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Innovative products invented by middle school students.
Take an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how Designed by Students products were made and find out more about the program.
WATCH VIDEO
HOW IT ALL STARTED.
When it came time to come up with innovative new school supplies, Staples went right to the source for inspiration - students. Because who knows what students need better than themselves? Along with design education experts, aruliden, we brought students from two middle schools into the design process to get their take on what kinds of products would help make the school day easier.
A LOOK AT
THE PROCESS.
THE PROCESS.
Two schools, 48 students and a one-of-a-kind collaborative design process resulted in a ton of incredible ideas to help simplify the school day.
With help from the product development team at Staples, over five weeks students were brought deep into the design process to understand every part of how products actually get made — and for a real client.
The students researched, ideated and even prototyped solutions to problems they identified as integral to their school day - from homework and lunch to lockers and organization solutions.
Research
By collaborating in teams of 3, students were asked to dive deep and document their observations. They conducted surveys, visited stores, held interviews, analyzed competitors, and through their research began to identify the problems and start to frame a solution.
View Research Gallery
Ron Clark Academy students put their finishing touches on a super colorful inspiration board.
Students took tons of pictures, like this one of a disorganized bag, capturing details that would build their problem statement.
aruliden's design strategy lead, Carly Burton, works with Ron Clark Academy students to consolidate research.
Every student went to a Staples® store to examine product construction and gather materials for prototyping.
Ron Clark Academy students present their research early in the process. Their hard work inspired the Portable Desk.
View Ideation Gallery
This big idea board lead to insights resulting in features in both the Accordion and Back2Back bags.
Student created inspiration board for color, material and finishes.
Ron Clark Academy students practice their presentation pitch with their prototype. Their model was used as a foundation for the Floating Locker Shelves.
Ron Clark Academy students excite the crowd before their big idea presentation.
MS88 students show off their prototype after a great presentation. The prototype was inspiration for the Back2Back bag.
Ideation
From their research the students developed their big ideas - a school product that met the needs they uncovered in their research. They then presented their ideas to the other students, teachers and Staples teams.
Design
Staples' product development team spent weeks analyzing all of the student’s ideas. They were then interpreted, filtered and presented through product concept sketches back to where the original ideas came from - the students.
View Design Gallery
Proof of concept model allowing the designers to test the handle design.
Initial sketch for the Tray Desk, a transportable work surface.
Designer Brett Tom, from aruliden, shows a student how he transitions from 2d sketches to a 3D design.
Carly Burton, Design Strategist from aruliden, shows Ron Clark Academy students the design team’s 300+ sketches from the initial ideation phase.
Ron Clark Academy students critique the work of the designers prior to validation with a focus group.
The Big Ideas Revealed
From lugging books and lunch gear to finding the perfect spot to study, Designed by Students products were invented by students for students.
LEARN MORE
We're looking for our next inventors.
Interested in bringing Designed by Students to your school? Get in touch with us to see what's next for the Designed by Students program. Fill out the form to learn more about how you can get your students involved.
Thank You
We appreciate your interest. We'll be in touch very soon.
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