Feedback- Round 1: Design Change Form

In response to the feedback that we received from our users during our first round of testing, we
made the following changes to improve our initial design:

Design Change
Aspect Affected: Planter box

Area(s) affected: _X_Discoverability __Feedback _X_Conceptual Model __KIH/KIW

Description of Change: We decided that it would be best to add two handles, one on either side, to the
planter box portion of our system to allow it to be more easily removed from the system by the user.

Reason(s) for Change: During testing, one of our users could not tell at first glance that the planter box
could be removed from the system. Because it fit so nicely in its frame, the user just assumed that it was
built in and that they would have to plant directly inside the box within the frame. The user faced the Gulf
of Evaluation as they were left unsure of the products capabilities. The addition of handles, however,
signified that the planter box could be removed. Additionally, the placement of one handle on either side
of the box matches a common conceptual model; when you see something with two handles on either
side, you know that that is where your hands are supposed to grasp to pick the object up. This addition
increased the discoverability of the object, allowing the user to pass through the Gulf of Execution to feel
more confident and in control while using the product.

Design Change
Aspect Affected: Planter box frame

Area(s) affected: _X Discoverability _X Feedback _Conceptual Model _KIH/KIW

Description of Change: We determined that it would improve our design if we added a large handle
(almost like a shopping cart handle) to the side of the planter box frame, allowing the user to push or pull
the system during transport.

Reason(s) for Change: During testing a few of our users voiced aloud that they did not know that our
system was mobile; they through that it would have to be fixed in the garden. Once again, they faced the
Gulf of Execution, unaware of the capability of our product to be easily moved. Adding the signifier of a
large side handle allowed the user to understand that the product could be pushed or pulled, increasing the
discoverability of the product and helping users to cross the Gulf of Execution. Furthermore, our users
also noted that they were not aware that our system was on wheels since the holders for the metal ball
casters covered them. Thus, adding this handle also helped the user cross the Gulf of Evaluation; once
they learned that they could move the system by pushing or pulling on the handle, the rolling of the system
generated by the wheels provided them the feedback that they required to know that they successfully
moved the system in the way we, as the designers, intended for it to move.
Feedback- Round 1: Design Change Form

Design Change
Aspect Affected: Side table, planter box, and water collection system

Area(s) affected: _X_Discoverability __Feedback __Conceptual Model __KIH/KIW

Description of Change: We chose to enhance our design with additions that would increase the
educational value of our system. These additions include an upright ruler attached to the inside of the
planter box to allow plant heights to be measured, a set of three hooks on the underside of the side table on
which gardening tools can be stored, and 0.5 inch markings along the side of the water collection system
to allow the amount of collected water to be measured.

Reason(s) for Change: During user testing, one of our users was not immediately aware of the systems
main purpose of educating the community; they could not completely understand its educational value.
Thus, the user was once again stuck in the Gulf of Execution. With the addition of a ruler within the
planter box and 0.5 inch markings along the side of the water collection system, young students can use
the system to learn math and science by measuring the plants in the planter boxs heights and the amount
of excess water collected respectively. Three hooks along the underside of the side table will allow the
user to hang various objects required for their lesson plan, such as a small gardening rake or a shovel, on
the system for easy transport. The addition of this objects increases the discoverability of the system by
helping the user to fully understand its intended educational capabilities. Therefore, users can sail through
the Gulf of Execution, allowing them to feel more comfortable and capable in using the system.

Design Change
Aspect Affected: Water collection system

Area(s) affected: __Discoverability __Feedback _X_Conceptual Model __KIH/KIW

Description of Change: We decided to add a filter, consisting of a small piece of cloth, over the open end
of our water collection system attached to the bottom of the planter box frame. This will allow the excess
water that percolates through the soil and out the slits in the bottom of the planter box to be better filtered
before it flows into the water collection system.

Reason(s) for Change: Over the course of our user testing, all three of our users were unsure about our
water collection system as the slits in the bottom of our planter box were not thin enough to prevent
significant amounts of soil from flowing into the water collection system, which would degrade its quality.
Since the users were unsure of how the system would filter the used water in such a way that it could be
reused, we felt that the addition of a piece of cloth beneath the slits in the bottom of the planter box but
above the opening of the water collection system in the frame would improve the objects functionality.
While there was not a key link between this design change and the design features described above, we felt
that improving the systems functionality in this way improved our users conceptual model. The double-
filter system clearly signifies to the user that the water is being filtered twiceonce through the larger slits
to release the excess water from the planter box and again through the finer slits to sift out any
accompanying patches of soil. By making this mechanism clearer and more like filtering systems that they
have likely seen or heard of in the past, our users will have a better understanding of how reusable water
can be obtained from the system.