Innovation Hub
An initiative by Al Bayat Mitwahid in UAE
Course 4
Using AI with maker industries
Unit 1 – Designing objects with AI
Lesson 3: Working on a Design Brief
Now that you have chosen an object to make, we can work on the process to design it.
We select one type of object for demonstration purposes:
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An animal themed 3D printed chess set.
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This will help to explain the design process to you, but it is important to use your own ideas and thoughts, as well as input from friends, colleagues and tutors, to create your final objects.
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WRITING A DESIGN BRIEF
A design brief is a description of what you want your final product to be. It shouldn’t be too specific, as that might limit your ideas, but it should have enough detail to get you started and keep you on target.
Your brief will keep you on target to your goal, and can include timings for your project too. It should include the material, the size, theme and any customisation needed (eg: names, messages).
AI INPUT
Try asking a chatbot to generate a design brief for you, and make sure to include the important details.
Here is our example prompt:
Can you write me a short design brief for a chess set that can be 3d printed and will be used for birthday presents for friends and family. The chess pieces should be inspired by local animals in Abu Dhabi. They will be printed using different colours, and should be between 4 and 8 cm tall.
And our example brief from ChatGPT:
Objectives:
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Theme: Infuse the chess set design with elements from Abu Dhabi's local animal diversity.
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Personalization: Ensure each piece represents a specific chess role while embodying characteristics of a local animal.
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Scalability: Design pieces varying in size but maintain a coherent aesthetic suitable for 3D printing.
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Color Differentiation: Utilize distinct colors or patterns for differentiating between opposing sides and pieces.
Design Considerations:
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Animal Selection: Choose a range of animals native to Abu Dhabi, ensuring they align with specific chess piece roles (king, queen, rook, knight, bishop, pawn).
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Aesthetic Appeal: Blend functionality with aesthetics to create visually appealing pieces that capture the essence of the animals and the chess roles they represent.
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Printability: Optimize designs for 3D printing, considering details, supports, and stability during the printing process.
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Size Variation: Maintain proportional size differences between pieces while ensuring the tallest piece remains within the specified height limit.
Technical Specifications:
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Height: Chess pieces should range between 4 and 8 cm in height.
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Printable Materials: Design should accommodate various 3D printing materials with color capabilities.
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File Format: Deliver printable designs in STL or other widely compatible 3D printing file formats.
Deliverables:
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Complete set of 32 chess pieces (16 per side) representing local Abu Dhabi animals, ready for 3D printing.
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Accompanying documentation detailing animal inspiration and recommended colors or patterns for printing differentiation.
Timeline:
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Initial Designs: Completion within [Specify Timeframe]
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Iterations and Feedback: [Specify Timeframe]
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Final Deliverables: [Specify Timeframe]
Additional Notes:
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Consider incorporating cultural elements or symbolism from Abu Dhabi, if applicable and appropriate.
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Ensure the designs are well-differentiated and easily recognizable for gameplay purposes.
You will see that there are some details missing, and some details that you may not agree with or like.
Spend some time with your design brief to get it up to a high standard. You should refer to your whiteboard notes to help you.
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You can ask clarifying questions to a chatbot to help construct a detailed brief. You can also use the bot to speed up your process, for example:
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Please make a table with 3 columns. Use Week, Deadline and Hours Needed as column headings. Add each week from March to May in the left column under the heading.
When you are happy with the brief, show it to someone else to see if they notice any errors or omissions.
