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Drop-in hours with CIs

Wednesday, December 7 and Thursday, December 8, 3:00-5:00pm Pappa on table by drinks cooler

Talk: How to start and run a design firm

2.009 Team Instructor Juhan Sonin

Thursday, December 8, 4:00-5:00 PM, Pappalardo Conference Room

Juhan Sonin, 2.009 team instructor and founder of the design studio GoInvo will present axioms on running a successful product design consulting firm.

Workshop: Preparing for the unexpected, and the audience talks back!

Communications Instructors Atissa Banuazizi, Juergen Schoenstein, Dave Custer

Thursday, December 8, 5:30-7:00 PM, Rm 3-270

Every product and presenter should be in full working order before the presentation, but what if something unexpected happens in Kresge? In this workshop, we'll put on our 'psychic' hats and try and predict things that could go wrong during the final presentation, such as a presenter omitting a key piece of information, a slide that doesn't load properly, or even a product that begins to misbehave. In addition, we’ll discuss how to prepare for the live Q&A portion of the presentation, including the types of questions that you can expect from the audience, strategies for answering unexpected questions, and approaches to handling the experience with efficiency and aplomb. All of the final presenters and team members who plan to participate in the Q&A are encouraged to attend this workshop.

Final rehearsal with instructors

Technical and communications instructors, course instructors and TAs

Friday, December 9, 5-8:30pm, Room 1-190

We would like you to have your presentation and materials ready, and encourage the entire team to attend and listen to feedback. Reserved slots are detailed below
5:00 PM Gold
5:30 PM Green
6:00 PM Purple
6:30 PM Pink
7:00 PM Blue
7:30 PM Red
8:00 PM Orange

Presenter rehearsal with Communication Instructors

Communications instructors

Sunday December 11, 11am-4:15pm, Kresge little theater

Presenters are required, other team members are welcome. See reserved slots below (presenters will go from this to Kresge main stage for production runthrough).
11:00 AM Gold
11:45 AM Green
12:30 PM Purple
1:15 PM Pink
2:00 PM Blue
2:45 PM Red
3:30 PM Orange

Final rehearsal with production team

Production team (Studio 125)

Sunday, December 11, 12pm-5:15pm, Kresge main stage

12:00 PM Gold
12:45 PM Green
1:30 PM Purple
2:15 PM Pink
3:00 PM Blue
3:45 PM Red
4:30 PM Orange

Final sequence runthrough

Production team (Studio 125)

Monday, December 12, 2pm-5:30pm, Kresge main stage

2:00 PM Gold
2:30 PM Green
3:00 PM Purple
3:30 PM Pink
4:00 PM Blue
4:30 PM Red
5:00 PM Orange

PAST EVENTS

Tutorial: Team project management using 2.009 Slack groups

Guest Instructors: Georgia Van de Zande and Sharon Ferguson

Thursday, September 15, 5-6 PM, North Pappalardo Conference Room

This one hour tutorial by 2.009 researchers Georgia Van de Zande and Sharon Ferguson is intended to help you start using your team's Slack-based project management group and explain how it is preconfigured for you. Also, learn our take on best communication practices after studying 4+ years of 2.009 Slack data! Each team should have at least a few representatives (SIs, information officers, etc.) Slides

Observation Exercise

SIs to coordinate within teams

All team members to complete before Team meeting 2 (Sept 20-22) See more details here

Tutorial: Idea sketching primer

TA Jordan Tappa

Tuesday, September 20, 7–9 PM, Rm 3-370

This one hour, optional tutorial led by Jordan Tappa is intended to help you practice the type of sketching that will be needed over the weekend for your ideation deliverable. Sketching materials will be provided for those who attend.

Tutorial: Making Posters with Adobe Illustrator

Chuck Xia

Wednesday, September 21, 7-8 PM, Pappalardo

This tutorial by Chuck Xia (2.009 alum and former TA) will provide an introduction to Adobe Illustrator. The tutorial will be focused on your 3-ideas poster milestone by providing tips for preparing graphics from your ideation sketches. Before the tutorial, download a trial version of Adobe Illustrator or obtain the MIT license for Creative Cloud. The full Adobe Creative Cloud will also be installed on the 2.009 computers in the Pappalardo lab. Slides

Training: Credit Card training for all financial officers (required)

Course administrator Chevalley Duhart

Thursday, September 22, 12-1 PM, Zoom link to be emailed directly to all financial officers

Financial officers hold their team's credit cards. MIT will not issue the 2.009 team cards until all financial officers complete the MIT training program. Thus financial officer attendance is mandatory. If there are conflicts that can't be resolved, please contact Chevalley Duhart cduhart@mit.edu.

