Imagine a muddy patch by the door that soaks everyone's shoes every wet morning. What if someone built a clever fix for the wrong problem, like a fancy boot scraper nobody uses, while the real need was a dry place to stand?
Today we will hunt for a real small problem in our school, for a real person. Engineers say half the job is choosing the right problem before anyone builds anything.
How do we spot a problem worth solving without guessing from the outside?
We start with two ideas. Empathy means watching and listening so you understand how a job feels for someone else. The user is the real person who has the problem.
On our walk we will watch a real user and notice what feels awkward. Later, back inside, we will name what they need and what "fixed" would look like.
We are going on a short empathy walk in groups of three or four. Stay with the class: your teacher will lead everyone to each watch point, or we will use indoor stations where classmates show a real job.
- Watch first without interrupting.
- Notice what looks awkward (reaching, slipping, dropping, waiting, getting wet, or something else).
- Ask one polite question about what makes the job awkward.
- Jot short notes on your clipboard: who the user is, what the job is, and what makes it awkward.
Do not invent a fix yet. We fill the Investigation Journal page when we get back inside.
Back inside, turn your walk notes into your Investigation Journal page.
Start with the stems on the board: Our user is… The awkward part is… They need… