Empathize
Empathize
Students will engage directly with community members and peers to understand real experiences related to puberty and period product access. They will surface assumptions, conduct structured interviews, and create empathy maps grounded in direct quotes and observations to inform their later problem definition.
Day 1
Define
Define
Students will synthesize their interview findings and empathy work into a focused, evidence-based problem statement that names a specific user, identifies a core need, and reframes the challenge around puberty and period product access.
Day 2
Ideate
Ideate
Students will generate a wide range of human-centered solutions to their defined puberty access problem, evaluate ideas against real user evidence, and produce annotated concept sketches that serve as blueprints for prototyping.
Day 3
Prototype
Prototype
Students will build, test, and refine tangible prototypes of their Community Period Access Solution using real user feedback. They will move from rapid low-fidelity models to improved versions while documenting how evidence from users drives design decisions.
Day 4
Test/Present
Test/Present
Students will validate their refined Community Period Access Solution with a new user, make final evidence-based adjustments, and present their full human-centered design journey to families and partners from At The Crossroads at a public exhibition.
Day 5
Empathize
Days 1–1
Day 1
π€ Voices from At The Crossroads
Launch
45m
π£οΈ Peer Puberty Interviews
Knowledge/Skill Building
35m
π§ Empathy Map & Assumption Check
Deliverable
40m
Define
Days 2–2
Day 2
π§© Affinity Mapping Interview Evidence
Knowledge/Skill Building
35m
π― Writing Strong How Might We Statements
Deliverable
40m
π Peer Critique: Is It Evidence-Based?
Assessment
45m
Ideate
Days 3–3
Day 3
π‘ 20-Idea Period Access Brainstorm
Deliverable
40m
βοΈ Crazy 8s Solution Sketches
Deliverable
30m
π User-Need Decision Matrix
Deliverable
30m
πΊοΈ Concept Storyboard Blueprint
Deliverable
20m
Prototype
Days 4–4
Day 4
π οΈ Rapid Low-Fidelity Prototype Build
Deliverable
45m
π§ͺ Peer User Testing & Feedback Capture
Deliverable
35m
π Prototype Revision & Iteration Log
Deliverable
40m
Test/Present
Days 5–5
Day 5
π§ͺ Final User Test & Evidence Log
Project Work
45m
πΌοΈ Design Journey Board Setup
Deliverable
30m
π€ Community Period Access Exhibition
Assessment
45m
September 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
28
Day 1
Empathize
π€ Voices from At The Crossroads
π£οΈ Peer Puberty Interviews
π§ Empathy Map & Assumption Check
29
Day 2
Define
π§© Affinity Mapping Interview Evidence
π― Writing Strong How Might We Statements
π Peer Critique: Is It Evidence-Based?
30
Day 3
Ideate
π‘ 20-Idea Period Access Brainstorm
βοΈ Crazy 8s Solution Sketches
π User-Need Decision Matrix
πΊοΈ Concept Storyboard Blueprint
1
Day 4
Prototype
π οΈ Rapid Low-Fidelity Prototype Build
π§ͺ Peer User Testing & Feedback Capture
π Prototype Revision & Iteration Log
2
Day 5
Test/Present
π§ͺ Final User Test & Evidence Log
πΌοΈ Design Journey Board Setup
π€ Community Period Access Exhibition