Empathize
You will conduct interviews with fellow high school students, community mentors, and organizations to uncover their needs and challenges related to accessing internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities, using these insights as the foundation for your solution.
Days 1 - 3
Kickoff Empathy Interviews with Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Document Early User Needs
Deliverable 90m
Define
You will synthesize your research by pinpointing specific challenges high school students in San Diego face when accessing internships, jobs, or volunteer opportunities and craft a concise problem statement that can guide the development of your app/website solution.
Days 4 - 6
Frame Access Challenges for Student Opportunities
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
POV and HMW Pack
Deliverable 60m
Ideate
You will brainstorm creative solutions to make internships and volunteer opportunities more accessible for San Diego high school students, working collaboratively with peers and engaging in constructive discussions while drawing inspiration from community partners and your mentor.
Days 7 - 10
Interview Mentors to Discover Access Gaps
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Translate Findings into User Needs Statements
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Empathy-Driven Concept Sketching
Deliverable 90m
Internship Access Concepts
Deliverable 60m
Prototype
You will develop a prototype of your app/website, engage in collaborative critique sessions with peers, mentors, and community partners to gather iterative feedback, and refine your solution based on practical insights and reflections to ensure its accessibility and effectiveness for high school students seeking opportunities.
Days 11 - 15
Structured Peer Feedback Prep for Prototype
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Iterate Prototype with Mentor Feedback
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Prototype Critique & Feedback Loop
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Prototype Iteration Sprint
Deliverable 90m
User Testing Playbook
Deliverable 60m
Test/Present
You will demonstrate the app/website to community partners, peers, and mentors, gather feedback for future refinement, and reflect on your learning and growth throughout the project while showcasing your solution’s real-world impact.
Days 16 - 20
Plan Partner Demo and Questions
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Create Structured Feedback Form for Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
Implement UI/UX Improvements Based on Feedback
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Practice Run-Through with Community Partners
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Reflection, Artifacts, and Assessment Prep
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Partners Demo and Feedback Reflection
Knowledge/Skill Building 60m
Final App Presentation
Assessment