Students will launch the Cloud in a Jar design challenge by connecting water cycle science to real people’s weather needs. Through a live demonstration, structured interviews, and empathy mapping, they will gather firsthand evidence from at least two users and document insights that will guide their problem definition in the next phase.

Students will synthesize their weather interviews and 'Cloud in a Jar' prototype insights into a clear, evidence-based problem definition. They will identify patterns across users, draft and critique "How Might We" statements grounded in real quotes, and complete a mid-week self-assessment connecting their experiment to real-world cloud formation and forecasting challenges.

Students will generate a wide range of user-centered solution ideas for their Weather Festival Interactive Forecast Station, then narrow to their strongest concepts using evidence from empathy interviews and defined “How Might We” statements. They will move from divergent brainstorming to structured evaluation, producing annotated concept sketches that directly address real user needs related to understanding cloud formation and weather prediction.

Students will build, test, and revise low- and medium-fidelity prototypes of their Cloud in a Jar–based Weather Festival Interactive Forecast Stations. They will document iteration decisions grounded in real user feedback and connect scientific accuracy to user clarity before moving to final testing and presentation.

Students will conduct a final validation test of their Weather Festival Interactive Forecast Station with a new user, document feedback, and present their full design story—from empathy interviews to prototype iterations—to an authentic audience during a Weather Festival showcase.