Rodrigo Guimarães is an enthusiastic English teacher of new methodologies and ways of learning. By getting in touch with some techniques and experimenting with new methods, he devised a way of teaching English in a very different way. With this idea he met us, and we discussed how to develop and enable Spindow, a device that promotes learning in an interactive and synesthetic way. Through consulting we can guide you regarding materials, production processes, ergonomics (physical and visual) and definition of the product name. The project took shape throughout 2015 with the development of prototypes that were tested with different audiences even outside Brazil.
Through the rotating circular bases and the interchangeability of vocabulary pieces, Spindow's purpose is to facilitate understanding of the different structures of the English language. The purpose of the project was to generate pieces that allowed different combinations of words in order to clearly visualize the relationship between tenses and the composition of different sentences. This visualization, the handling of the pieces and the experience generated by Spindow helps in understanding and setting the rules of the language.
Throughout 2016, Umcomum and Spindow's founder, Rodrigo Guimarães, worked on the large-scale marketable version that was launched in early 2017. It was a long process of immersion, ideation and experimentation before the final design was conceived, with materials and proportions of the prototype of the previous year. In addition, the learning experience was the focus of the new design, which in addition to the tool itself transformed the didactics of Spindow adding new elements of game to the dynamics of product use.
Today Spindow has both the physical, wooden version and the web version. His method shows the patterns that are always repeated in the English language and with this you understand the logic of the language, your main tenses and learn to speak thousands of sentences in English. That way you gain autonomy to communicate, an indispensable skill for those who seek fluency in the language. Its circular shape resembles a mandala, which is an instrument used for centuries for meditation, concentration, learning and healing. The use of Spindow leads to a deeper state of attention, stimulating creativity and imagination. The material is unpublished and certified by INMETRO, and can be used to learn English either alone or in groups, suitable for English teachers who want to use with their teaching method.
