Find a real problem. Make something that fixes it.
The maker lab is where design thinking stops being a poster on a wall and becomes sawdust, failed prints and a version three that actually works.
Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test
We teach the cycle in plain language: go look, say what's wrong, think of loads of fixes, build a rough one, try it on someone real.
- 01
Empathize — go ask
Students interview the people with the problem: the custodian, the librarian, the kid who can't reach the bike rack. Notes, quotes and photos, not assumptions.
- 02
Define — say it in one sentence
Teams write a problem statement they can defend. If it takes a paragraph, it isn't defined yet.
- 03
Ideate — quantity first
Timed sketching rounds, no criticism allowed, twenty ideas minimum. Then dot-voting to pick two worth building.
- 04
Prototype — cheap and fast
Cardboard and hot glue before PLA and plywood. The first version exists to be wrong in a useful way.
- 05
Test — with real users
Back to the person from step one. They try it, break it, and say what's annoying. Teams log every comment.
- 06
Iterate — version three is the good one
Students choose what to change and justify it from test notes, then reprint, recut and retest.
The first prototype is supposed to fail. That's what it's for.
What's in the lab
- FDM 3D printers (PLA and PETG) with a print queue students manage themselves
- 40W laser cutter for plywood, acrylic and card — instructor-operated below Grade 9
- Hand tools: coping saws, files, clamps, hand drills, rivet tools
- Vinyl cutter and heat press for labels, decals and wearables
- Craft-and-cardboard station for rapid low-fidelity prototyping
- Digital calipers, scales and a measurement wall for tolerance checks
Briefs students tackle
- Design a tray-return station that clears the lunch queue faster
- Build an adaptive grip so a classmate can hold a paintbrush
- Prototype a rain shelter for the bike rack from sheet material
- Make a classroom-noise indicator that nobody finds annoying
- Design packaging that protects a raw egg from a two-storey drop
- Build a shelf organiser for the school library returns desk
End-of-term showcase
Every cohort finishes with a public demo: teams pitch the problem, show version one next to version three, and hand the fix to the person who asked for it.
Age bands offered
Curiosity is the prerequisite. We handle the rest.
Sit in on a free trial class, or talk to us about bringing SPACEDU into your school.