Worcester Polytechnic Institute Digital WPI Major Qualifying Projects (All Years) Major Qualifying Projects March 2017 Design and Analysis of Cognitive Focus Devices Ashley L. Stanley Worcester Polytechnic Institute Brianna Rosalee Fogal Worcester Polytechnic Institute Carolina E. Ramos Worcester Polytechnic Institute Connor James McGrath Worcester Polytechnic Institute Daniel Alexander Sturman Worcester Polytechnic Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/mqp-all Repository Citation Stanley, A. L., Fogal, B. R., Ramos, C. E., McGrath, C. J., & Sturman, D. A. (2017). Design and Analysis of Cognitive Focus Devices. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/mqp-all/2685 This Unrestricted is brought to you for free and open access by the Major Qualifying Projects at Digital WPI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Major Qualifying Projects (All Years) by an authorized administrator of Digital WPI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Design and Analysis of Cognitive Focus Devices Major Qualifying Project Submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science March 23, 2017 Submitted by: Brianna Fogal Connor McGrath Carolina Ramos Ashley Stanley Daniel Sturman Advisors: W.A. Bland Addison, Ph.D. Torbjorn Bergstrom, Ph.D. ABD Walter T. Towner, Jr., Ph.D. Helen G. Vassallo, Ph.D. Abstract The objective of this project was to design and manufacture a cognitive focus device, develop a business plan for the product, and determine if fidgets can relieve individuals of the modern, evolving world’s anxieties. The rationale of this project was to produce a product for adults in the academic and professional world and to understand how fidgets are used in developing and industrialized countries. The methods used were surveys, fidget testing and manufacturing, interviews with professionals and individuals who fidget, market and financial analysis, and academic research of the professional literature on this subject. The results were the creation of the Fidget Egg, the product commercialization of the Fidget Egg, and a discussion about how some people center themselves through the use of sacred or secularized objects to relieve oneself of the world’s anxieties. The conclusion reached by the team is that the Fidget Egg is a viable product that can empower consumers to direct their focus, and there is no ideal fidget for everyone. Additionally, there may be a correlation with the use of fidgets and the pressures of industrialization. i Abbreviations ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder DSM: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders LLC: Limited Liability Company MQP: Major Qualifying Project ODS: Office of Disability Services ROI: Return on Investment WPI: Worcester Polytechnic Institute ii Acknowledgements The team would like to thank the four advisors: Bland Addison, Torbjorn Bergstrom, Walter Towner, and Helen Vassallo for their endless guidance and support throughout this project. The team also thanks Jessica Szivos and Laura Rosen from the Office of Disability Services for their vision, compassion, support, and life advice. The team is thankful for all of the volunteers who tested our product and the customers who bought and supported Fidget Egg, without whom the success of this product would not exist. Lastly, the team would like to thank Washburn Shops and Worcester Polytechnic Institute for giving this team the opportunity to learn and grow as young engineers, as students, and as a group of people who want to make a difference in this world. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ i Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv Table of Tables .......................................................................................................................... vii Table of Figures ....................................................................................................................... viii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ x 1. Introduction and Problem Statement .......................................................................................... 1 2. Methods....................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Design Team Approach ......................................................................................................... 3 2.2. Business Approach ............................................................................................................... 3 2.2.1 Research.......................................................................................................................... 4 2.2.2 Fidget Egg Design Survey Analysis and Evaluation ...................................................... 4 2.2.3 Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 International and Global Studies Approach .......................................................................... 5 2.3.1 Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 5 2.3.2 Primary Research ............................................................................................................ 6 2.3.3 WPI Faculty, Staff, and Cultural Student Group Outreach ............................................ 6 3. Fidget Egg Design....................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Design Team Objective ......................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Rationale................................................................................................................................ 8 3.3 State of the Art ...................................................................................................................... 9 3.3.1 Executive Functioning and ADHD ................................................................................. 9 3.3.2 Existing Studies .............................................................................................................. 9 3.3.3 Existing Products .......................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Approach ............................................................................................................................. 15 3.5 Product Design Methods ..................................................................................................... 15 3.5.1 Axiomatic Design Decomposition ................................................................................ 15 3.5.2 Building the Product ..................................................................................................... 21 3.5.3 Testing the Fidget ......................................................................................................... 30 3.6 Design Team Results ........................................................................................................... 31 3.6.1 Design Changes ............................................................................................................ 31 3.6.2 Product Usefulness ....................................................................................................... 36 3.6.3 Final Product Description ............................................................................................. 38 3.6.4 Axiomatic Design Check .............................................................................................. 40 3.6.5 Future Design Ideas ...................................................................................................... 40 3.7 Design Team Discussion ..................................................................................................... 41 4. Business Plan ............................................................................................................................ 43 4.1 Business Description ........................................................................................................... 43 iv 4.1.1. Vision........................................................................................................................... 43 4.1.2. Value Proposition of Fidget Egg ................................................................................. 46 4.1.3. Business Model............................................................................................................ 50 4.1.4. Legal Structure and Intellectual Property .................................................................... 51 4.2 Market Analysis .................................................................................................................