Laura Bruursema
DesignDuo
Girls may be more likely to pursue STEM if they engage in more collaborative learning experiences aligned with their creative interests. To create an opportunity for girls to learn STEM skills supported by their parents, we designed a DIY toolkit for dads and daughters to build gadgets together.
The toolkit includes scaffolded instructions and projects designed for the pair to experiment with a new technology and to build together. The kits provide girls an opportunity to gain STEM skills and to see their interests in working together and being creative reflected in STEM skill building activities.
DesignDuo was created in collaboration with Kirti Patel as our masters project for the Learning, Design and Technology program at Stanford University. See our project website to learn more.
Fractile Art
Fractile Art is an interactive toolkit that enables kids to explore the mathematics of fractal patterns and create interactive works of art. After exploring tangible shapes to build fractal patterns with an interactive tabletop, learners can print their pattern and use a paper-based circuitry kit to create a unique art project.
This joint project was developed for Paulo Blikstein’s Beyond Bits and Atoms course at Stanford Unversity. Check out our website to learn more.
BuzzBox
BuzzBox is a mobile app for a learner to navigate through a suite of video tutorials using hand gestures while learning a tactile skill, flameworking. Because glass working is a creative practice, we didn’t want to create a rigid, linear process-based app, but rather a flexible suite of options to learn techniques for free play and provide support for more advanced skills. We imagine many other uses for this hands-free technology.
Check out our video. This project was created with Jeff Wear and Jeff Yoon for the Stanford d.school class Designing Media that Matters.
DESIGN PROJECTS
Research & Design
I conducted qualitative research to study technology education for adult learners, peer assessment in online courses and ideation using collaboration technologies for globally distributed teams.
I also explored design thinking iin projects at Stanford's d.school, like SharePlay, a mobile application to connect friends through music.
Tomorrow's Library
For this research and design project, we reimagined the children’s library experience for kids and parents. After needfinding research, observations and interviews, we created a series of interventions incorporating technology to foster joint media engagement at the library.
Created with Michael Pope and Mohammed Yassine for Brigid Barron’s Child Development and New Technologies class at Stanford University. Read our final paper to learn more.
