Students will launch the Earth Evolution Board Game project by investigating how real learners experience science through games. They will conduct live interviews, document quotes, and create structured empathy maps grounded in evidence. By the end of the phase, each student will have a completed empathy map based on at least two real users, forming the research foundation for defining their design challenge.

Students will synthesize their interview notes and empathy maps into clear, evidence-based problem statements that define whose needs their Earth Evolution board game will address and why. They will identify patterns across users, draft and critique How Might We questions, and produce a focused design brief grounded in real quotes and observations.

Students will generate a wide range of user-centered board game concepts that creatively represent Earth’s geological history, then evaluate and refine their strongest ideas using evidence from user interviews and clearly defined learning needs.

Students will build rapid, low- and medium-fidelity prototypes of their Earth Evolution board games, test them with peers outside their teams, and revise based on documented feedback. They will produce a clear iteration log and user testing documentation that trace design changes back to real user evidence about understanding geologic time and Earth processes.

Students will validate their refined Earth Evolution board games with a new user, analyze feedback for final revisions, and present their design journey—tracing user research, problem definition, prototype iterations, and scientific accuracy—to an authentic audience.

Students will reconnect with real users to deepen empathy, gather new evidence about how peers and family members learn geologic time and Earth processes through games, and document insights that will inform a refined problem definition in the next phase.

Students will synthesize new user research and playtest feedback into a clear, evidence-based "How Might We" problem statement that defines who their Earth Evolution Board Game is for and what geoscience learning need it must address before moving into ideation.

Students will generate multiple distinct board game concepts that represent Earth’s geological history, using user research and clear design criteria to select one direction grounded in real learning needs.

Students will build and refine higher-fidelity prototypes of their Earth Evolution Board Games, using structured peer playtesting and a digital feedback forum to improve scientific accuracy, clarity of rules, and alignment to real user learning needs before final testing and presentation.

Students will showcase and validate their Earth Evolution Board Games with authentic users during a culminating Geology Gala, demonstrating scientific understanding, design thinking, and collaboration. They will host interactive exhibition booths, explain how user research shaped their decisions, and gather final feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of their solutions.