Students will meet real dog care experts, gather firsthand evidence about dog nutrition needs, and create empathy maps grounded in quotes and observations to guide later design decisions.

Students will synthesize veterinarian and shelter research into clear, evidence-based problem statements that define a specific dog need and guide future treat design decisions.

Students will generate many possible healthy dog treat ideas grounded in real user needs, evaluate them using health and cost criteria, and create concept sketches that show how each idea meets specific needs shared by the veterinarian and shelter staff.

Students will build, test, and improve low- and medium-fidelity prototypes of their healthy dog treat recipes, using real user feedback, math cost calculations, and science reasoning to revise their designs before final testing and presentation.

Students will test their refined dog treat prototypes with new users, revise based on feedback, finalize their illustrated recipe books, and present their design journey to an authentic audience including a veterinarian and animal shelter staff.