Superhero ポップアップブック by Can Zhu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 鉄賞 in 教育・教材・研修コンテンツデザイン Competition Category.

鉄教育· 2022

Superhero ポップアップブック

by Can Zhu

Client: Zhejiang University

A' Design Award 鉄賞 Winner in 教育 Category

19,911

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #130360

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Superhero ポップアップブック

『Superhero』は、幼い子どもたちに新型コロナウイルス感染症について教えるためにデザインされた仕掛け絵本（ポップアップブック）です。本書では、免疫細胞がスーパーヒーローとなり、ウイルスを象徴するモンスターと戦う物語が展開されます。紙のポップアップ構造に薄型の電子回路を組み合わせることで、各ページが視覚・触覚・音による反応を返します。子どもたちは紙のパーツを押す、引く、回す、カチッと鳴らす、振るといった動作を通して物語を追体験します。紙のパーツはレーザーカットで製作され、銅箔テープが内蔵センサーをつないでいます。この絵本は、抽象的な科学知識をより理解しやすいものにします。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鉄賞

Superhero ポップアップブックは、よく設計された創造物に期待される専門的・産業的要件を満たす優れたデザインに授与される、権威ある評価である A' Design Award 鉄賞の受賞作品です。鉄賞の受賞作品は、制作者の高い技量、高度な専門性、専門家としての理解、創造的な能力を示しています。Superhero ポップアップブックは、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される、実用的で革新的な創造物であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 鉄賞を受賞したデザインは、業界のベストプラクティスを統合し、ノウハウと才能に結びついた有能な技術的特性を備えています。Superhero ポップアップブックは、その徹底ぶりで尊敬され、世界をより良い場所にするための生活の質の向上をもたらすよう設計されています。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Superhero is a pop-up book for multi-sensory interactions, which is designed to publicize COVID-19-related knowledge among children. It tells how immune cells fight against viruses and protect our health through a vivid story about superheroes fighting monsters. A new form of combining pop-up paper books with electronic circuits was proposed to help children better understand abstract scientific knowledge through an audible, visual, touchable and interactive way.
Dimensions & Packaging: 260mm x 225mm x 50 mm
Tags: Education, Popular science, Childrenbook, Popupbook, Young children, COVID-19
Production Technology: Laser cutting is used for rapid production iterations of paper parts. The structure of paper to hide the thin electronic components (such as pressure sensor, photosensitive sensor, magnetic sensor, etc.). These electronic components are connected by copper tape.
Design Challenge: Paper structure stability，Circuit stability on paper
Research: The researchers conducted usability test on the first version of the product to verify the usability, interest and effectiveness of the book. Participants in the test are lower grade pupils. After completing the test, the researchers coded user behaviors based on interviews and video recordings, find out the participants’ attitudes towards the product, and sorted out the problems in this product. The researchers also collected feedback from participants’ parents and teachers through interviews. The test results verify the effectiveness and interest of the product and this new form. However, the test also found that the product has some problems in structural usability and image recognizability. Based on the feedback, the product has been iterated. Now, the new product has begun to be tried in schools and communities to obtain more user data. The new product are well-recognized by teachers and popular among young children.
Inspiration: Science popularization plays an important role in COVID-19 prevention and control. The virus can't be seen or touched, which makes it hard for teachers and parents to introduce virus-related knowledge to young children. The emergence of thin and light electronic components has enabled the realization of circuits on paper. In this context, more diverse forms of interaction can be applied to the traditional story books to add more fun and interactivity to the reading process.
Project Duration: This project was created in Ningbo, China from November, 2020. Now, it has been located in Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China since May, 2021.
Operation Flow: Each page of the book describes a scene of immune cells fighting the virus. Different paper structures and interaction methods were designed for each scene. Young children can feel the scene by pushing, pulling, rotating, clicking, shaking and other fine hand movements . And they can get visual, tactile, and auditory feedback that matches the story.
Team Members: Can Zhu
Leijing Zhou
Yue Wu
Qiuning Wu
Jiangping Zhou
Ge Yan