Empathize
Students will investigate real family heritage stories through bilingual interviews, create structured empathy artifacts grounded in direct quotes, and surface authentic user needs that will guide the design of their embroidered heritage textiles.
Days 1 - 3
Define
Students will synthesize insights from their bilingual family interviews into clear, evidence-based problem definitions that guide the design of their embroidered heritage textiles and collaborative quilt.
Days 4 - 6
Ideate
Students will generate a wide range of visual and textile design concepts for their Heritage Story Textile and Collaborative Quilt, using structured ideation strategies grounded in user interview evidence. They will move from divergent brainstorming to evidence-based selection, producing annotated concept sketches and a user-centered storyboard that will guide Phase 4 prototyping.
Days 7 - 10
Prototype
Students will build and refine embroidered prototype panels that translate user research into symbolic visual narratives, test their designs with real users, and document feedback-driven revisions before constructing higher-fidelity stitched sections for their Heritage Story Textile and collaborative quilt.
Days 11 - 15
Test/Present
Students will conduct a final validation round of their embroidered heritage panels and collaborative quilt with new users, refine their work based on documented feedback, and present their full design journeyโ€”from empathy interviews to final textileโ€”at the Threads of Heritage Festival.
Days 16 - 20