The I/O: Paper Prototyping for the Future half-day studio will be a hands-on experience that combines art, design, and technology. Participants will learn through a series of escalating exercises how to introduce interactivity via computational crafting techniques to paper in order to heighten the paper prototyping experience.

1. I/O Paper Prototyping
for the Future
Joselyn McDonald & Nicole Messier

2. Welcome

3. Introductions

5. Overview
§ Design Challenge 1
§ Prototype as Practice
§ Paper as Art/Design
§ Break
§ Paper Folding Techniques
§ Design Challenge 2
§ Break
§ Intro to Paper Circuits
§ Design Challenge 3
§ Break
§ Design Challenge 4
§ Wrap-Up

6. Design Challenge 1
Consider what you imagined ‘the future’
would look like when you were a child. (2
min)
Now, using paper, design an interactive
item that belongs to that future scenario.
(5 min)

7. Prototyping as a Practice

8. Stanford D-School
Iterative Design Process
Stanford d.School

9. What is a prototype?

10. What is a prototype?
Prototypes are a core means of
exploring, testing, and evaluating aspects
of an interactive artifact.
Term can be ambiguous, as many
disciplines consider prototypes to be
different things.

11. Prototypes and Realms
Paper renderings
Paper structures
Storyboards
Video Simulations
3D Renderings
Physical Simulations
“What Do Prototypes Prototype?”, Houde and
Hill,

12. Why do we prototype?

13. Why do we prototype?
§ To provide clarity to our team and
stakeholders about our ideas
§ To better understand how users will
interact with our final artifact
§ To define and test assumptions
§ To create avenues for feedback from
users
§ To incorporate user feedback earlier
on

14. Paper Prototyping

15. Traditional Paper
Prototyping
In interaction design, paper
prototyping is an often-used
practice that allows designers
to test interactive elements of
software.
Cheap and Fast

16. Traditional Paper Prototyping

17. Traditional Paper Prototyping

18. Paper Prototyping 2.0

19. Broader Adoption of
Paper Prototyping
Artists, designers (used broadly), and
technologists are adopting paper as a
reliable medium for quickly
(and cheaply) testing installation
elements, games, interactive artwork and
more.
Sometimes, they continue to use paper in
their final design.

20. What Lies Beneath
Gabby O’Connor
Final Piece

21. What Lies Beneath
Gabby O’Connor
Paper Prototype

22. Edgv and Wendy Plomp
Papercave
Papercave
Edgv and Wendy Plomp

23. Old Farmer Brown
Hedler, Hägglund, Lundgren and
Wellence
Paper Game

24. Decimuted
Bea Szenfeld
“I was bored of working in fabric and
started experimenting with materials. I
fell in love with paper and what you can
create with such a simple material,”
says Szenfeld

25. Bea Szenfeld
Decimuted
Decimuted
Bea Szenfeld

26. Wad aus Wald
Takashi Kuribayashi

27. Wad aus Wald
Takashi Kuribayashi

28. Crystalline Highlands
Messier, McDonald, Matchett
Paper Installation

29. Messier, McDonald, Matchett
Crystalline Highlands
Crystalline Highlands
Messier, McDonald, Matchett

30. Michelangelo Pistoletto
Mirror of Judgement
Mirror of Judgement
Michelangelo Pistoletto

31. Paper Objects
Peter Gentenaar

32. Paper Objects
Peter Gentenaar
Paper Prototype

33. Kompost Backpack
J Tollington

34. Discussion

35. Paper Engineering Techniques*this section pulls from Paul Jacksons’ book Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form

36. Paper Engineering
Tools
§ Paper
§ Hands
§ Pencil
§ X-Acto Knife
§ Ruler or straight edge
---------------------------------
§ Tape
§ Bone Folder

37. Symbols

38. Valley
Fold
Mountain
Fold
Unfolded
Valley
Fold
Unfolded
Mountain
Fold
Bring
the
le5
edge
to
the
right
Bring
the
right
edge
to
the
center
Symbols

39. Equally Dividing Paper

40. Equally Dividing Paper
Step 1: Fold paper in half

41. Equally Dividing Paper
Step 2: Fold the left and right edges of your paper to the
center edge.

42. Equally Dividing Paper
Step 3: Fold the left edge of your paper to the two new
edges.

43. Rule for Equal Divisions
For every new edge that is created, fold
the left and right edges of your paper to
the new edge.

