3.2 Pilot studies (Understanding the craftsman)
3.2.2 Pilot study-2: Paper envelop making process for mentally disabled persons The second pilot study was paper making envelop process for the mentally disabled persons (Fig
a b
Fig.3.9 a. Ontology of Craft domain in the Protégé software b. the asserted model representation of the ontology model developed
3.2.2 Pilot study-2: Paper envelop making process for mentally disabled persons
In this pilot study the emphasis was laid on the mentally disable person. According to Collins dictionary (2017) mental disability is a condition that limits a person's intellectual capacity, resulting directly or indirectly from injury to the brain or from abnormal neurological development. This reduces the capacity of a person to perform effectively even the daily chores.
The observations were carried on in a nearby Regional Institute of Mental Health. There were patients who were either admitted to the hospital by their family members or by some of their relatives. The patients were from a lower income background of family, so some of them had to go for making same craft items to earn their livelihood. The different problems faced by the mental patients was studied.
Problems:
There were various problems faced by the patients admitted in the hospital. The patients were either isolated by the family members and had no one to look after them. They had little understanding of the everyday things which they do. The mental conditions of the patients were such that they require somebody to support them every time they approach to do an activity. In this case they had to perform a vocational activity which will help them to engage and spent their time. The activity like paper envelops, paper bags, paper files and embroidery items were taken up the mental institute for the patients. In this case they faced the below mentioned difficulties:
1. The paper products which were manufacture were not up to the standards of the market.
2. The paper products involved certain level of skills which was very difficult for the patients to capture.
3. It was difficult for the instructors to teach each and every patient every time they go for a product.
4. The handling of sharp tools in the cutting is also a risk for the patients as they can harm themselves while handling them.
5. The time taken to make the products was also more as compared to the commercially available methods.
Design & making
Some of the old designs produced by the patients can be seen in Fig.3.10. The older designs of the paper bag and envelop took more time and were difficult to produce for the patients.
a b
Fig.3.10: Old designs of paper bags (a) and envelops (b) made by hand using normal tools like scissors and rulers (author generated)
The tools involved in the making of the products were sharp and may harm the patients during the work. So, a design intervention was much needed to provide them a product, which would assist them during the making of paper bags and envelops.
Design approach to the problem
The mentally disabled persons had to mainly depend up on their ‘tacit knowledge’ for making this envelops. Here three cases of the design methods to develop the die for the patients.
Case-1: Brainstorming session
Brain storming was the term used by Osborn in 1953. It is a method which a group of people gather to generate new ideas and solutions to a problem in a specific domain (Osborn, 1953). The general flow diagram of a brainstorming is illustrated in Fig. 3.11.
SCAMPER was first introduced by Bob Eberle (1996) to address targeted questions that help solve problems or ignite creativity during brainstorming meetings. The name SCAMPER is acronym for seven techniques; (S) substitute, (C) combine, (A) adapt, (M) modify, (P) put to another use, (E) eliminate and (R) reverse. These keywords represent the necessary questions.
Substitute comes up with another topic that is equivalent to the present topic.
Combine adds information to the original topic.
Adjust identifies ways to construct the topic in a more flexible and adjusted material.
Modify creatively changes the topic.
Put to other uses identifies the possible scenarios and situations where this topic can be used.
Eliminate removes ideas or elements from the topic that are not valuable.
Identify purpose of design
Specify requirements
Brainstorming options
Finalize an idea
Abandon a prototype
Develop prototype
Can the problem fixed?
Successful prototype
Communicate results
Refine design
End
No
Yes
No
Yes
Fig.3.11: A Simple Brain storming flowchart (Source: www.umnnaba.com, 2018)
Case-2 Use of SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adjust, Modify, put to use, Eliminate, Reverse)
Reverse, rearrange evolves a new concept from the original concept.
The two design methods discussed were used to find few solutions for the paper envelop making problem for the Mentally disable persons. Fig.3.12 shows the three design solutions obtained for the paper envelop problem. After the combination of the design solutions which were obtained an improved version of the solution was worked out as shown in Fig. 3.13.
Though the final outcome of the problem was a die, but it gave a through understaning of the design thinking process involved during the solving of the problem. The proposed solution tried to address the problems of the patients as mentioned earlier. In understanding the problem the tacit knowedge of the patients were considered. This outcome of which helped in the simple solution.
a b
c
Fig.3.12 a. Design-1, b. Design-2, c.Design-3
Fig.3.13: Proposed die solution for the mentally disable persons Outcomes from the pilot case studies
Pilot study-1
• The 1st pilot study suggested the importance of the apprenticeship learning under the master craftsman.
• It also suggested the difference in the experience of learning from implicit sources and tacit knowledge of the craftsman.
Pilot study-2
• The 2nd pilot study suggested the importance of skills in the accomplishment of the task in the mentally challenged persons.
• The skills which is tacit for the patients plays an important role in their daily activities.
Owing to the outcomes of the pilot studies a methodology was proposed to carry on the thesis further.