Project 3: User Scenario - Newton's Racer

Newton's Racer
Lolo is a ten-year-old student who excels in science and was picked to go science camp! During her stay, the camp’s focus was Newton and his Laws of Motion. She is presented with a Styrofoam racer car that has a balloon in the front and an opening of a straw at the back. She sees the straw and the little sticker that reads, "BLOW". By blowing into the straw the Lolo’s observes that the balloon fills up with air and the release of air propels the racer! Lolo’s is delighted to see the racer propel forward and gains a basic understanding of Newton’s third Law of Motion, where every action has a direct and opposite reaction. Lolo imagines the yellow balloon to be like lights in the front of the car. As a “gifted child” she quickly makes associates the air filled balloon to be the source of power for Newton’s racer. Once the balloon deflates it is similar to when lights are turned off, and hence the power to the racer car is turned off and stops the movement of the racer. Furthermore, Lolo observes the air escaping from the straw mimics a zooming sound and further enhances the metaphor of a zooming racer!

Design Elements of Newton’s Racer
Visibility: When the balloon is deflated there is no movement to Newton’s Racer, when the balloon is inflated and allowed to deflate Newton’s Racer zoOoomS!
Affordance: The functions of a straw and a balloon have been well established. The ten year old plus age group, would have had previous experience with a balloon to know that it requires to be inflated, and that a straw is generally placed onto one's lips. Therefore, by attaching the balloon to the straw, a user may inherently understand that one should blow into the straw to blow the ballon. However, to further solidify the action required by the user, by placing a small sticker labeled “BLOW” (available numerous languages) and an arrow pointing towards the balloon, integrates mapping which shows the connection between the control (blowing into the straw) to activate the racer (inflating the balloon).
Feedback: Newton’s Racer includes a series of sensory feedback to inform the user of the successful interaction. First, the blowing into the balloon offers visual feedback as the balloon expands. Second, the deflation of the balloon offers another form of visual feedback as the racer propels forward and the balloon decreases in size. Lastly, the deflation of the balloon also creates a subtle auditory feedback, a hissing noise that enhances the zooming car metaphor.
Constraints: As the balloon covers one end of the straw, inherently the user can only blow into one end of the straw and fill the balloon with air. As explained by Newton's third law of motion, the racer will only zoom in the opposite direction that the air was blown into the balloon.