Workshop: User interviews

Lab instructor Danny Braunstein

Thursday, September 22, 5-6 PM, Pappalardo

A workshop on how to think about user interviews, and how to conduct them effectively.

Tutorial: Story Officer

Media Coordinator Danny Goldfield

Monday Sept 26, 7-8pm, Pappalardo Lab beside team areas

This tutorial by Danny Goldfield will provide an overview of the role and responsibilities of the Story Officer. The tutorial will focus on the following:
  1. Using your mobile phone to document your team’s 2.009 experience and process with stills and video.
  2. Choosing one social media platform for storytelling such as Instagram, TikTok, or linkedin.
  3. Discussing how the Story Officers’ photos and videos can be included in final presentations in Kresge.
  4. Displaying and distributing various other media tools that the Story Officers can be trained on and have available to use during the semester such as dSLR kits, lenses, tripods, lighting, and audio recording equipment.

Tutorial: Identifying and Understanding Users: Part I

Communication Instructor Rebecca Thorndike-Breeze

Tuesday, September 27, 7:30-8:30 PM, Rm 6-120

Understanding a product's user is critical throughout the design process. This two-part tutorial, designed by the communication instructors, focuses on outreach to users with an emphasis on starting conversations and seeking feedback, especially in a remote context. This outreach effort enables you to understand the experiences, expectations, and desires of users, rather than rely on preconceptions of who they are and what they need. In Part I, instructors and students will examine the social dynamics of “talking to strangers” through a lens of kindness. In this workshop, we’ll identify potential users for different product concepts and discuss various communication approaches to foster meaningful connections. Leave with ideas for a user outreach plan including questions appropriate for user interviews and tips for reaching out for the first time.

Workshop: Taking the Bull by the Horns: How to be proactive and set your team up for success

Meta-Yoda Libby Mahaffy

Tuesday, September 27, 8:30-9:30 PM, Pappalardo

Highly recommended for SIs and team yodas. You know the structure of your team is important, and that you have a key role to play in the team’s dynamics, but *how* do you actually do it? This interactive workshop will explore ways you can set your team up for success, both structurally and personally. From meeting agendas and group memory templates to facilitation tips and consensus-building techniques, you'll come away with plenty of tools to start the semester out on the right foot.

Tutorial: Ombuds office - a confidential and independent resource

Judi Segall

Wednesday, September 28, 12-12:30pm, Recording, Slides, Ombuds office website

Constructive Conflict Management with an introduction of the Ombuds Office and our resources. Judi Segall, MIT Ombudsperson will present an overview of the MIT Ombuds Office and the fundamental principles and tools for effectively managing conflict constructively as a member of the MIT community.

Training: RFP training for all financial officers (required)

Course administrator Chevalley Duhart

Thursday, September 29, 12-1 PM, Zoom link to be emailed directly to all financial officers

Financial officers manage the cash reimbursement process for their team members. This training session explains the process and thus financial officer attendance is mandatory. If there are conflicts that can't be resolved, please contact Chevalley cduhart@mit.edu.

Training: Foam Cutting and Foam Board

Pappalardo Staff Danny Braunstein and Steven Haberek

Thursday, September 29, 1-2 PM, Pappalardo

Help with techniques that may be useful for Sketch Models. See sign up link here.

Training: Yoda Workshop

Meta-Yoda Libby Mahaffy

Thursday, September 29, 8:30-9:30 PM, Pappalardo

Wondering about what to do as a yoda, or how to be a better yoda? This introductory session with Libby Mahaffy, our meta-yoda, is highly recommended for all team yodas.

