Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag by Jiayu Yao

Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag by Jiayu Yao is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Duais Iarainn A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Foghlaim, Ghoireasan Teagaisg agus Susbaint Trèanaidh Competition Category.

IarannFoghlam· 2023

Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag

by Jiayu Yao

Client: Zhejiang University

Duais Iarainn A' Design Award Winner in Foghlam Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag

Tha Bogsa Sgeulachdan Hanzi na bhloca dèideagan ùr-ghnàthach a tha a’ dèanamh ionnsachadh caractaran Sìneach spòrsail agus eadar-ghnìomhach dha clann òga. Bidh e a’ cleachdadh nàdar dealbhach charactaran, còmhla ri eileamaidean lèirsinneach is claisneachd, gus luchd-ionnsachaidh a chuideachadh gan aithneachadh agus gan cuimhneachadh nas fheàrr. Tha an app a tha na chois a’ toirt seachad goireasan ionnsachaidh a bharrachd, leithid faclan, seantansan, sgrìobhadh stròcan, agus dealbh ceangail, faodaidh clann cuideachd na sgeulachdan caractar Sìneach aca fhèin a chlàradh airson an luchdachadh suas gu blocaichean.

The Recognition

About the Duais Iarainn A' Design Award

Tha Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag air Duais Iarainn A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean math a choinnicheas ris na riatanasan proifeiseanta is gnìomhachais a thathar a' sùileachadh bho chruthachaidhean a chaidh an dealbhadh gu math. Tha buannaichean Iarainn a' nochdadh sgil mhòr, speisealachadh àrd, tuigse eòlaiche agus comas cruthachail an luchd-cruthachaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag na chruthachadh air a bheil mòran meas, ion-mholta agus gràdhach a tha practaigeach agus ùr-ghnàthach. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Iarainn A' Design Award a' cur nan cleachdaidhean as fheàrr sa ghnìomhachas còmhla agus tha feartan teignigeach comasach aige ceangailte ri eòlas-dèanamh agus tàlant. Tha meas air Hanzi Storytelling Box Bloc Dèideag airson a dhùrachd agus chaidh a dhealbhadh gus leasachaidhean càileachd beatha a thoirt seachad a chuidicheas le bhith a' dèanamh an t-saoghail na àite nas fheàrr.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Hanzi Storytelling Box is a meaningful block toy that supports young children to engage with Chinese characters in a more friendly way. The toy kit uses the pictographic nature of characters, blending visual and auditory to help learners recognize and remember them. The toy divides characters into three categories by theme: nature (yellow), people (blue), and artifacts (red). Young children are encouraged to appreciate the beauty of Chinese characters, explore their mysteries, and find learning fun and engaging.
Dimensions & Packaging: Chinese character module: 50mm*50mm*6mm and 70mm*70mm*6mm Speech recognition module: 140mm*140mm*70mm Specifications: LED, Speaker, RFID Tag and Reader, Button, Battery
Tags: Education, Young children, Block toy, Chinese characters, Electronic toys
Production Technology: TECHNOLOGY: UX design process, Rhinoceros, Keyshot, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Arduino, Electronic circuit technology MATERIALS: Wooden
Design Challenge: The first challenge was to categorize and classify the Chinese characters that preschoolers need to learn. The toy divided these characters into three categories based on their meanings and used different colors to show the distinction. The second challenge was to visualize the characters by creating easy-to-understand patterns that fit their meanings. To do this, the toy described the meaning of each character through a one-sentence story in relation to its pattern.
Research: By combining Montessori's sensitive period for senses and Piaget's constructivism theories, and conducting a user study with children aged 3-6 years, the toy uses common objects in daily life as visual representations of Chinese characters. The existing knowledge of the children was utilized to assimilate new knowledge of Chinese characters. The radicals are key to learning Chinese characters, and the Hanzi Storytelling Box allows for free combinations between radical blocks to form different Chinese characters with clear visual elements that present the role of different radicals in the overall Chinese character.
Inspiration: Children often consider Chinese characters to be complex, boring, and irregular, which leads to children's anxiety about learning Chinese characters. By analyzing the cognitive characteristics, age characteristics, and literacy rules of lower-grade students, the Hanzi Storytelling Box is designed based on the "child-oriented" design principle.
Project Duration: The project started in March 2022 and finished in October 2022 in Ningbo.
Operation Flow: First, the child can freely play with the character blocks. They can place a single block or combine two blocks to form a specific character on the Storytelling Box. After pushing the box button, the description of the Chinese characters and the related fable will be broadcasted by the box. Secondly, the accompanying app allows users to record their own Chinese character stories and play them with the physical toy. The app also provides additional learning resources, such as words, sentences, writing strokes, associative drawing, and review. These resources can help children learn Chinese characters holistically and easily.
Team Members: Jiayu Yao
Jing Zhang
Jiayi Ma
Yuqi Zhang
Weijia Lin
Sheng Yang
Shuyue Feng
Cheng Yao
Image Credits: Jiayu Yao、Jiayi Ma、Jing Zhang，2022