Sample Design Thinking Challenges
Process:
1. Understand
2. Observe/Research
3. Point Of View
4. Ideate
5. Prototype
6. Test
Note: This document will describe only the information and materials for steps one and two.
Challenge: Student Workspace Design
Content Areas Covered:
Your first assignment is designed to learn the process. It’s not affiliated with a content area.
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
1. Understand: Your first challenge is to help a classmate create his or her ideal
workspace. You are going to use the classmate’s current workspace to help you
understand what the classmate needs, but your own design does not have to
incorporate what the student has now.
2. Observe: Students begin by bringing in photos or drawings of their own home
workspaces. Working in pairs, the students interview each other about their spaces.
What works? What needs improvement? What type of learner is your partner? Is
your partner more susceptible to visual, auditory, or kinesthetic interruptions? What
types of organization systems does your partner actually find useful? Put yourself in
your partner’s shoes as much as possible so that you can design the ultimate
workspace. Remember, though, that the workspace needs to work for YOUR
PARTNER. You are not designing for yourself.
Challenge: Fictional Character Gift
Content Areas Covered:
Language Arts
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Fictional Short Story or Novel (either students’ choice or assigned)
Fiction Graphic Organizers (for plot and character)
1. Understand: You are going to help out a character from a story that a classmate has
read. Think of this as an opportunity to help a character who doesn’t get enough
attention in the story. For example, Harry Potter’s big problems get solved. So do
Hermione’s and Ron’s. But what about Neville? What about Snape? Luna? The story
and activity get to be about them this time.
2. Observe: Start by filling out the graphic organizers for the character you’ve chosen in
your own reading. The purpose of these organizers is to give information about the
character and the story so that your partner will understand them. Then, write 12 –
15 interview questions. These interview questions will be directed towards a
different story character (one that a classmate has chosen). You will want to know as
much about the character and what motivates him/her as possible, so keep that goal
in mind as you prepare your questions. You can use your own graphic organizer as a
tool to help guide the questions you ask of others. You’ll also want to make sure that
you include some questions that help you understand the character’s situation. You
will be put in small groups of 3-5 students. Each student will “become” the character
that he/she has chosen. For example, if you have chosen Nagaina from “Rikki Tikki
Tavi,” then you will pretend to be that character for the remainder of this challenge.
Groups will pass the prepared graphic organizers around and take turns reading them.
Familiarize yourselves with the other characters in your groups. When you feel that
you understand all of the other group members, take turns asking each other
interview questions. When you are done, your teacher should be able to ask you about
any of your group members, and you should be able to fully explain those characters
and their needs. You will work individually and with the other members of your
group to give gifts to the other characters. Help them improve their situations.
Challenge: Recreational Space
Content Areas Covered:
Language Arts
Math
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Graph Paper
Map of [fictitious] recreation space superimposed on graph paper. Add boulders,
slope, and other obstacles as desired.
Demographic information of community (available online – check city website)
Sample recreation opinion polls
(http://www.mountainview.gov/services/city_publications/residents_survey_200
6.asp, http://www.tenaflynj.org/content/3718/1045/3349/default.aspx,
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23880)
1. Understand: The city of Burlingame has a parking lot and adjoining field that are
currently not in use. The city council has decided to turn this space into something the
entire community can use. Your job is to design a new use for the space. There are
three criteria: the space must be something that can benefit a high percentage of the
community, the space must be used in a unique way (meaning that it can’t duplicate
anything that already exists in Burlingame, Millbrae, Hillsborough, or San Mateo), and
it must use the space well. The final product will include a presentation of the
recreation space, a scale map on the graph paper, and a scale model using prototype
materials. The map and the prototype model will be on different scales but should
indicate the same dimensions.
2. Observe: Use the sample opinion polls to a) inform yourselves of what general
concerns citizens have, and b) assist you in writing your own poll. The class will work
together to write a poll and then the homework for the week will be for each student
to have multiple local citizens complete the poll. The polls should be completed by
people with the same relative make-up as the community. For example, if your
community is made up of 18% individuals 18 and under, 27% individuals 19 – 25,
35% individuals 26 – 40, and 20% individuals 41 and up, then your poll responses
should be of the same makeup. Use the results from your class poll to inform your
POV and ideation.
Challenge: Historical Event Reenactment
Content Areas Covered:
Language Arts
Social Studies
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Video of Pony Express ride or other historical recreation
Research materials
1. Understand: Your challenge is to recreate a historical event so that modern people
can participate in it. There are a few requirements. The event must be something that
occurred before you were alive. Your recreation of it must be safe. To be done well,
your event must be specific. It must be something that will be meaningful to a large
and varied population. No sports events, unless there is another, non-athletic
component to the event. (NOTE: Narrow possible historical events to a
predetermined list if that is helpful or appropriate.)
2. Observe: Students begin by viewing televised coverage of an actual historical
reenactment. (I chose a recreation of the Pony Express.) Coverage includes
explanation of why consumers enjoy the recreation. After viewing the video,
students interview individuals from multiple age ranges to learn what aspects of
history are most appealing to them and what they look for in recreation activities.
Students use this information to move forward.