44. Equally Dividing Paper
Step 4: Fold the right edge of your paper to the two new
edges.

45. Equally Dividing Paper
Step 5: Flip the paper over, and make the following folds
with the left edge.

46. Equally Dividing Paper
Step 6: Fold the right edge to the marked mountain
edges.

47. How would you make
grid divisions?

48. Rotational Divisions

49. Rotational Divisions
Step 1: Fold paper in half.

50. Rotational Divisions
Step 2: Fold the top left and right edges to the center
edge.

51. Remember the Rule?
For every new edge that is created, fold
the left and right edges of your paper to
the new edge.

52. Rotational Divisions
Step 3: Fold the left edge to the new edges.

53. Rotational Divisions
Step 4: Fold the right edge to the same edges.

54. Rotational Divisions
Step 5: Flip the paper over, and make the following folds
with the left-top edge.

55. Rotational Divisions
Step 6: Fold the right-top edge to the marked edges.

56. Rotational Variations

57. Rotational Divisions

58. Rotational Divisions
Cut two half circles with similar arcs.

59. Patterns

60. Symmetry

61. Translation

62. Translation

63. Let the paper make the folds.

64. Reflection

65. Reflection

66. Reflection

67. Reflection

68. Reflection

69. Reflection

70. Pop-ups

71. Pop-ups

72. Paper Engineering Tips

73. Paper Engineering Tips
§ Use the edges of the paper to divide it
into equal parts.
§ Use the dull side of an X-Acto knife to
form creases.
§ Let the paper make the difficult folds.
§ Make repetitive folds in the same
direction (valley fold or mountain fold)
to create simple closed and/or
deployable structures.
§ Do not worry about having exact
proportions for folding patterns.
§ Use the same techniques with
different edge combinations and
origins.

74. Design Challenge
Architecture
You are living in an urban city on a
Totokaelo, a recently inhabited planet,
that has unpredictable weather patterns.
To help protect the city’s harvest,
architects are designing smart buildings
that organically change shape
depending on the weather conditions.
Design Challenge: Use the paper folding
techniques to prototype a building that
will protect the harvest during harsh
weather conditions and nurture the
harvest during optimal weather.
Tip: Think about different shapes,
deployable forms, and letting the paper
make the folds!

75. Design Challenge
Clothing
As an inhabitant of Totokaelo, you need
dynamic clothing garments that help
make you visible during unpredictable
snow storms and protect you against the
wind and cold.
Design Challenge: Using paper
engineering techniques, prototype a
garment that will increase visibility and
provide protection from harsh weather.
Tip: Think about deployable forms

76. Break

77. Paper Circuits

78. What you’ll need!

79. Coin Cell Batteries – 3v
Know the positive side of the coin cell from the negative.
NegativePositive

80. Light Emitting Diode (LED)
The longer leg is the positive (anode) side of the LED. The shorter leg is the negative
(cathode), or ground, side of the LED.

81. Copper Tape
Like regular tape, but made with metal, so it
conducts electricity.
Helpful to cut tape in half.
Challenge: Bends and circles

82. Simple Circuit

83. Parallel Circuit

84. Copper Tape Switch

86. Explore

87. Design Challenge
Architecture
You are living in an urban city on a
Totokaelo, a recently inhabited planet,
that has unpredictable weather patterns.
To help protect the city’s harvest,
architects are designing smart buildings
that organically change shape
depending on the weather conditions.
Design Challenge: Use the paper folding
techniques to prototype a building that
will protect the harvest during harsh
weather conditions and nurture the
harvest during optimal weather.
Tip: Think about switches, on/off,
deployable forms, and letting the paper
make the folds!

88. Design Challenge
Clothing
As an inhabitant of Totokaelo, you need
dynamic clothing garments that help
make you visible during unpredictable
snow storms and protect you against the
wind and cold.
Design Challenge: Combine paper
engineering and soft-circuit techniques
to prototype a garment that will make
you visible and protect against harsh
weather if necessary.
Tip: Think about deployable forms, on/
off switches, and functional aesthetics.

89. Design Challenge 4
Find your ‘item from the future’ from the
Design Challenge 1.
Redesign your ‘item from the future’ to
incorporate paper prototyping
techniques from today
(5 min)

90. Wrap Up
Joselyn McDonald | josmcdos@gmail.com
Nicole Messier | nicoleyimessier@gmail.com