Every day, whether we are conscious about it or not, individuals make multitude of choices. If you know anything about this image, you would know that the most difficult choice leads to the greatest reward. Although it is scary, once you develop enough skill (habits) to make the drop, what awaits is truly a rush. I want you, the future leaders of this complicated world, to develop the right kind of habits and skills that will allow you to do more than you ever imagined and in the process put your imprint on this world.
Please follow these steps in order
Learning how to empathize is a difficult process. It takes time, practice, patience, and intention to develop this skill. Go to the link and take your time with each section. I saw this picture in Portland just taped to a wall near a local coffee shop. At first it looked random but the more I thought about it the more I believe that whomever placed it on the wall was quite intentional. When I took the picture I sent it to my wife (Ah moment). Since then the image has captured something in me where I would like to create "random" images around our school just because it may make someones day.
SKILL 2: EMPATHY:
SKILL 2: EMPATHY:
- I can recognize and describe other people's emotions and needs
- I can place myself in the users' perspective, rather than my own, when seeking information for the design process
- I focus prototyping on user needs
- I use empathy to gain inspiration from the world
The art of synthesizing is in keeping your focus clear. As Project Breaker points out you are in the process to determine needs not just solving problems. Without empathy you may be focused on a problem that doesn't really address a need. The image to the left is a local company that specializes on "Big Ideas". Hopefully we will take a tour and work on developing a relationship with this company.
SKILL 5: CRITICAL THINKING AND ANALYZING INFORMATION:
SKILL 5: CRITICAL THINKING AND ANALYZING INFORMATION:
- I gather, assess, and synthesize information from credible sources.
- I think about solutions through multiple lenses
In the ideation phase all ideas have merit. This is where you can throw out a wide range of ideas. Use the template provided in the Breaker Challenge and follow all 6 steps. Once you have your solution prepare a 30 second video to articulate your solution.
Have fun with this.
SKILL 3: BIAS TOWARD ACTION AND EXPERIMENTATION:
Have fun with this.
SKILL 3: BIAS TOWARD ACTION AND EXPERIMENTATION:
- I show a bias toward action and experimentation, adaptability, and tenacity when faced with design challenges. (Grit)
- I show a bias towards action
- I show tenacity when working to overcome challenges
- I am willing to give up my original idea to adapt to new constraints
- I find needed information through multiple sources
- I take risks and try new things
Prototyping is a continuous circle. Keep in mind that the end user needs to be your primary focus. In this phase you can actually get messy with your creation. As you can see in the picture sometimes the best materials for your design are just lying around.
SKILL 4: ITERATION:
SKILL 4: ITERATION:
- I prototype. I create models to externalize ideas
- I play-test. I understand the value of improving a design through receiving feedback when testing multiple versions of the design
- I learn from what doesn't work
Business modeling is more powerful than you can imagine. This is the area where I want you to begin your own research on how exactly do businesses scale out their ideas. There are a plethora of resources for this section. Check out Kickstarter, Breaker Challenge, meet with local business leaders, and have some fun with this.
The pitch is perhaps the most stressful part of this project. It involves a great deal of planning and courage to stand in front of a community to explain your design thinking proposal. One way to prepare is to watch a vide variety of TED talks on making the pitch. You can sort your search to inspirational talks and just give it a try. I will even help you practice.
SKILL 1: I COMMUNICATE IDEAS TO COLLABORATE ACROSS BOUNDARIES:
SKILL 1: I COMMUNICATE IDEAS TO COLLABORATE ACROSS BOUNDARIES:
- I can use appropriate language, behaviors, and technologies to effectively communicate with diverse audiences
- I use various technological tools depending on the diversity of my audience
- I use visual, mental and physical mapping tools (including diagrams and models) to represent ideas and designs (iD8 notebook)
- I allow others to develop my ideas
- I build on the ideas of others