"Document-while-doing": a documentation tool for Fab Lab environments

Abstract

Maker and DIY communities are constantly sharing tutorials, projects documentation, as well as design sketches and model files. Producing documentation of good quality has its challenges, one of them being the amount of time needed to generate it. In this paper, we present a software tool that assists makers and hobbyists in creating reports and tutorials of their projects on-the-go, that is, at the same time they are working on them. A mobile phone application allows taking pictures, grouping them and annotating them with text and audio. All the material collected during the making activity is automatically stored online and presented in a website created for the project. The maker can later modify this site by means of adding additional text, reordering the pictures, or including extra multimedia content or design files. This tool is specially tailored to the documentation needs of the Fab Lab network.

Supporting Documentation and Evaluation of Student Progress in Digital Fabrication

“…Several tools are used to solve different design problems in Fab Lab. A recent tool, Document while Doing, allows documentation of the design and prototyping techniques (Milara et al, 2019). Document while Doing comprises an alternative solution to the existing problem of Fab Lab documentation on the network.…”

“…Document while Doing comprises an alternative solution to the existing problem of Fab Lab documentation on the network. The key reason for its use is simplicity, and it consists of three essential elements: 1) mobile app, 2) server, and 3) web aThis app allows the collection of pictures with notes (Milara et al, 2019), and supports voice messaging. It can manage and store data on a back-end server and display it on a website.…”

“…Members of the digital fabrication community usually share their common interests in the creation of new devices, artefacts, and objects (Cautela et al, 2014;Milara et al, 2019;Stager, 2013). For example, each contribution in digital fabrication laboratories (Fab Labs) creates numerous opportunities by combining art based on engineering with the design and development of a modern artefact (Stager, 2013).…”

“…For example, each contribution in digital fabrication laboratories (Fab Labs) creates numerous opportunities by combining art based on engineering with the design and development of a modern artefact (Stager, 2013). To attain an in-depth understanding and produce a smooth design, regardless of the type of prototype involved, different solutions have been proposed to facilitate the documentation process (Adeegbe, 2019;Milara et al, 2019). Such tools help students capture and share their prototype designs within a team and with an instructor, and with such tools, the early stages of prototyping are made easier and are better documented for future use (Adeegbe, 2019;Barhoush et al, 2019;Milara et al, 2017;Sjöman et al, 2017;Soomro et al, 2021a).…”

Tools for Recording Prototyping Activities and Quantifying Corresponding Documentation in the Early Stages of Product Development

“…Numerous studies have sought to elucidate the different aspects involved in the prototyping processes in digital fabrication (Barhoush et al, 2019;Soomro & Georgiev, 2020). Recent research has also sought to describe creativity in the context of making (Georgiev et al, 2016), highlighting the pivotal role of documenting digital fabrication projects 'while-doing' (Milara et al, 2019). It is useful to understand why observing prototyping activity helps shape our understanding of the creating process.…”