Launch
Students will enter the project through a patient-centered challenge, analyze real barriers faced by vulnerable patients, build shared background in health equity and body-system impacts, and produce an initial need statement that prepares them for community-based research in the next phase.
Days 1 - 2
Research & Plan
Students will gather direct evidence about a vulnerable patient group, analyze patterns in barriers and needs, create empathy artifacts, and define a research-based problem statement with criteria and constraints before moving into solution design.
Days 3 - 8
Ideate & Prototype
Students will turn user research into focused design opportunities, generate multiple solution directions, build low-fidelity healthcare prototypes, test them with peers and community-connected users, and revise based on evidence before moving into refinement.
Days 9 - 13
Refine & Showcase
Students will refine their healthcare innovation prototypes through repeated feedback cycles, validate improvements with representative users, and prepare a stakeholder-facing pitch that traces their design decisions back to patient evidence, safety, equity, and feasibility.
Days 14 - 18
Showcase
Students will present their healthcare innovation work to authentic stakeholders, gather final audience feedback on feasibility and patient impact, and reflect on how research, ethics, science, and revision shaped their solution.
Days 19 - 20