstration School to have hands-on learning experiences centered around design thinking, creativity, and confidence. We chose a pre-designed cart as the base of the design to allow for ease of construction, but added customizable elements such as a fold-out LEGO wall, modular whiteboards, and safe storage for materials.

*Note: this project was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic; as we were unable to construct a physical prototype in person, we produced graphic representations and detailed instructions for construction for our project partners.

Please see further images below.