Note: As students move forward with this challenge, they will need to spend time
researching the event that they recreate. That will essentially be a second “observe”
phase. Since this particular challenge is so open-ended, it also involves more feedback
than others. I had several “storyboard prototypes” built into the process. The student
teams worked on multiple different ideas and collected feedback from different
demographics before narrowing down to one final idea.
Challenge: Historical Event Reenactment Advertising Campaign
Content Areas Covered:
Language Arts
Social Studies
Math
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Research about advertising industry (I used videos available through a video service
on our web portal)
Advertising Budget Sheet
Advertising Calculations Sheet
1. Understand: Students will create an advertising campaign for their historical event
reenactment. The advertising campaign will include print, radio, and tv
advertisements. Students will also learn about advertising, create an advertising
budget, and work on various calculations that advertisers need to be able to complete.
2. Observe: Think about how you react to advertisements. What works for you? What
makes you want to buy the product? What doesn’t work? What will you want to
avoid (if possible) in your own ad campaign?
Do this first step alone. Brainstorm as many components of advertising as you can.
Spend time thinking about print, radio, and tv ads. Use both words and pictures to
think of details. When you are done, interview a classmate about his/her ideas.
Compare the two.
View video about advertisers and what they do. Use the knowledge of the advertising
industry and the observations of consumer reactions to advertising to inform the rest
of the challenge.
Challenge: SMART Water
Content Areas Covered:
Science
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Information about city water supplies (I used videos available through a video service
on our web portal) and several online sources:
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/11/135241362/the-worldwide-thirst-for-cleandrinking-water, http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qausage.html,
http://oikos.com/esb/42/wateruse.html,
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/business/energy-environment/22ihtrbog-technology-22.html?_r=1,
1. Understand: You are part of a civil engineering firm that is charged with redesigning
and modernizing Burlingame’s water supply system. To do this, you need to
understand how a typical SF Bay Area city distributes its water to houses, businesses,
etc. When you are done with your research, you will design a water system that
distributes water intelligently (rather than just finding a way to conserve quantity).
2. Observe: Use the research to understand how water tends to be distributed and used
in American cities. Interview other students and family members to augment your
information with a better, more deliberate understanding of personal use.
Challenge: Exotic Pet Trade
Content Areas Covered:
Language Arts
Science
Psychology (Social Science)
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Research Materials on Exotic Pet Trade (I had a speaker from the Humane Society
present to our class and also had students read from online sources -http://www.bornfreeusa.org/facts.php?more=1&p=439,
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/wildlifetrade/whyitmatters.h
tml)
1. Understand: Your challenge is to address one of the problems caused by the exotic pet
trade in the US. You will come up with a people-centered solution to one aspect of the
trade, and you will write it as a proposal to your US Senator and local Humane Society
branch. Your proposed solutions will need to address motivational psychology – how
can you ensure that the public changes its behavior through your ideas.
2. Observe: Following the Humane Society presentation, research additional problems
caused by the exotic pet industry. You may want to also spend time interviewing
owners of independent pet stores and/or pet shop employees. What are the existing
rules about pet owner education in your community? How effective do the pet sellers
find these measures? Speak to at least one exotic pet owner, too, to find out if the
owner fully understood the pet’s needs before bringing it home. Categorize the
different issues: Illegal / Legal Exotic Pet Trade and Issues that Affect Humans vs.
Issues that Affect Pets. You’ll narrow it down to just two – three issues to POV and
brainstorm.
Challenge: “Super Mall”
Content Areas Covered:
Language Arts
Social Studies
Math
Materials Needed:
Standard Design Materials for Ideation and Prototyping
Brochure Paper
Graph Paper, Rulers
1. Understand: You have been contracted to design a “super mall” in city X. You need to
figure out what will attract shoppers, what will make shoppers return, and how you
will attract target establishments (stores). How can you create a shopping experience
that is different for the consumer than what already exists? You will ultimately create
a brochure (telling stores and other establishments that they should locate there), a
scale map/blueprint, and a billboard advertisement.
2. Observe/Research: Students take turns interviewing each other as mall managers.
They think about how they will ensure business success for their mall. What will they
have to think about? Together, they come up with a list of considerations that they
will take care of. They will need to convince prospective businesses that these
businesses will want to be a part of this new super mall.
Once the students have a list of considerations, they will look at the web site of an
existing shopping center. Use this to research what business points actual malls use
when advertising to prospective stores. Eventual information here should include
mall size, lease rates, anchor stores, local demographic information, etc. One example
is available here:
http://www.simon.com/about_simon/leasing/LocalMall.aspx?id=1250
After a first round of designing a mall from the business manager’s point of view, use
your ideas to solicit feedback from potential shoppers. Do NOT interview classmates
for this step – talk to friends, family, and community members instead.
A few additional topics (which are either only partially design-centered or were
received with mixed results by middle school students):
Design a new “Golden Record” (what does it mean to be human?)
Design an alternative classroom and lesson plan for rural (or disaster/war-affected) areas in
developing countries
How do we help solve illiteracy in America?
Increase daily exercise for middle-school students (especially for those who don’t have PE)
Design a gift EXPERIENCE (not an object) for a book character/ historical figure/ family
member
Find a human-based way to help save endangered species (example: give African farmers
dogs to keep the cheetahs away from their flocks)