The Badge Archive

Customer Guided Design

Fulfills Step 3 of GSUSA Brownie Automotive Design badge requirements.

Info Needed for Badge Requirement: Design criteria are the most important things your vehicle must do to work well. These include what the vehicle is used for, how many people or items it carries, how fast it goes, and where it needs to travel. Designers use this information to plan the vehicle’s features inside and out. To design a helpful vehicle, you need to ask the people who will use it. This feedback helps you build something that truly works for their needs.

Items Needed:

  • Brownie Vehicle Design Guide by GSUSA for each scout
  • Troop’s exterior vehicle diagram from Brownie Vehicle Parts by GSUSA
  • Pencils
  • Toy car or ball
  • Tape
  • Poster boards or chart paper with customer interview questions
    • Customer Interview Questions:
      • What do you need this vehicle for?
      • Where are you going?
      • Why are you going there?
      • Who else do you need to take with you? How many passengers?
      • How fast do you need to get there?
      • What kinds of cargo do you need to bring with you?
      • What do you want in the interior of your vehicle?
      • What do you want on the exterior of your vehicle?

Instructions:

Part 1: Choose a Specialized Vehicle (3–4 minutes)

  1. Scouts vote on which vehicle to design:
    • A mobile clinic for a veterinarian
    • A team transport for athletes and equipment
    • A mobile makerspace for kids
  2. Scouts mark their choice in their Vehicle Design Guide.
  3. Review basic vehicle parts (wheels, body, engine) and discuss specialized design features.

Part 2: Interview the Customer (7–8 minutes)

  1. Explain the difference between needs (essential for function) and wants (nice but optional).
  2. Using a toy car or ball to pass around to show who’s turn it is, scouts take turns answering customer interview questions about their vehicle’s purpose, passengers, speed, cargo, and design preferences.
    • Alternative Option: Have scouts call out answers as a group instead of taking turns individually.
  3. Record responses quickly on one large poster or whiteboard.

Part 3: Complete the Design Criteria (8 minutes)

  1. Introduce different possible designer roles:
    • Interior Designer – Seats, dashboard, inside doors
    • Exterior Designer – Body shape, doors, wheels
    • Color & Trim Designer – Colors, materials, decorations
  2. Choose an option:
    • Option A: Scouts analyze their customer data to finalize their vehicle’s interior and exterior features in their personal checklist. Scouts add features to each section of their Vehicle Design Guide, thinking like real designers.
    • Option B (adds 10-15 minutes): Divide the scouts into small groups and each groups takes on one of the three design roles to design a group vehicle that meets customer criteria. Then they share their part of the design to the group.

Bonus Challenge:

  • Add safety or environmental features to improve the vehicle’s design.
  • Consider terrain adaptations for different landscapes.
  • Imagine a vehicle of the future with innovative technology.

Note to Leaders – You can learn more about customer feedback with a mini lesson

Tia Kennard