Training: Foam Cutting and Foam Board

Pappalardo Staff Danny Braunstein and Steven Haberek

Friday, September 30, 11-12 PM, Pappalardo

Help with techniques that may be useful for Sketch Models. See sign up link here

Training: SI Team Communication Training

Communication Instructors Keith Clavin and Juergen Schoenstein

Monday, October 3, 7-8:30 PM, Rm 6-120

System integrators help keep a team working productively even when milestones approach, opinions diverge, and goals change or expand. Their most powerful tool is effective team communication, especially in meetings, on Slack, and by email. In this workshop, system integrators will have an opportunity to reflect on their experience, and – with some guidance from instructors – develop strategies for planning and running a meeting, engaging team members, and delegating tasks and monitoring their completion. This will also be helpful in bringing together the ideas and practices of the two team sections, which have been working in parallel until this time.

Workshops: Intro and Intermediate Microcontrollers (two concurrent tutorials)

Technical Instructor Steve Banzaert

Monday, October 3, 7-9 PM, 3-062

Introductory and Intermediate Microcontrollers (two simultaneous workshops) Both workshops involve making a working prototype to demonstrate some important microcontroller concepts: Introductory Microcontrollers will provide an introduction to Arduino, programming in C, and physical inputs and outputs. Intermediate Microcontrollers will cover interrupts, registers, and will use an Arduino to provide data to a program running on a PC. You may bring your own laptop (please install Arduino and Python 3 ahead of time) or will be able to use the lab computers.

Workshop: Finding Information

Course Librarians

Monday, October 3, 7-8:30 PM, Nexus, Hayden Library 14S-130

At least one person per section must attend - dinner will be provided. For team members who are looking up information on their product ideas (market research, patents, etc.) The sketch model presentation requires technical benchmarking, market, and customer information for the ideas that your section is pursuing. Several librarians will be on hand for one-on-one consultation. Be prepared with descriptions of your section's concepts, what information you have already found, and what you are finding difficult to locate. There should be at least one representative from each section in attendance. Information officers are encouraged to come. Please bring your own laptop or internet-enabled device for doing your information search.

Tutorial: User empathy and conducting interviews

Meena Kothandaraman, Twig&Fish

Sunday, October 16, 4-5:30 PM, Pappalardo

In 2.009, we are creating products inspired by awakening an emotional response or delivering an experience. This tutorial will help you really think about the people consuming your product: who they are, and how we, as designers, can truly empathize with these people to understand how they might use our product, or what they might expect of it. Meena Kothandaraman (twig+fish research practice, Bentley University) will demonstrate practices designers can use to help people articulate their attitudes, emotions, and behaviors surrounding product topics.

Tutorial: Patent searching

MIT Librarians

Monday, October 17, 5-6 PM, Nexus, DIRC 14N-132 (moved from 14S-130)

While you won’t come out of this session qualified to be a patent attorney, you will be able to successfully find patent references from all over the world and know how to obtain patent text and diagrams. The session will be a hands-on practicum that will help de-mystify the patent literature and expose attendees to key resources for finding patents through free resources available on the web.

Workshop: Ask The Expert CAD modeling

Lab Instructor Micki Dupnik

October 26, 6-7 PM, Pappalardo 3-037

This tutorial will be an opportunity to ask and CAD related questions to an expert (leader of WomenwhoCAD) as you prepare for Assembly Review.

Workshop: Printed Circuit Boards and Advanced Fabrication

Technical Instructor Steve Banzaert

October 26, 7-9 PM, Pappalardo 3-062

This tutorial will provide an overview of printed circuit board design techniques and methods of surface-mount soldering, concluding with the fabrication of a small surface-mount PCB.

Training: CPR and Heart Safety

MIT EMT

October 27, 7-9 PM, 4-251

Learn CPR and heart safety skills

Workshop: Product naming

Beth Marcus

Thursday, November 3rd 5-6pm, parking lot outside Pappalardo (pizza will be served)

Struggling to find the right name for your product? This tutorial by Beth Marcus, a successful entrepreneur, is intended to help you think strategically about naming your product. Please come to the tutorial with a clear sense of your product's core benefit, who it is for, and how you think you will market it. Please read these slides before the tutorial. Also, before the tutorial pick 1-3 well-known brands with a name you like. Please come prepared to say why you like it, and what the name tells about the company or product?

