Doodle Up
I have always been bothered by attention deficiency, and this worsened in university. When I look for solutions to help me stay in focus longer, I notice that current tangible ADHD products cannot provide me with visual calmness. Can I design a more visually pleasing sensory toy to help more people who have trouble concentrating to study?
This magnetic doodle board is intended to combat the desire to reach for electronic devices when in need to focus and stay productive. Using a magnetic pen, users can trace through magnetic doodle patterns.
TOOL
GUIDANCE
Rhinoceros, Shapeoko CNC router, 3D printing
Prof. Andy Garcia, Fablab Manager Dalin Zhang
MATERIAL
Walnut board, magnetic ball, wood glue, PLA, TPU
DATE
Oct 2024
Emerging ADHD Trend
Comparing Existing Products
1.
Average human attention span has declined from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2025, due to increased electronic usage.
2.
There’s an increase in the worldwide ADHD diagnosis: 2% of preschool-aged children, 9% of older children, 11% of teens, and 5% in adults(Wilens & Spencer).
Digital Task Management App
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Focus on productivity enhancement
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Require consistent digital inputs (difficult habit for ADHD users to maintain)
Physical Tactile Toy
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Focus on functional sensory stimulation
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Lack emotional experience
How might we create an engaging tactile toy that will generate a positive brain response?
Studies have shown that physical activities like doodling can increase brain dopamine levels. It can activate the brain's unconscious network, which improves focus and learning retention.
Solution Brainstorm - Common Doodle Patterns
What if I create a doodling board with magnetic sensory experience? To design doodle paths, I collected data from 40 college students who display fidgeting behaviors while studying. The results below reveal 2 preferred doodle styles.
Curvy and Round
Sharp and Angular
![exhibition doodles [Recovered].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/12f63e_6e443d73b5504a59803a2b745a984b3e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_900,h_529,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/exhibition%20doodles%20%20%5BRecovered%5D.png)
Fabrication - Using CNC Router to Create 3D Doodle Path
To enable a tactile magnetic experience, it requires both a tracing pen and a tracing board. I have the idea of tracing a board with a magnetic ball inside a doodle path, but I am unsure about the modeling part to accommodate the limitations of the CNC router.
After discussing the idea with Professor Garcia, we decided to split the design into two wooden panels. One panel will be designed upside down to create the inner magnetic offset paths, and the other panel will be the filler. After placing the magnetic balls inside, the two panels will be joined together.
