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Engineered Experience through Packaging Design: Part 2

A 9-12 grade STEAM Lesson

Adam Hardy

July 2023

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Notes for Teachers

This lesson is a Part 2 extension. Students should have already practiced reverse engineering and redesigning packages.

This lesson involves constructing a package. You’ll need to amass cardboard material for students to use.

Lesson 1

List of Materials

Cardboard (shoeboxes, cereal boxes, or other single ply cardboard works well.
Empty film canisters
Cardstock, craft paper, etc.
Glue
Masking tape (preferably 2 inches thick)
Scissors
Rulers
Box cutters

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Standards

Science and Engineering Practices

ask questions and define problems
develop and use models
plan and carry out investigations
use mathematics and computational thinking
construct explanations and design solutions
obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

Crosscutting Concepts:

Systems and systems models
Structure and function

Art Standards:

Creating, Presenting, Responding, Connecting

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Objective(s):

In this lesson students will create a unique customer unboxing experience for a powerful new battery device that has just hit the market (represented by a film canister). They will use what they learned in Part 1 of this series to construct a professional-looking package for this new product.

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Agenda

Intro: Unveiling the world’s most powerful battery (5 minutes)

Assign groups (5 minutes)

Brainstorm Activity (10 minutes)

Construction (40 minutes-several days)

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

A promising start up has just invented the world’s most powerful battery. It fits in the palm of your hand and can power a home for a month on a single charge. You’ve been offered the opportunity to design the packaging. Due to the prestigious nature of the product, the customers’ unboxing experienced must reflect the highest levels of quality and instill unwavering confidence in the value of the product. A couple questions to help you get started:

From what you learned in Part 1, what techniques do you think will be effective for this product? What is your story you will tell through the packaging?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Divide students into groups of 2-4 and give each a film canister. This represents their “battery”.
Brainstorm Activity: Invite students to write about the message they want their packaging to convey. How can the package tell that story to the customer as they unbox the battery? Have them list out features of the box itself and brainstorm any supplemental inserts that could provide information. How can they showcase the true power of the product from very first glance?

Make sure to give student groups plenty of time to construct their packages. You may have them prototype several designs and vote on their favorite within the group. During prototyping, students should focus first on making a functional box.
This website has some great resources and ideas about how to make a finished box when students have worked out their prototypes.

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Assessment

Students will have created a nice finished product that they can display and demonstrate. Use the project deadline as an opportunity for student groups to showcase their work to their classmates.

Facilitate a class discussion about what ideas seemed to work well for this project and why.

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Differentiation

Invite students to find an existing box that they can retrofit into a package for their battery. Invite them to consider what else they may add to the box to make the unboxing story relevant to the battery.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Invite students to integrate electronics into their box design. How might LEDs affect the display and experience? Have them consider different placements of LEDs in the design. Trimmable strip lights would work well in this application.