Empathize
Students will launch the Green Living project by engaging with real stakeholders connected to urban development and environmental sustainability. They will conduct firsthand interviews, document evidence-based insights, and create structured empathy maps grounded in direct quotes and observations to inform future problem definition.
Day 1
πŸŒ† Sustainable Cities Symposium & User Interviews
Launch 60m
πŸ—ΊοΈ Empathy Map & Model Insight Log
Deliverable 30m
Define
Students will synthesize firsthand interview data and empathy artifacts into a focused, evidence-based problem definition that guides the design of their sustainable urban plan. They will identify patterns across users, evaluate assumptions, and craft a grounded "How Might We" statement and design brief that will anchor ideation in the next phase.
Day 2
🧩 Biodiversity Insight Affinity Map
Knowledge/Skill Building 90m
Ideate
Students will generate a wide range of human-centered solutions for their defined urban biodiversity challenge, then evaluate and select top concepts grounded in real user evidence and environmental criteria to guide prototyping.
Day 3
πŸ’‘ Biodiversity City Idea Sprint
Deliverable 90m
Prototype
Students will build low- and medium-fidelity prototypes of their sustainable urban plans, test them with users outside their team, and revise their designs using documented feedback. They will evaluate model scale, materials, and limitations while preparing a stronger version of their 3D city model and AR concept for final testing and presentation.
Days 4 - 5
🧱 Rapid City Block Prototype & Scale Test
Deliverable 90m
πŸ” User Feedback & Iteration Log
Deliverable 90m
Test/Present
Students will validate their refined sustainable city prototypes with authentic stakeholders and present a full design narrative that traces user research, problem definition, prototype iterations, model limitations, and legislative alignment during a public Green Living Expo and Investor Pitch.
Day 6
🌎 Green Living Expo & Investor Pitch
Assessment 90m