Mind Map
Branch ideas from a central topic to explore connections and discover patterns.
Free toolkit
The StudioLoom Toolkit
Drawing tools and games, design thinking, simulators, mockups and digital tools for design classrooms. Free to open, no login, nothing to install.
45 thinking tools3 simulators2 mockups2 digital tools9 drawing
1Discover
Find out what's really going on.11 toolsAssumption Check
Write what you think you know about your user, plan how to find out, then mark each guess right or wrong.
Interview Planner
Plan open questions for a real person, then record what they said and what surprised you.
What / How / Why
Watch someone do the task: note what they do, how they do it, then guess why.
Walk in Their Shoes
Try your user's task with one thing changed, and log what was hard, how it felt and how you got round it.
Empathy Map
Map what users say, think, do, and feel to build deep understanding.
Journey Map
Trace a user's experience step by step to find pain points and opportunities.
Stakeholder Map
Identify who your design affects and what they need from it.
User Persona
Create a fictional user profile based on real research data.
Target Audience Profile
Define who you're designing for — demographics, needs, and context.
Biomimicry Canvas
Look to nature for design inspiration and sustainable solutions.
2Define
Say exactly what you're solving.9 toolsAffinity Diagram
Group and organize ideas into natural clusters to find themes.
Five Whys
Dig to the root cause of a problem by asking "why?" five times.
Fishbone Diagram
Map all possible causes of a problem in a structured visual.
SWOT Analysis
Evaluate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
Concept Map
Connect concepts with labeled relationships to show understanding.
Systems Map
Visualize how parts of a system interact and influence each other.
Design Criteria
Set clear success criteria your design must meet.
User Story Mapping
Map user needs as "As a... I want... So that..." stories.
Point of View Statement
Distill your research into a clear problem statement.
3Ideate
Lots of ideas first. Pick one after.8 toolsSCAMPER
7 thinking strategies to transform existing ideas into new ones.
Lotus Diagram
Expand a central idea into 8 themes, then 8 sub-ideas each.
Reverse Brainstorm
Brainstorm bad ideas first, then flip them into real solutions.
Morphological Chart
Combine features across categories to generate novel combinations.
Brainstorm Web
Free-form idea generation with visual web connections.
Tree Diagram
Break big ideas into smaller branches of sub-ideas.
Brainwrite
Silent brainstorming: write, pass, build on others' ideas.
Six Thinking Hats
Look at a problem from 6 different thinking perspectives.
4Prototype
Make it real, roughly, then properly.7 toolsValue Proposition Canvas
Map how your design creates value for users.
Design Sprint Planning
Plan a focused 5-day design sprint process.
Mood Board
Collect visual inspiration to guide your design direction.
Storyboard
Sketch a sequence showing how users interact with your design.
Design Specification
Document detailed technical requirements for your design.
Iteration Tracker
Track changes and improvements across design iterations.
Quick Sketch
Rapid sketching with timer to explore ideas visually.
5Test
Try it. Find what breaks. Fix it.10 toolsPMI Chart
Evaluate ideas by listing Plus, Minus, and Interesting points.
Decision Matrix
Score options against weighted criteria to make informed choices.
Dot Voting
Democratic prioritization: everyone gets limited votes.
Pairwise Comparison
Compare options head-to-head in pairs to find the best.
Test It With Them
Hand what you made to the person it is for: note what they did, where they got stuck and what they said.
Feedback Capture Grid
Organize feedback into likes, wishes, questions, and ideas.
Impact/Effort Matrix
Plot ideas on a 2×2 grid of impact vs effort to prioritize.
Assessment Rubric
Build rubrics for self, peer, or teacher assessment.
Peer Assessment
Structured peer feedback with sentence starters.
Portfolio Review
Reflect on your portfolio with structured self-evaluation.
Share
Show what changed, and why.2 toolsStoryboard
Sketch a sequence showing how users interact with your design.
Portfolio Review
Reflect on your portfolio with structured self-evaluation.
Test an idea before anyone cuts material. Students change one thing and watch what happens.
