Tinkering

Why?

Come up with novel idea's based on technical opportunities and affordances.

How?

Build to design. Play around with technology such as LEGO, microcontrollers and other things lying around. While you are building and fidgeting you will probably get inspired. Let the material speak!

Ingrediënts

• A maker's attitude.
• Lot's of stuff (to make things).
• An open design challenge, allowing for many solution directions.
• Imagination
• The ability to make the leap from proof-of-principle to concept.

In practice

Tinkering is the core-method of the makers-movement who invent new stuff from off-the-shelf technologies. One example is the 3D chocolate printer, invented shortly after 3D printers became widely available by putting those to new use.