Wednesday:
9:00 - 11:30 :
Introductory Design Thinking Project and Reflection
Students will experience design thinking in a hands-on activity in which they will be
creating something new for a partner. This activity will highlight some of the mindsets of
design thinking, such as bias towards action and culture of prototyping.
13:00 - 15:15 :
Empathy Intro (10 min)
Students will learn what empathy is and why it is important.
Share out on chosen challenge (10 min)
Students will discuss what they learned from history class, including what sticks out to
them and who is involved in this problem, and what they know about each of the people
who is involved.
Quotes and Sketches sessions:
Decide on User (15 min)
Each student group decides on a user to design for. The group creates a user
empathy map for that person.
Decide on Need (15 min)
Example – Students will learn what we mean by 'needs.’
Each group adds user needs to the empathy map. Students will use 'why laddering'
to push for deeper needs, finally deciding on one need to design for.
Post Insights (15 min)
Each group will post insights about their group's user and his/her needs. Insights
are surprises or things that we wouldn't have suspected.
“How might we…” model and do (30 min)
A group shares out their user, need, and insights. The entire class helps the group come
up with 'How might we' statements for their challenge. This is repeated with each group.
Brainstorming Intro (10 min)
Sharing of the rules of brainstorming and a brainstorming demonstration video.
Brainstorming Warm-up (5 min)
Fun improv game to get us all warmed up and ready to brainstorm.
Brainstorm (20 min)
Each group brainstorms lots of wild and crazy ideas.
Voting (5 min)
Each student has 3 votes for ideas - 1 vote for what they think is the 'smart choice', 1 vote
for the idea most likely to please their user, and 1 vote for their personal favorite.
Homework: Each group decides on 3 ideas to carry forward. Each group tells Rich about
those ideas by dinner time.
Thursday:
9:00 - 11:30 : Create Sketches of ideas and share (20 min)
Individually, students make multiple sketches of their group's three ideas. After 10
minutes, they share their sketches, building on each other's ideas.
Prototype 101 and activity (30 min)
Students learn - What is a prototype? Why do we prototype?
Students come up with various types of prototypes that they can make for their ideas.
Build (30 min)
Students build prototypes to make their ideas tangible and to receive feedback on their
ideas.
Test – Background and Do (30 min)
Students learn - What do we mean by test? Why and how do we test?
Students test out their prototypes on other students or adults who will role play the user
being designed for.
Iterate (20 min)
Students will improve upon their ideas based on feedback.
Reflect and Discuss (20 min)
In small groups, students will discuss these questions:
How are we doing as a group so far?
When did we work well together? Why was that?
When was it hard to work together? Why was that?
What can we do to make things easier for the rest of the day?
As a large group, students will reflect on their process with a discussion around these
questions:
What was easy about this process? What was hard?
What was your favorite part of the process so far and why?
How do you see yourselves using this process at home?
13:00 - 15:15
:
Tryout design thinking on other things in your life activities in stations with
reflection (90 min)
Students will be in three groups and rotate amongst these three stations, practicing
situations in which they might use design thinking at home (25 minutes per station):
1) Brainstorm new things for "Yawning Yoshi" to do after school.
2) Prototype essay topics and components for self and a partner.
3) Design a weekend experience for a partner
Students will share out what they created.
Prep story for storytelling in evening (30 min)
Each group creates a skit that shows:
-the story of the difficulty of their user and the challenge that he/she faces
-what the solution is, how it works and meets the user need
-the user's life improved because of the solution
Students will first storyboard their skit (building on each other's ideas), create props, and
practice.
Thursday Evening:
Students show stories of their solutions:
Each group has 5-10 minutes to paint a picture of the world of the challenge, the
challenge the user must overcome, how the solution makes the difference, and the
improved world as a result.