3D Bridge Building Simulator
Build and test bridges in 3D across ten challenges, from timber and cable to paper tubes, rope, aluminium and steel.
10 challengesStructuresTension & compression
Open it free →
CO₂ Dragster Wind Tunnel
Carve a dragster body or bring your own STL, watch the air separate from it, then race it over 20 m.
AerodynamicsUpload your STLRace times
Open it free →
Involution (内卷)
A whole-class financial literacy simulation: every student runs a street stall for a hard month, and money, family and rest all pull against each other.
Whole classBudgeting & empathyEnglish · 中文
Open in a new tab ↗See a design on the real thing, with the manufacturing limits shown while you work.
T-Shirt Mockup
Put your own artwork on a t-shirt, front, back or sleeves, in any colour, at the size it would really print.
Ink countContrast checkPrint area
Open it free →
CO₂ Dragster Paint Designer
Paint a CO₂ dragster in 3D: try paint designs on the model with a brush, shapes, fill and your own pictures. Every extra colour costs another masking pass.
3DSample car includedShapes and stickers
Open it free →Prepare a design for making: generate a plywood box or turn your artwork into an SVG for cutting, engraving and printing.
Laser Cut Box Maker
Design a plywood box in 3D. Add measured holes, lettering and image engraving, or trace artwork to cut. Download a free SVG.
3D previewCut & engraveSVG download
Open it free →Image to SVG Converter
Turn a logo, a drawing or a photo of a drawing into a clean vector file, with the background removed and colours split into flat inks.
Screen printingBackground removedDownload SVG
Open it free →Practise orthographic, isometric and oblique drawing, or build an object from its three views. Check your work as you go and print worksheets with answers.
Perspective Drawing Practice
Try drawing one box in perspective. Register for the pilot to request the full 20-lesson course, more objects and a private saved sketchbook.
Try one box20 lessons insidePrivate sketchbook
Open it free →
Orthographic Drawing Practice
Look at a 3D object and draw its front, top and side views on a sheet that checks your lines. 32 shapes, from blocks to slopes and curves.
First or third angleHidden linesPrint a worksheet
Open it free →
Advanced · Draw Real Objects
Practise orthographic drawing with real objects and curved tools. Draw three views, compare self-check overlays and export a PDF. Searchable object library.
AdvancedCurved toolsPDF export
Open it free →
Orthographic Drawing Maker
Build a shape from cubes and its three views are drawn as you go. Print it as a worksheet with answers, or send a class a link to draw it.
Build with cubesWorksheet and answersSend a link
Open it free →
Isometric Drawing Practice
Read front, top and side views, then draw the matching solid on 30° dot paper. Sixteen challenges check your lines without showing the object first.
Draw from three views30° dot paperWorksheet and answers
Open it free →The Last Lighthouse · Orthographic Drawing Game
Draw front, top and side views to repair a storm-dark lighthouse. Four chapters introduce stepped blocks, L-shaped parts and hidden lines.
Orthographic drawing4 chaptersNo account needed
Open it free →Keep the Fire · Drawing Challenge
Draw isometric blocks to shelter a campfire. Six campsites progress from matching solids to fitting stepped wall bricks and planning stable stacks.
Isometric drawing6 campsitesNo account needed
Open it free →
Build from Three Views
Read front, top and side views and build a matching object from cubes. Sixteen challenges accept any construction whose three views match.
Reverse challengesBuild with cubesCheck all three views
Open it free →
Oblique Drawing Practice
Watch the click-by-click demonstration, then draw eight cabinet oblique boxes. Front full size, depth at 45° and half length. Check your lines as you go.
Play the demonstrationHalf depthWorksheet and answers
Open it free →Free on their own. Better with your class.
Bring supported thinking tools, simulators and mockups into lessons, set to your brief, with students' work kept as evidence.
Put them in a lesson
Thinking tools, simulators and mockups become lesson activities, with your constraints: the span, the ink budget, the paint rack.
Students' work is saved
Thinking-tool work, bridges, liveries and t-shirt designs save with each student, so you can see them and mark them.
See how every project came together
Each student's process, from first idea to prototype, in one place, so you can see the thinking and not only the result.