2.s009, Fall 2020Jared Berezin (berezin@mit.edu)

Translating technical info for a diverse audience

“Summertime” by George Gershwin

SettingThe setting of the lyrics is almost entirely syllabic.

StructureIntroduction: bars 1-7. The vocal part begins on an anacrusis. Verse 1: bars 7-24. Verse 2: bars 25-46. Coda: bars 41-46.

HarmonyThe octave unison texture of the introduction is triadic. Bar 1 outlines a diminished tonic, B diminished chord (the key of the main body of music is B minor). The F#, a flattened 5th of the tonic chord, acts as a blues note and immediately signals a strong stylistic trait of this blues infused music. In bar 2 the F# is established and the B minor tonic is established. Here an F# dominant pedal is established. In bars 3 and 4 the descending quaver pattern falls in thirds.

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“diverse, educated, technical, non-technical”

20,000

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“The helium atom is a bouncing rubber ball.”

“The mind is a computer.”

“Cells are like children.”

“We’ve designed a stronger iPhone skin.”

selective transfer

familiar unfamiliar

Metaphorical talk in engineering

“The 3D printer squeezes cement out of the nozzle like toothpaste.”

“The trapjaw ant has spring-loaded jaws that bend open 180 degrees, like a bear trap, and snap shut if touched. This is the fastest action of any animal on Earth.”

core problem user needs

design goals

business plan

product demouser experience

technical components, innovations, challenges

high-level product definition

high-level reiteration of product’s future impact

Introduction OutroClimax

core problem user needs

design goals

business plan

product demouser experience

technical components, innovations, challenges

high-level product definition

high-level reiteration of product’s future impact

Introduction OutroClimax

core problem user needs

design goals

business plan

product demouser experience

technical components, innovations, challenges

high-level product definition

high-level reiteration of product’s future impact

Introduction OutroClimax

“The geometry of the release plug mechanism makes it so that even a small force can actuate it, but it can still stay shut under even 30 pounds of string tension.”

“Our product can deliver a shock of 120 joules.”

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“We designed Elevate to be made with high-performance lightweight materials: titanium and carbon fiber. This allows our device to weigh under 5 pounds, comparable to the weight of a textbook.”

Elevate: a mechanical add-on seat lift for manual wheelchairs.

“From our research, we found that in order to keep fisherman alive in freezing water you need 200 watts of power. This is the same amount of power from an electric blanket.”

Vesta: a heated vestthat extends survival time for deep sea fishermen inhypothermic conditions.

“But over the course of 6 hours you need 4.3 megajoules of energy, equivalent to charging your phone 150 times.”

“To melt the pearls, a resistive heating assembly warms a metal plate to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, the same as a cup of coffee.”

Calipso: a custom lipstick maker for beauty stores.

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“With a transformation time under 15 seconds, it’s even faster than tying your shoes.”Zip: A knee scooter that

transforms into crutches.

“While typical knee scooters weigh 25 pounds, Zip weighs only 15 pounds, making it lighter and more portable.”

“Our current saddle contains six sensors and twelve wires in the space about the size of your pinky.”

Strum: an acoustic guitar attachment that transcribes the music played in a tablature format.

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“This off-the-shelf nipple is designed to release milk with a gentle pinch only, for babies who cannot naturally suckle.”

Lilac: a breastfeeding aid that enables physical intimacy between mothers and their babies who could not otherwise breastfeed.

List the following:

1. What does the measurement indicate (time, distance, weight, size, speed, temp, etc.)?

2. Compare the unit to another unit of measurement (e.g. millimeters to feet).3. Compare the measurement to an inanimate or animate object that is likely

familiar to most people in the audience.4. Anything else interesting about this measurement to share with the audience?

(e.g. why is it important to your product?)16

Choose one measurement from your product (e.g. the weight of the product, the speed of an action, the dimension of a component, etc.)

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core problem user needs

design goals

business plan

product demouser experience

technical components, innovations, challenges

high-level product definition

high-level reiteration of product’s future impact

Introduction OutroClimax

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core problem user needs

design goals

business plan

product demouser experience

technical components, innovations, challenges

high-level product definition

high-level reiteration of product’s future impact

Introduction OutroClimax

“path following algorithm”

“gas spring”

“PCB”

“microcontroller”

“infrared reflective sensors”

“nose cone”

“thermocouple”

“rotation mechanism”

“microprocessor”

“omniwheel suspension”

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core problem user needs

design goals

business plan

product demouser experience

technical components, innovations, challenges

high-level product definition

high-level reiteration of product’s future impact

Introduction OutroClimax

List the following about your product:1. The main technical components2. The most exciting and impressive technical attributes (component,

construction feature, overall functionality)

“The dock is the brains of UpBeat.”

UpBeat: a set of lighting attachments for an existing drumset that provide instruction and feedback on drumming.

“Ollie’s dimensions were inspired by that of a baby to evoke a caregiver impulse.”

Ollie: a therapeutic robotic otter companion for elderly patients with dementia.

Animo: wearable wrist device that uses vibration patterns to help reduce hand tremors

“The vibration tricks the brain into thinking that the wrist is already tremoring.”

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“The gas spring can lock at any position between 0 and 8 inches of elevation, similar to the functionality of an office desk chair.”

Elevate: a mechanical add-on seat lift for manual wheelchairs.

Is there an object or process already familiar to your audience that relates in some way to your item?What attribute of this familiar object/process is the audience most likely to transfer onto your item?

Select one item from the list you’ve made about your product

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What specific attribute of your item do you want to emphasize?What role does your item play in the overall product?What impression do you want the audience to have of the item (i.e. safe, dangerous, strong, fragile, smooth, rough, large, small, etc.)?un

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Designing metaphorical talk

Presentation resources

CIs, lab instructors, TAs, librarians, mentors

People who know nothing about your product

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Final presentation guidelines and tips on 2s.009 website

Past presentation videos