Consultation: Industrial Design 1

Industrial Designers Jeff Senez, Jeremy Van Hill, and Trevor Dyment

Thursday, November 3, 6:00-7:30PM (30 min/team), team areas in Pappalardo Lab

Industrial designers Jeff Senez, Jeremy Van Hill, and Trevor Dyment will be available for industrial design consultations. Please see times below. They will help you refine the overall vision for the usability and form of your product. Please show up to the consulting session with images of your design, ready to share. Your assembly review (or newer design versions) materials may be appropriate. Also, think ahead about aspects of your product form or user scenarios that you are struggling with. The industrial designers will discuss your design and also sketch alternatives with you. Please take full advantage of this great opportunity. The current consultation schedule is below. Please email if there is an issue with the assigned times.
DAY DATE TIME RESERVED FOR
Thu Nov 03 06:00 PM Jeff Senez Orange Team
Thu Nov 03 06:30 PM Jeremy Van Hill Pink Team
Thu Nov 03 06:30 PM Trevor Dyment Red Team
Thu Nov 03 06:30 PM Jeff Senez Gold Team
Thu Nov 03 07:00 PM Jeremy Van Hill Purple Team
Thu Nov 03 07:00 PM Trevor Dyment Green Team
Thu Nov 03 07:00 PM Jeff Senez Blue Team

Tutorial: Identifying and Understanding Users: Part II

Communication Instructors Rebecca Thorndike-Breeze

Thursday, November 3, 7:30-9 PM, Rm 3-270

Understanding a product's user is critical throughout the design process. This two-part tutorial, designed by the communication instructors, focuses on outreach to users with an emphasis on starting conversations and seeking feedback, especially in a remote context. This outreach effort enables you to understand the experiences, expectations, and desires of users, rather than rely on preconceptions of who they are and what they need. In Part II, students will discuss their experience to date in gathering user feedback and work together to refine their user testing techniques and generate ideas to get timely and relevant feedback on their evolving designs.

Workshop: Confident speaking

Anna Kohler

Friday, November 4, 3-5 PM, Rehearsal Room B, W16-030

An effective confident speaker is more than just physically "there" — they are present, they are in the moment, they take up space. Learn how to find and fill both the space within you and the space immediately around you, so that you can be yourself in front of an audience. Led by Anna C Kohler, MIT theater and acting.

Consultation: Business models

Via Separations CEO and 2.009 former mentor Shreya Dave and MIT idm Director Tony Hu

Monday, November 7, 6-9:30 PM (30 min/team), Pappalardo South Conference Room

Shreya Dave and Tony Hu will meet with each team to review and discuss your team's proposed business model. You will sign up for a 30-minute consultation for your team. The business model should cover how you will get the product to your users and deliver its intended benefits. This is the first of two business model consultations. In this first consultation, please be ready to discuss your overall business model/strategy. At the second consultation (November 28), you will get help fleshing out the numbers for your chosen approach.
DAY DATE TIME RESERVED FOR
Mon Nov 07 06:00 PM Blue Team
Mon Nov 07 06:30 PM Green Team
Mon Nov 07 07:00 PM Purple Team
Mon Nov 07 07:30 PM Gold Team
Mon Nov 07 08:00 PM Red Team
Mon Nov 07 08:30 PM Pink Team
Mon Nov 07 09:00 PM Orange Team

Tutorial: Introduction to Product Costing

David Meeker

Tuesday, November 8, 7-8:30 PM, Pappalardo North Conference Room

This tutorial by David Meeker introduces product costing and how to use product manufacturing cost estimation software. To prepare, please review the introductory slides and case study (will be posted soon) before the tutorial. He will help you get started with cost estimation for your team's product. At least two people from each team should attend, and the same two people should plan to attend the follow-up product costing session. See pre-read files here

