Time limit – 15 min

You are tasked with making a ride at an amusement park so a bug doesn’t get squashed with office items. Well in my office I have blue tape, paint brushes, pencils and paper. 

I sketched out a teeter totter for bugs with a basket to hold them; instead of taping a bunch of items to together I sketched the items that I see in my office; minus the jumping spider staring at me. GROSS! 

I chose a teeter totter because as I started thinking of a carnival for bugs; all I could think of was a windshield or grill filled with guts. So, I decided to pick a ride that was less crazy and more relaxing to a bug hanging with bug friends. Less exciting and gut filled. 

I remember doing this assignment at the HOW Conference at a workshop; it was designing a catapult to see how far we could shoot a projectile. I remember as we walked into the room, we all positioned ourselves at tables around the room filled with objects to create with. We were then put into teams to generate ideas and create a product in 15 minutes. 

AFTERWARD BY MUMAW

THE MORAL

Most solutions involve coaster, slide, swing or catapult. Although these make cover the gamut well known carnival rides in existence today, it’s the last that is most compelling . Many solutions to the exercise involve some sort of catapult that flings the bug across expanse of space. My question to you is: What actual carnival ride does this? 

The answer is none. Some do strap you to a giant rubber bands and bounce you high in the air, but few propel you long distances, safety net or not. Yet, some creatives have no trouble building a catapult for a bug’s carnival ride despite the expected outcome because they only see bugs from their perspectives. 

When Pixar started research for A Bug’s Life, they fixed a small camera onto a toy car whelped it around in the tall grass to get a feeling from a bug’s perspective. When you generate ideas for audience, do you do the same?