Paper PCB

The final project for my master's degree was a solo design project of our choosing. I initially chose to explore why university engineering programs don’t provide more hands-on learning activities. Desk research, a tour of engineering facilities, and a survey of professors indicated that the issue was primarily organizational, and there were less opportunities for a physical product that could provide real solutions. It was determined that hands-on learning in high school physics education had better product opportunities.

Working closely with Aaron Wark, a high school physics teacher, I examined the entire curriculum of high school physics courses including hands-on activities, and generated a product design specification (PDS) that I continuously updated as the project progressed.

I played with existing equipment, did high school homework assignments, and visited to places like the Glasgow Science Centre to find inspiration while ideating. Aaron and I identified electronics as an area that needed better hands-on learning activities. Once the design space had been adequately explored through ideation and experimentation, I used the modified Pugh method as a more objective concept selection process. The Paper PCB concept was selected for further development.

Further ideation alongside prototyping and user testing led to the creation of the current Paper PCB concept.  The result was a workbook that contained electronics instruction, homework assignments, and working paper circuit investigations. The paper circuits consisted of copper tape and circuit stickers (single component flexible PCBs with conductive adhesive. A visual demonstration of the Paper PCB workbook can be seen in the embedded video. For a more complete summary of the design process and final solution follow the link below.