Learning Goals
Students will be able to investigate authentic small-business customer complaints, sales data, and interview evidence to identify market needs and opportunity areas as the basis for a project problem statement.
Students will be able to compare small-business ownership models and startup-versus-acquisition tradeoffs to determine which structure best fits a proposed business situation.
Students will be able to analyze risk management factors in a proposed small-business plan to identify safety, financial, operational, and reputational risks.
Students will be able to evaluate differentiation strategies for a product or service to justify how a solution responds to customer pain points and stands out in the market.
Students will be able to synthesize ethical and social responsibility considerations to make responsible decisions about clients, workplace safety, and AI-assisted business work.
Students will be able to communicate a clear project scope, evidence-based recommendation, and next-step action plan through professional interview notes, task boards, and a portfolio defense.
Products
Customer Interview Brief and Evidence-Based Business Recommendation Memo
Each student submits a research brief based on firsthand mentor or customer interviews, plus a memo that defines the client problem, analyzes risk and market fit, and recommends a solution direction. The product must show how user evidence informed the student’s individual prototype concept.
Client Pitch Deck and Live Portfolio Defense for a Small-Business Solution
Teams create a shared problem statement, a higher-fidelity solution prototype or service plan, and a public defense for industry partners and school stakeholders. The presentation must show how individual research and prototypes were combined, revised, and justified with user evidence.
No rubric has been generated yet.