Workshop: Designing for Diversity: An Interactive Workshop

Communications Instructor Amy Carleton and Guest Facilitator Victoria Dozier

Opening remarks by Dr. John Dozier, MIT's Institute Community and Equity Officer

Tuesday November 15th, 7-8:30 PM, Rm 3-270

We all see the world through the sum of our life experiences, whether we are conscious of it or not. This can lead to biases that then inform our preferences, the decisions we make, and how we create. Sometimes these biases can result in negative impacts—and as Boyuan Gao and Jahan Mantin of Project Inkblot point out, “intent does not undo impact.” To get teams thinking further about how to design for diversity, communications instructor Amy Carleton will lead this interactive workshop using Gao and Mantin’s D4D Framework. She will be joined by Victoria Dozier who will co-facilitate this workshop. About our guest facilitator: Ms. Victoria Dozier is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Belmont University with a Master’s in Business Administration. She has over thirty years of experience in both business management and engineering. Dozier is currently the co-owner and founder of The Language Buzz, Inc. – a world language-learning program that offers language online classes in Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Prior, she worked at Schneider Electric corporate headquarters as the manager of channel development and as a piping specialist at BP Amoco’s Purified Terephthalic Acid plant. Dozier’s successful professional track record has been highlighted in many publications including the National Society of Black Engineering Magazine, the Science & Engineering Horizons Women’s Edition Magazine, Ebony Magazine, the S.C. Black Pages.

Consultation: Industrial Design 2

Industrial Designers Jeff Senez, Jeremy Van Hill, and Trevor Dyment

Monday, November 28, 6:30-8:00 PM (30 min/team), team areas in Pappalardo Lab

Industrial designers Jeff Senez, Jeremy Van Hill, and Trevor Dyment will be available for industrial design consultations for your alpha prototype. They will help you with last minute refinement of product details. Please show up to the consulting session with images of your design, ready to share.
TIME RESERVED FOR
06:30 PM Jeff Senez Blue Team
06:30 PM Jeremy Van Hill Orange Team
06:30 PM Trevor Dyment Pink Team
07:00 PM Jeff Senez Red Team
07:00 PM Jeremy Van Hill Gold Team
07:00 PM Trevor Dyment Purple Team
07:30 PM Jeff Senez Green Team

Consultation: Business case consultation

Via Separations CEO and 2.009 mentor Shreya Dave and MITidm Director Tony Hu

Monday, November 28, 6-9:30PM (30min/team), Pappalardo South Conference Room,

Shreya Dave and Tony Hu will meet with each team to review and discuss your team's business case proposal. While the business proposal is only part of your final presentation grade, it is still a very important aspect of establishing your product's credibility. Please come prepared to discuss details of your business model, strategy and numbers. Shreya and Tony will also help you work through numbers for your chosen business model/strategy.
TIME RESERVED FOR
06:00 PM Blue Team
06:30 PM Red Team
07:00 PM Orange Team
07:30 PM Pink Team
08:00 PM Gold Team
08:30 PM Purple Team
09:00 PM Green Team

Tutorial: Logo Design

TA Jordan Tappa and former TA Chuck Xia

Tuesday, November 29, 6-7 PM, Pappalardo North Conference Room

Jordan and Chuck will help teams to brainstorm and create a logo for their product.

Workshop: Product Costing details

David Meeker

Wednesday, November 30, 7-9ish PM, Pappalardo North Conference Room

David Meeker will give a general presentation about more advanced product costing techniques, and then open the session up to questions. Please review these slides (class-only) in advance. Teams should come prepared with a detailed assembly diagram of their product and with any questions they may have about product costing for their product. Questions will be answered in an open format so that all teams can learn from the questions of other teams. Ideally the people who attend this session would have also attended the earlier Introduction to Product Costing tutorial.

Workshop: Translating technical information for the final presentation

Former Communications Instructor Jared Berezin and Communications Instructors Dave Custer and Juergen Schoenstein

Tuesday, November 29, 7-8 PM, Rm 3-270

How will you tell the story of your product in an accessible, meaningful, and memorable way for the diverse final presentation audience? Inclusive communication can help engage everyone in the room -- from children to technical design experts -- by making the unfamiliar familiar, and the strange relatable. This workshop with Dave Custer will offer strategies for translating both your product's technical attributes and the reasoning behind your engineering choices. During the workshop you and your teammates will have opportunities to brainstorm comparative explanations, such as metaphors, that evoke imagery and inspire understanding of your product and its attributes.

Tutorial: Product/Experience Storytelling

Meena Kothandaraman, Twig&Fish

Sunday, December 4th, 4-5:30 PM, Pappalardo

Products should help fill a gap, and create value for the people experiencing them. In order to help bring an audience into a presentation to feel the emotions of an experience, stories (often rooted from early research) can help focus on the human element of the product, rather than just the product itself. Meena Kothandaraman (twig+fish research practice, Bentley University) will review storytelling techniques and presentation mechanics that help hold an audience riveted. Come learn how to share a product through stories with emotions and realities that convey value to the people using it.