PlayCycle
PlayCycle is a learning tool that introduces bike culture and promotes exploration of how bicycles can be used at an early age through play, building, and storytelling.
by christinezapata on April 29, 2010
We needed a way to direct play with and use of the toy, in order to set context and suggest possibilities for how a cargo bike could be used. We wanted a way to do this without taking away the freedom of the children’s creativity, or limiting them in any way.
We thought of making the toys occupation-specific based on the research that children like to mimic adults and professions. But we ultimately decided against this because it would limit the range of possibilities in which the toys could be used, and competes with the DIY ability to decorate them, which we think allows for a deeper connection and attachment with the toy, as well as for creativity of use.
Then we thought of making games or activities to go along with the toys as a supplemental element supporting our intent. This would be a good way to engage the audience, but we found it to be too structured and linear, again limiting creativity. Games and activities could also possibly cause frustration and loss of interest in the children because it may add pressure to complete the activity or to do it “right.” We don’t want to imply to children that they must use our toy in a certain way or to make them believe there is only one “right” way to play with it. Personally, I do not believe anything at all is truly ever right or wrong. It is only different, and that is something I want to reflect in my work.
Our last idea was to write a storybook to go with the toys to create a narrative and guide creativity, suggesting possible scenarios without limiting them. With a storybook, we could suggest realistic scenarios, as well as more playful and imaginative ones. This would leave it open for kids to come up with their own ideas of how a cargo bike could be used. It would also be a great way to get parents involved in play with their kids, without taking away freedom.
We chose to continue with the storybook, coming up with a variety of scenarios to include in our storybook. Our brainstorming ideas ranged from realistic scenarios of humans in different professions carrying appropriate objects on their bikes, to animals riding bikes, carrying something suitable, and rewriting children’s stories or fairy tales to include well-known characters riding and carrying things on their bikes. We later edited this down with the illustrator, Melissa McFeeters, to include human characters only, but still incorporating more imaginative scenarios into the book. This allows the focus to remain on promoting bike culture amongst young kids, without confusing them by having too much going on with animal or fairy-tale characters.
by yiweiliao on April 29, 2010
Making a package is really important and frustrate process. First, I have to measure out all the dimensions, also precisely include the thickness of cardboard. Then carefully cut out and fold the package. Even though I carefully check all the measurement before I cut, I have to fix a lot of little problems, deal with the cardboard carefully. If this is in the production, everything will be more easier.
by yiweiliao on April 29, 2010
There is a problem that all the material sizes have a little bit off then what it should be. Like a quarter inch plywood is usually .23″ thick. Half inch is usually .43″ . Our solution is to make all the holes smaller, so we can use the file to sand it out if necessary.
by christinezapata on April 29, 2010
Though we have already put a lot of time and energy into this project, we are still in the early stages of PlayCycle. But it is not too early to think about the future of PlayCycle. We would ideally like to modify our material choices so that they would be more environmentally responsible. Though plywood is a great material that is durable and relatively cheap, we have looked into types of ply that use more natural, non-toxic adhesives. We are currently using a standard birch plywood for our modeling and prototyping, however, as we continue to work on PlayCycle, we would like to consider the alternatives. Changing materials would mean changes in cost, but it would also mean changes in value, meaning, and image. We would also think about material changes for the packaging as well.
by ilyssashapiro on April 28, 2010
Along with the Bikes Work! book, the PlayCycle kit contains a small pre-built bike & trailer, along with parts for children to build their very own bike & trailer! Here are the parts included:
Illustrations by Melissa McFeeters!
by ilyssashapiro on April 28, 2010
The lovely Melissa McFeeters created the graphics for the packaging we designed for the PlayCycle toys & Bikes Work! book.
Here are some renderings of how it may look….
by christinezapata on April 28, 2010
We recently compiled a page of early sketches to include in our presentation. We wanted our sketches to match the project and work together as a body of sketches, so we drew them in the same style, facing the same direction, with the same line weights, and colored them in a tan color (to look like plywood). We thought it made more sense for the sketches to relate to the actual toys, so that our story would flow better, and the audience wouldn’t be distracted by small details or incongruences of style. 
by yujiepeng on April 28, 2010
It is better to design simple parts for a PlayCycle, because it should be appropriate for kids to put together. So we figure out a united part for bike body, keep the main features of bike and trailer, narrow done complex parts into simple shapes.
Moreover, we consider about PlayCycle is for kids, so the shape of it should be curved shape without any sharp edge.
One kind of PlayCycle body shape:
by yujiepeng on April 22, 2010
We got a lot of feedback when we brought the PlayCycle to Beginnings Preschool. Here are some of our observations.
- The kids knew instantly what to do with the bikes and trailers and were very excited to attach the trailers to the bikes.
- As the kids interacted with the PlayCycle, we observed that the larger models held up longer under play. This observation informed us that future PlayCycles need to be stronger and more solid.
- The kids loved coloring the bikes and carrying crayons in the trailers.
- Many of the kids enjoyed taking the bikes and trailers apart. Without informing them how to interact with the PlayCycle, they intuitively began modifying the bikes and trailers and customized them to their own liking.
- The kids enjoyed playing with both the modular and fixed PlayCycle models. However, on observation, the modular PlayCycle model allowed for more creativity and shared play between the kids.
by yujiepeng on April 22, 2010
When we brought PlayCycle to Beginnings Preschool, the kids really enjoyed interacting with the models. The kids were excited to connect the trailers to the bikes. They also utilized the trailers to carry toys and loved coloring the bikes.
Here are some photos of the kids interaction with the PlayCycle:
