Plus minus: passive education of basic circuitry through DIY product design

Today's children are immersed in technology. Not many children, though, understand or even attempt to understand the different technological components that make up basic electronics in which they use on a daily basis such as lamps, hair dryers, and speakers. DIY Product design, as being tangible objects with many affordances of interaction and room for creativity, has potential to introduce forms of information and instruction regarding the basics of technology. In this capacity, product design can instigate what is termed here as "passive education" or "informal learning." The core idea is to embed passive education and instruction in children's lifestyles outside of school environments -- where children actually spend the majority of their time. [1] This paper describes Plus Minus, a fully functional multipurpose light source that also introduces the basics of circuitry upon construction: a product that informs, an informational tool that is a product. Plus Minus is an engaging, minimal, easy-to-assemble lamp with intuitive affordances of color, form, conductivity, and magnetism that empower children to create, customize, and personalize their own multipurpose light source. Plus Minus enables ages nine and older to design and build their own light source within different environments and contexts. The kit consists of three parts: a head (light source), a tail (power source), and a body (conductive material that connects the head and tail). These parts can be constructed in diverse ways depending on the child's needs. Through the process of construction, children are introduced to the circulation of direct current between a power source (wall adapter) and a light source (LEDs). This paper introduces the latest version of Plus Minus and discusses the directions of future work regarding passive education through product design.