Make-O-Rama Reflection -Kaiyla Washington

I’m very happy that the Comfort4U team was able to present our final product and all the marketing aspects , on last Friday at the Ann Richards School first Make-O-Rama fair. At the fair there were many products that were produced from students of different grade levels to be shown and produced at the event. It was really good to see all the hard work that was put into every individual product and it was rewarding to show off all of the hard work that we had been putting in all semester long. Individuals and students reactions to our Make-o-rama display really was heartwarming to see how they appreciated the work that we had been doing . They were very impressed to see that we were able to produce a seat cushion that would help with students everyday comfort and learning. When the many students and teachers were testing out our Comfort4U seat cushion , the feedback we got was that they enjoyed how comfortable it was and how they were “so much better than the average school chair”. They were also interested in the future plans of the cushion to get the cushion further produced so that they can be sold to schools to be able to innovate their school chairs. Since the product was approved and liked so highly this can further our data for further production of the cushion.

When beginning the project we had to research pressure points, back support, comfort rates and comfortable materials. Once we figured that out we had to understand our finding and then figure out a way to incorporate all of the aspects into the product. That process was honestly the most challenging for me and my group going in, but we made it through  and made it work to where we could make all the needs fit into the finishing product. When we first started to test we ran into some bumps in the road but overcame then we started to see that the comfort level varies from every individual differently and can range in ways that some might see as dysfunctional but one we got passed that aspect we were able prove that our cushion was indeed more beneficial then the school chair in comfort. The main focus of the cushion that we wanted to make sure was incorporated was that we butt and back was supported with comfort. The cushion was originally supposed to be designed as a whole but with time constraints was build separately.

If the product was to be redone in the future the seat cover should be combined together for easy movement and better comfort also making changes to the cushion thickness so that it isn’t too big and bulky. When testing we saw that many of our shorter testers had a hard time getting into the cushion because of how high , so in the future that would be one of the main aspects we would look at. We would have to make sure that the material that is used in the future is flexible enough that it can support a range of people the same way as much as possible. Overall our testing was very beneficial and it was good to see the cushion in action , it was fun to see the different reactions and the appreciation of the cushion.

The skills that I learned through out this project is for one time management since we had many deadlines to meet and with a whole semester to complete them time can get away fast, also researching and the organization of big papers.I believe that this college helped me for when I get to college since I would be accustomed to the work load . Also I learned many new communication skills since the group that I was in was such a large group, during the project we found better ways of communication so that everyone would be on the same page. Some advice that I would give students in working in groups with project like these , is that it is important to communicate and not over talk your group members when in group discussion and also to just have a positive attitude when working together it not only makes your group stronger but also boost the group’s confidence in its product and project.

If the project was to be furthered , we could test the chair in actual classrooms with more cushions and learn possible improvements with learning for students. Also there would be a class made for students to be able to produce the cushions and venture out to sale them to AISD to get them approved . With the Comfort4U team and the break off of teams within the group I believe that we deserve a 95 because we did a good job communicating and getting all the data done to be able to present at Make-o-rama.