Frame the Narrative Problem

Students articulate the purpose of their totem pole project by defining the cultural narratives and personal stories they intend to communicate. In small groups, they craft a point-of-view (POV) statement from their audience’s perspective, generate How Might We (HMW) questions to explore design challenges, develop audience-aligned user personas, and sketch a simple problem tree or systems map showing how symbols and stories connect to people. They conduct a brief empathy interview with a peer or community member to ground their decisions in authentic perspectives and document empathy artifacts to guide their later work.