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Locker

By Ihosford | S Design a Maker's Locker

Curious about the instructions for this Maker Faire locker design challenge?

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That thin metal box at school where you cram all your stuff? Lockers aren't designed for students today. In fact, the design of lockers hasn't changed since the days of your great grandparents!

But in the School of the Future things could be different. Reimagine the design of a 21st century locker you would need as a Maker. A locker you could use to keep all of your stuff for making!

Let's get started on the challenge to redesign your school locker.

Design Inspirations

Here's a collection of cool images that might inspire your ideas for the Maker Faire design challenge.

Our goal was to design an efficient and aesthetically pleasing locker for high school students. Many students complain about space and lack of flexibility with a locker, so we made ours spacious and customizable. It is designed to meet needs beyond just storing books and binders.

Curious about the instructions for this Maker Faire locker design problem? >>

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In this Collect Info step of the design process, you try to gather some information about typical lockers. Think about the existing problems with your current locker and how it would look different if it were designed for Maker-students.

Try This

  • Make a list of all the things you typically keep in your school locker. Make another list of all the things you love or hate about your current school locker and why.  If you've logged in to DiscoverDesign and started this project, write this list of items in the text box for your project.
  • Then make a list of things you would like to keep in your maker's locker. Describe the perfect locker using words. If you've logged in to DiscoverDesign and started this project, write this list in the text box for your project.
  • Save copies of these images and post them in the slides for your project.  Include a hyperlink to the Flickr photo in the caption, to credit the photographer.

 

 

Discover Color

This colorful collection of images might inspire the colors you use in your design challenge.

Ihosford's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
What's the purpose of a locker? - holding books and binders - holding personal items - holding your backpack - organization - holding your lunch/food
Current BHS lockers
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Makes organization a lot easier when things are compartmentalized
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This locker has a bar to hang jackets/bookbags which is convenient
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This locker is wide but not long enough
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Adjustable shelves are much more efficient and personal for students
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We can find a way to make the door more customizable and efficient for belongings
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Curious about the instructions for this Maker Faire locker design problem? >>

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What inpsires you?

In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you might gather some early big ideas of things that inspire you when thinking about a maker's locker.

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  • Lockers aren't the only storage units. Search on Flickr.com for different types of objects that are designed to hold something.  How can you be inspired by ideas of other storage spaces, including those from nature?
  • Search for seed pods, honeycombs, mailboxes, crates, boxes, and other types of small containers.
  • Save copies of these colorful images (of any objects) and post them in the slides below.  Include a hyperlink to the Flickr photo in the caption, to credit the photographer.

 

 

Serious Storage

Lockers aren't the only types of storage units. These images might inspire you to think about other ways that people and animals store things.

Ihosford's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
Things students usually keep in their lockers: - textbooks - lunch/food/drinks - binders - notebooks - extra supplies (pencils, calculator, etc.) - bookbag - electronics
We could add a place for markers, pens, and your calculator to the door
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This is a nice color
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We could add an insulated compartment for food and drink
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We could add hooks for bookbags and jackets
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This is good inspiration for shelves or compartments in the locker
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We can connect the locker to your iPhone so the touch i.d. transfers for safety and hooks up to...
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Curious abou the instructions for this Maker Faire locker design challenge?

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In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings or models that can show others your solutions for a redesigned locker.

Try This

  • Use the locker template provided for you in Google SketchUp to create a rough model of your new locker.
  • You  can modify this model in any way you'd like!  Your new locker doesn't need to be a tall, thin metal box. 
  • Think about your list of items that your locker typically holds. (You made this list in the Collect Info step.) What will the shape of your new locker be to hold all these items?  What new features will it include?
  • Export an image of your new locker from your Google SketchUp model.   To do this:
  1. From this drop down list, change the export type to JPG
  2. Save as a JPG file and post the images in the slides below
  3. In Google SketchUp, go to 'File' > 'Export' > '2D graphic'

 

Makers Reuse

A collection of interesting objects that were created for one reason and now are reused for an entirely different purpose.

Makers Sustain

A collection of green places and sustainable learning spaces.

Ihosford's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
We developed solutions by considering both what we wanted fixed and what people would respond positively to.
Another problem was the lack of personality, so we added the whiteboard for notes to yourself and...
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Our sketch illustrates how all our solutions come together cleanly and organized. It's not too...
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We innovated the modern locker to fit the needs and wants of students today. One of the main...
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Curious the about the instructions for this Make Faire locker design challenge?

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The final step of the design process is to create a more finished model that communicates your ideas to others.

Try This

  • What color or colors will your locker be? What colors have inspired you?  Add colors to the digital model of your locker.
  • What materials will your locker be made of?  Choose materials and details to add to your digital model.
  • Include a human figure in your final locker model, so we can see how big your locker really is.
  • Upload additional images of your finished locker model to the slides for your project.  Write short captions explaining your ideas.

Our favorite Maker Faire projects

We've collected a gallery of our favorite Maker Faire projects from the past few years.

Ihosford's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
Our final design is a blue and purple locker prototype with: - adjustable shelves to fit any size books - two hooks to hold i.d. badges, jackets, backpacks, etc.
- Touchscreen to connect to your phone - Pouch for your calculator - Pouch for your pens, pencils...
1 comment
- Compartment to hold valuables - Insulated compartment for your food and drink - Hooks for...
0 comments
- Adjustable shelves
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Overview
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