Empathize
Students will engage in a Kwanzaa Cultural Exploration Day, conduct structured interviews with African-American community members or cultural practitioners, and create an evidence-based empathy map capturing authentic user insights about how the Nguzo Saba principles are lived and experienced.
Day 1
10 min over capacity (45 min available across 1 day)
🧠 Empathy Map: Says, Thinks, Does, Feels
Deliverable 10m
πŸŽ‰ Kwanzaa Cultural Exploration Day
Launch 20m
🎀 Interview Protocols for Nguzo Saba Stories
Knowledge/Skill Building 15m
πŸ—£οΈ Community Kwanzaa Interviews
Community Experience 10m
Define
Students will synthesize their Kwanzaa user interviews and empathy maps to identify patterns, define a focused user-centered problem, and craft a clear How Might We statement grounded in direct evidence from community members.
Day 2
🧠 Insight Clustering from Interview Quotes
Knowledge/Skill Building 15m
🎯 Strong HMW Writing Mini-Lesson
Knowledge/Skill Building 10m
✍🏾 Kwanzaa Design Brief & HMW
Deliverable 12m
πŸ” HMW Evidence Peer Critique
Assessment 8m
Ideate
Students will generate a wide range of possible interactive station concepts for the Kwanzaa Culture Carnival, using their interview evidence and "How Might We" statements to guide divergent thinking before narrowing to their strongest, user-centered ideas through structured evaluation.
Day 3
πŸ”„ SCAMPER on Umoja Chain Ideas
Knowledge/Skill Building 8m
🧠 Divergent Brainstorm: 15+ Station Ideas
Project Work 12m
✏️ Crazy 8s Kinara & Mkeka Sketches
Project Work 10m
πŸ“Š User-Need Decision Matrix
Knowledge/Skill Building 7m
πŸ—ΊοΈ Visitor Interaction Storyboards
Deliverable 8m
Prototype
Students will build rapid, testable prototypes of their Kwanzaa Culture Carnival stations and individual mosaic tiles, gather real user feedback, and iterate their designs based on documented evidence before moving to final presentation.
Day 4
πŸ› οΈ Rapid Carnival Station Build
Project Work 20m
🎨 Tile Version 1 Build
Project Work 15m
πŸ§ͺ Peer User Testing Rounds
Research 10m
Test/Present
Students will conduct a final round of authentic user testing with a new audience member, refine their interactive Kwanzaa Culture Carnival stations based on evidence, and present their full design journeyβ€”linking interview insights, problem definition, prototype iterations, and final decisionsβ€”to community stakeholders during a culminating showcase.
Day 5
πŸ§ͺ New User Testing: Carnival Station
Project Work 20m
πŸ” Final Revision & Evidence Log
Deliverable 10m
πŸ—£οΈ Design Story Rehearsal
Knowledge/Skill Building 5m
πŸŽͺ Kwanzaa Culture Carnival Presentation
Assessment 10m