Visual, Functional, and Structural Analysis & REFLECTION: Automoblox

Visual Analysis:

This picture of my Engineering Notebook
 has my visual analysis for each of the 5 sides
of the Automoblox car.

Functional Analysis:

In this Analysis we answered questions that asked
 about the functional use of the Automoblox car. At the end
we created an input output table with different functions the
car has. There is a larger picture of the table below.

This is a closeup of the function table with inputs,
product functions, and outputs.

Structural Analysis 

REFLECTION

How do visual design principles and elements impact the commercial appeal of a product?

The visual aspects and overall aesthetics are very important to the appeal of the product to potential customers. In this case, the product has to appeal to children ages 4-10. So a realistic looking car that can be broken apart and rebuilt would be very interesting to a child in that age group.   

What does a black box represent in the system input/output model?

It represents what the functions of the car are and how they will work.

Why do engineers perform reverse engineering on products, and how would you describe it in your own words?

Engineers perform reverse engineering so that they can further increase their knowledge on the engineering/design that goes behind the construction of a product, and give themselves ideas on how they can improve on a design. 

If given the opportunity, how would you improve the Automoblox design (visually, functionally, or structurally) while furthering the mission of the company at minimal cost?

I think that the wood used to create the blocks of the car is an unnecessary cost, and could be easily switched out for a higher end plastic. This would make the car cheaper and more affordable, as it currently costs $39.99. Also I think the car would be even more appealing to children if the car could be pulled back and then released to make the entire car move by itself. This functional improvement would definitely increase sales because children could then race their cars.