Students will launch their Arabic calligraphy design challenge by connecting emotion, culture, and user voice. Through an expressive workshop and direct interviews with real community members, they will gather firsthand insights about how Arabic calligraphy communicates identity and feeling. They will document evidence in structured empathy maps and reflection journals, creating a research base that will guide their problem definition in the next phase.

Students will synthesize their Arabic calligraphy user interviews and empathy maps into a clear, evidence-based problem definition. Through pattern finding, peer critique, and structured writing, they will craft a focused How Might We statement that guides their design work in the next phase.

Students will generate a wide range of Arabic calligraphy design concepts grounded in real user needs, then strategically narrow their ideas using evidence from interviews and empathy maps to select 2–3 strong concepts to prototype.

Students will build and refine low- and higher-fidelity Arabic calligraphy prototypes grounded in user empathy findings, test them with peers and authentic viewers, document feedback, and revise their designs using an iteration log that traces changes back to user evidence.

Students will conduct a final validation of their Arabic calligraphy mural and portfolio with new users, refine their communication of design decisions grounded in empathy research, and present their design journey to an authentic audience during a culminating gallery and storytelling session.