Human-Centered Design and the 'MakeyMakey'

I recently gave my robotics students an invention challenge using the MakeyMakey designed to  tackle the perceived conceptual disconnect many science students feel between the living and the nonliving world. Click here to access a copy of the invention cycle template students used.

The prompt was simple: Invent and build a prototype that solves a problem for another living individual. The learning value came from requiring teams to begin with another person's needs, then test whether the interface actually reduced a barrier.