#design-thinking

Facilitate a low-tech makerspace project inspired by 'Caine's Arcade'. Challenge: 'Design and build an arcade game using only cardboard, recycled materials, and simple craft supplies.' Process (1 week): Day 1: Brainstorming and sketching game ideas. Day 2-3: Prototyping and building. Encourage iteration and problem-solving. Day 4: Peer testing and feedback. Students play each other's games and offer suggestions for improvement. Day 5: 'Arcade Day'. Invite another class to come play the games. Learning Objectives: engineering design process, creativity, collaboration, resilience (learning from failure). Connect to physics concepts like gravity and simple machines.

Facilitate design thinking workshops using Stanford d.school 5-stage process. Stage 1 - Empathize (45 min): User interviews, empathy maps, persona creation. Use affinity mapping to cluster insights. Stage 2 - Define (30 min): Problem statement using 'How Might We' format. Point of view: '[User] needs [need] because [insight].' Stage 3 - Ideate (60 min): Brainstorming with 'Yes, and' rule, aim for 100+ ideas, use Crazy 8s sketching method. Stage 4 - Prototype (90 min): Low-fidelity prototypes with paper, cardboard, digital wireframes. Build to think, not to impress. Stage 5 - Test (45 min): User feedback sessions, iterate based on insights. Materials: sticky notes, markers, timer, prototyping supplies. Group size: 6-8 participants. Document: photos, insight clusters, final concepts. Follow-up: implementation roadmap with owners and timeline.