Workshop Lessons Learned

This page was started by User:Katie after the LED Cuff workshop to record her thoughts about potential improvements, but anyone is welcome to contribute to it.

General Lessons Learned

These tips apply to any workshop held at HacDC or a similar hackerspace.

• If attendees need to register, make it more than obvious that they do.
• Limit participation to about a dozen people so as not to overcrowd the space. Hold multiple sessions if needed to accommodate people.
• Bring extra materials and tools -- participants will lose track of things, especially small things, or want to start over with a fresh whatever-it-is.
• Signs posted in the building directing people to HacDC are a good thing.
• Only give kits to folks who registered.
  • Was there anyone who registered and showed up who didn't receive a kit? I thought I had struck a good compromise between fairness and efficiency by giving no-shows' kits to walk-in participants a little while after the workshop started. - Katie 02:20, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

LED Cuff-specific Lessons Learned

These tips apply specifically to the LED Cuff workshop.

• The instructions could use a good diagram of the layout of everything in and on the cuff.
• Ditch the velcro, which is too hard to sew by hand, in favor of snaps or something like that.
• Bring a seam ripper for fixing mistakes.
• A standard hole punch will jam and possibly break when you use it to abuse leather or other leather-like material.
• These LEDs may be cheaper.
  • For the workshop we got the LEDs for $.65 each through Digikey. Looks like the ones above are actually more expensive. - Katie 18:28, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
• Turning the legs of the battery holder out away from the center of the holder seemed to hold them to the fabric better than turning them in. Cutting off the plastic posts on the bottom of the battery holder kept it closer to the fabric. These sewable battery holders may have been more expensive but easier for this project.