Olin College SCOPE 2011

1. s
Autodesk Olin College
SCOPE Team Mid‐Year
Report
Maia Bittner
Hari Iyer
Adam Kenvarg
Marco Morales
Keerthik Omanakutta
Andrew Pethan
2010‐2011 Autodesk
Inventor Learning
Experience Design
Exploration

2. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 1 Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Table of Contents
2. Executive Summary
a. Project Progress and Timeline
b. Problems with the Current Learning System
c. Solutions that Change the Nature of Learning
3. Project Overview
4. Project Breakdown
a. Design Concept Areas
b. Autodesk Learning “Deck of Cards”
5. Design Concept Areas and Example Ideas
a. Overview
b. Inventor Learning Representations
c. Personal Profile Space
d. Tutorial Design Tools
e. Constraint Challenge
f. Full Product Workflow
g. User Community
h. Digitizing Peer‐Guided Instruction
i. First Time User Experience
6. Autodesk Learning “Deck of Cards”
a. Overview
b. Autodesk Learning Suits
i. Learning Obstacles
ii. Strategies of Instruction
iii. CAD Mental Models
iv. Personal Needs
v. Game Attributes
7. Project Methods and Design Approach
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3. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 2 Executive Summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PROJECT PROGRESS AND TIMELINE
The Autodesk Olin SCOPE team is charged with developing an improved learning system for Autodesk Inventor,
focusing on engineering undergraduate students. The first semester of work included the identification of the
primary impediments to learning in the current product, backing up core learning concepts through literature,
generating new solutions to specific problems, and broadening the solutions into meaningful concept areas.
This report highlights the breadth of the team’s research and design.
Our team has organized the culmination of this semester’s effort into two different areas in this report. The first
half is a summary of eight different Concept Areas which each outline an area of opportunity for Autodesk, in
addition to roughly sketching out two or three ideas within this area. The second half is a representation of our
team’s research findings into a tool called the Autodesk Learning “Deck of Cards,” which provide backing for
current ideas and a basis for new ideas.
Moving forward, part of the team will participate in Autodesk’s IDEA Studio in January, and the full team has one
remaining semester at Olin College to complete the project. IDEA Studio will be a critical time for in‐depth
prototyping of the ideas deemed most worthy of pursuing by Autodesk. The second semester will focus on one
or two top ideas and work towards detailed design and feasibility testing in software.
PROBLEMS WITH THE CURRENT LEARNING SYSTEM
Text‐based, step by step tutorials are the only comprehensive delivery format of learning materials for Autodesk
Inventor. These tutorials tend not to be engaging and rarely sync with many important user needs. Alternative
learning resources, such as online videos, are more visual, but they still share many of the shortcomings of step‐
by‐step tutorials.
People working on projects often have different time constraints for learning new aspects of the software than
casual learners do. In fact, the learning system mostly ignores the user’s context, including what they are
currently building and skill they have demonstrated in the past. Even if detailed skill‐level information was
available, the current learning resources are not designed to adjust to a variety of skill levels. Finally, most of
the material available is focused on the step‐by‐step usage of the software, leaving out the higher level concepts
of translating ideas into machinable 3D CAD models.
SOLUTIONS THAT CHANGE THE NATURE OF THE LEARNING
Concepts and solutions need to directly address the current shortcomings in Autodesk Inventor’s learning
system with guidance from modern learning theory and observations of how real people, specifically college
students, use CAD. Recurring themes in the team’s solutions include:
 Increased flexibility in learning approaches
 Increased sense of relevance of learning
 Highlighting and reflecting past progress

4. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 3 Executive Summary
 Tools for self‐assessment
 More addictive learning environments
 Connection to other users for motivation and peer learning
 More in‐context learning by leveraging new user data
 Adjusting skill level to balance new learning with appropriate challenges
 Big picture learning of design process
These themes can be applied to nearly any idea, and together they form a useful metric for measuring the
novelty and utility of future learning systems. The specific ideas and concepts are explained in the report.

5. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 4 Project Overview
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Autodesk SCOPE Team is working with Autodesk's Education Group to rethink the way self‐paced learning
can be integrated into their suite of software products. Specifically, our team has examined Autodesk Inventor, a
3D CAD software tool that is used in many product design contexts, with a wide range of expertise and goals
within its diverse customer base. Up to this point, self‐paced learning has been driven through a set of tutorials
delivered with each product. Autodesk Inventor 2011 includes roughly 60 detailed tutorials covering everything
from New User topics (Sketching, Part Modeling, etc.) to Advanced Features (Finite Element Analysis (FEA),
Dynamic Simulation, etc.). Each tutorial explains to how to complete a specific task through a series of text and
images. Autodesk is looking to investigate alternatives to text‐based tutorials, as well as ways of categorizing or
thinking about the overall Autodesk Inventor learning experience.
Improving the learning experience for all of Autodesk Inventor's users in a way that can easily scale with
expertise, design context, and a variety of other factors would improve the overall experience of designing with
Autodesk Inventor. To accomplish this interdisciplinary design challenge, the team is combing their background
in product design and development, CAD design, cognitive science, systems design, business opportunity
assessment, and pedagogical engagement models.
PROJECT BREAKDOWN
The team decided to organize the culmination of this semester’s effort into two different areas.
1. The first half of our report is a summary of eight different Concept Areas that outline an area of
opportunity for Autodesk, in addition to roughly sketching out two or three ideas within each area.
2. The second half of the report is a representation of our team’s research findings into a tool we called the
“Deck of Cards,” which can be used as the basis for new ideas in addition to those we have highlighted.
DESIGN CONCEPT AREAS & EXAMPLE IDEAS
Eight concept areas represent the landscape of the ideas generated by our team. These concept areas are
helpful because they act as a way of organizing ideas and identifying areas of opportunity for development. Each
concept area has two or three example ideas that vary in detail and scope to illustrate the potential of ideating
within a concept area. We hope to use our time at IDEA Studio to focus on specific concept areas and ideas to
move forward with in the spring.
AUTODESK LEARNING "DECK OF CARDS"
Our team used the metaphor of a deck of cards to explain and visualize our research findings and synthesis.
Unlike a standard deck of four suits, there are five "suits" in our deck representing the five different areas of
research the team did in preparation for idea generation. Each suit is made up of 6‐8 cards that can be used in
combination with other cards from the deck to help define new ideas or opportunities for the Autodesk Inventor
Learning Experience. As a result, all of the Design Concept Areas and potential solutions our team has developed

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13. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 12 Design Concept Areas & Example Ideas
6. USER COMMUNITY
A social space for sharing, competing, and learning
The concept of an online community of users is hardly novel. However, deciding who participates, what they do,
where the engage with the community, and how often they participate can completely change the community.
A social space in Autodesk Inventor should be equipped for sharing, competing, and learning ‐‐ things that
engage people and push them to contribute.
CAD DESIGN COMPETITIONS
Instead of simply sharing comments and projects online, Autodesk Inventor users could compete in
Autodesk or externally sponsored competitions. These may include timed competitions, challenges to
design something in a new way, feature‐limited design challenges, and others. Users could also gather
points and achieve ranks based on their performance in competitions.
COMMUNITY PODS
Most online communities connect all users together. Depending on the purpose of the community, this
may not be helpful. Social networks like Facebook corner off a small portion of the network for a given
user, effectively making the large network smaller and more relevant. In some gaming communities
where people compete for rank, few people are motivated to move up from a rank of 129,378 to
111,457 out of 250,000 people. Smaller leagues of 100 people near your skill level make it more feasible
to move up from a rank of 80 to a rank of 20, and eventually, to a higher league, showing clear progress.
Dividing Autodesk Inventor users into “pods” of smaller numbers of people, clumped by similar skill
levels with the program, may lead to increased engagement with other users on the network. Online
competitions, such as the challenges listed above, could provide fun competition between members of a
pod. In addition, localized help forums could lead to closer relationships forming between the members
of a pod.

14. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 13 Design Concept Areas & Example Ideas
7. DIGITIZING PEER‐GUIDED INSTRUCTION
Tools for conceptual and exploratory learning in Autodesk Inventor
Many people learn how to use CAD software from more experienced users. While tutorials and internet
searches can be helpful, these leave very little room to try things and ask questions. They also tend to focus
more on the mechanics of using the software, not the conceptual understanding required to translate a real‐
world object into CAD. Since peers are not always available, especially for users trying the application on their
own, it is important to digitize some of the benefits of peer‐guided instruction.
OBSERVATION‐BASED SUGGESTIONS
In order to encourage users to explore, this idea consists of a background application that observes the
sequences of actions taken by a user. It would compare these actions to those of other users at
different skill levels to guess what the user is attempting to accomplish and observe common points of
getting stuck. When a user slows down their rate of clicking or uses “undo” more frequently than usual,
Autodesk Inventor would offer a timely hint for possible next steps that can help a user progress to the
next step. Since the program is running in the background and responding to users getting stuck, it is
more likely to encourage freedom of exploration.
2D TO 3D CONCEPTUAL TUTORIALS
One of the greatest challenges for beginners is moving from 2D to 3D, understanding how features are
3D productions based on templates of 2D sketches. This could be addressed through a series of well
designed tutorials, movies, and quizzes that explain this concept and allow users to practice on
increasingly complex parts.

15. Autodesk Olin SCOPE Team: Mid‐Year Report 14 Design Concept Areas & Example Ideas
8. FIRST TIME USER EXPERIENCE
Designing for first impressions of a new Autodesk Inventor user
Currently, the initial user experience for Autodesk Inventor users is extremely daunting. While the option exists
to enter basic tutorials to help guide the user, this is only one of the many options on the home screen. Even
simple commands, such as creating a new part file, require tutorials for unexperienced users. While this
interface is efficient and perhaps even comforting to experienced users, to new users it can be a hinderance to
their learning and acceptance of Autodesk Inventor. While our team did not direct most of our time towards
first‐time user experience, we did discover that there is room to improve to help all users learn CAD in an easier
manner.
NEW USER INTRODUCTION
One potential solution is to have a splash screen for users installing Autodesk Inventor for the first time
on a particular machine. This could have options to help ease new users into a learning environment, as
well as an easy dismissal option for returning users. The options that it could give to new users would
help streamline and customize the learning process. For instance, it could ask how users learn and tailor
tutorials around that style (ie. videos, interactive games, text‐based instructions). Additionally, it could
ask about a user's background, and help them adjust if switching from a different CAD program with
which they had experience.
ENGAGING CONTEXT VIDEOS
Anoter potential opportunity involves videos that would play during installation to visually and easily
show the capability of CAD software. In this example, any mechanical system, a dune buggy for
instance, could be shown being designed at high speed. The video would slow down for important
steps, such as the design of the steering wheel, or of finite element analysis of the chassis. This would
show the power of CAD in a way that even new users could easily comprehend and appreciate. Many
new users quickly grow frustrated by their lack of ability to build products they see in everyday life, but
if they could appreciate how CAD is used to help make a consumer product, it would help frame why
developing CAD skills is useful and create motivation for learning.

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CAD parts, es
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er down the p
Report
objects in CAD
nct geometri
roduct
al engineers,
ts with
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composite
ording to the
ngineer who
the legs belo
otivated by th
tributes. The
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6

28. A
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7

29. A
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people feel m
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domain. Incre
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they need to
ance
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y be valuable
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8

30. A
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seek to grow t
experiences.
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people grow i
do. However,
users can bec
deas is to inc
facilitated by
when they ne
existing conte
n SCOPE Team
ake the form
ould be to com
centric conne
hold each oth
ses the unsat
unchanging.
heir cities, and
their knowled
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n what they
, learning is ra
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orporate clea
tools that he
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ent, such as a
m: Mid‐Year R
of friends co
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tisfying feeling
People tend
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lp users prod
ontent produc
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nnected via a
riends, to sha
also be estab
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past accompli
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32. A
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arning Suits" a
proach, unde
our ideation p
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different peda
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as described a
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33. A
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2. Surprise
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are usually in
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experiences in
n the multipl
most reliable
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n SCOPE Team
e
the element
eractions play
the form of a
wist in the sto
ason why the
n the video ga
ayer field, oth
source of sur
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of surprise. T
yers have wit
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h their games
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similar event.
ar game
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story of video
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positive feed
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failures define
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their learning
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effort, giving t
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winning lets t
everyone who
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popularized o
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right kinds o
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ir confidence
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video games
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to Play
with the obje
nition of "winn
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nts to play, at
has been exp
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ke them learn
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35. A
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mportant and
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when excelle
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Report
ed at. Video g
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36. A
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