Students will launch the Carbon Cycle Carnival project by engaging with real users to uncover misconceptions and needs related to the carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle. Through structured interviews and empathy mapping, they will gather direct evidence that will ground their problem definition and prototype design in later phases.

Students will synthesize their user interview findings into a focused, evidence-based problem definition that guides the design of their carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle models and greenhouse exhibits.

Students will generate a wide range of user-centered solutions to help younger learners understand the carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle, then narrow their ideas using clear criteria grounded in real user needs. By the end of the phase, teams will produce annotated concept sketches and a documented rationale connecting their selected ideas directly to user evidence from interviews.

Students will rapidly prototype and refine their carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle solutions by building low- and higher-fidelity models, testing them with real users, and documenting feedback-driven revisions in preparation for the Carbon Cycle Carnival.

Students will conduct a final validation of their refined greenhouse and rotating paper plate prototypes with a new user, document feedback-driven improvements, and present their full design journey at the Carbon Cycle Carnival to an authentic audience, clearly tracing decisions back to user evidence and essential questions.