Students who use the makerspace have difficulties applying knowledge when creating something and limit their creativity.

How might we create a system to help students make things? Or more specifically, how might we increase accessibility for students who are trying to use the makerspace, in terms of embodiment and creativity?

To do this, I defined my audience and questions that I wanted to answer throughout the process, some of which were:

• What is craftsmanship/making to different people?
• What can be some inhibitors to making?
• Do they have everything needed to have a comfortable making experience?

Next, I started researching using various methods to answer these questions. Over the course of several months, this included expert interviews, surveys, and interviews with a wide demographic of students - some of which regulars of the Makerspace, others who are independent creators but have never used a makerspace, and more.

• Verbal Interviews - Professors whose students use the Makerspace, employees of the Makerspace, experienced makers, inexperienced makers
• Participatory Probe - Feeling cards - Are students feeling limited to the things they can make in the Makerspace?
• General survey - including more than just Northeastern students
• Expert Interview - MIT MakerWorks President (PhD)
• Precedent and analogous solutions - Kindergarten teacher, Waiters/Waitresses, Grocery store employee
• Fly-on-the-wall observations - sitting in the Makerspace

Here are some of the key cumulative observations as seen in the domestic Makerspace, and as they compare to Makerworks @ MIT:

Then, I collected the sentiments and testaments of the students with regards to current conditions in the Makerspace and students pitched in with ideas they believe would help. Ideas that addressed issues in the Makerspace but were not realistic given budget or sq footage constraints are ommitted from the following list:

Lastly, I researched analogous solutions and created statistical datato digest the quantitative data gathered from the surveys. The analogous solutions stemmed from comparing the environment and ecosystem of power in the Makerspace to that of waiters/waitresses communicating between the floor and the kitchen, how kindergarten teachers foster creativity among their students, and how employees of the Makerspace could compare to grocery store employees in their memory + customer service skills.

Together, all of this data pointed to various solutions. After iterating through solutions and bouncing ideas off of various students who these changes will affect, an ecosystem of changes was proposed instead of one single solution:

Solution Part 1: A board (corkboard) that would host pictures of what people have been working on in the Makerspace + QR code with resources students can access.

• The resources would be on a Google Drive with curated PDFs with instructions/refreshers (with videos)on how to set up files for laser cutting, how to use certain saws, etc.
• The board would be decorated and have the feeling of a "collaborative board", made by students for students
• Seeing other students works could inspire you on what you could make yourself
• Pop-out shelf underneath so students can touch 3D printed objects, different types of wood, and more
• A space to answer a question (interactive) will be available, where students can put up sticky notes on the board.
• QR code where students can send in photos (Google Form) - the name of the student plus their email (option) so people can contact them about their work
• Makerspace staff will be responsible for the majority of the board, its upkeep, and putting up some photos.
• Most photos will be sent in by students.
• The board will be left up for a semester to start, then upon receiving feedback, will be continued or discontinued.

A prototype of the board was completed and hung in the hallway next to the Makerspace, in its intended location.

A new and updated laser cutting manualwas also one of the popular requested changes from students, as the old one had not been updated in years and had outdated information. Many students use Illustrator for the first time taking a class in the Makerspace. Here is a comparison of the old guide and a prototype of the new guide:

Solution Part 2: As part of the ecosystem of changes, there will be changes made inside the Makerspace as well as outside it, in the form of social events hosted by the space and a Slack any student can join to ask any questions and get quick answers from Makerspace employees or fellow students.

These images show a preview of what it would be like with these changes. Above, an example of the Slack, and below being social events hosted by a Makerspace employee.

Solution Part 3: Ultimately, much of the research uncovered that there could be some changes done inside the classroom, namely to professor's teaching styles, or even how classes are currently structured. These proposals were sent to professors and are currently being negotiated and/or implemented.

Finally, all three parts to this solution can be layed out into a diagram which displays how these solutions are related to one another in terms of proximity, as well as matching the earlier problems stated to these proposed solutions.