How To Build A Paper Airplane Written Instructions

When I ask them why they didn’t try out their design first, they complain about the time. This method is still used in some cases but problematic when words are so often misconstrued (Like UX requirements docs! )Some teams use symbols and diagrams to go along with the written directions, making the communication two-dimensional and removing potential ambiguity with the words.

And yet…there will always be one or two groups who somehow managed to *each* fold a plane they know, try them both out, and then make diagrams for the best one. Occasionally teams will take another approach by creating a series of three-dimensional planes. The assumption that directions must be one dimensional and that thinking outside the box would be breaking the rules is devastating to the world of design.

Make sure you do not cut your notch along the center fold.

Fold up the tip of the point to hold the flaps in place.

Flip the page over, left to right so that the fold created in step 12 is down against the work surface and the angled edge is at the top and left and the square end (now possibly with the protuding tail of the wing created in step 12, depending upon the length-to-width proportions of the original sheet of paper) is to the right. This fold is a mirror image of the one just completed in step 12.

The angled edge is folded down so that it is parellel to and even with the original center fold.

old was mad at me because I couldn't make paper airplanes like daddy. ;} Thanks for helping with the little things in life.

It may range from about 4x6 inches to about 11x14 inches (lighter weight paper is more suitable for smaller sheet sizes).

I’ve worked with teams and organizations on how to work together, in a more mindful and intentional way, all over the world, using the tools of Design Thinking… I quickly saw why he was such an ace teacher: Clear language. He wouldn’t say “fold your paper in half”…He would say, “Fold the paper in half, long side to long side, making a tall rectangle. And sussing all those questions out all at once gets very confusing.

Run your finger over the folded edge to make a sharp, crisp crease.” The extra words weren’t extra. With Design expanded to effect change in so many contexts, we need a better, shared language of what it means to design, since, in this definition, everyone designs.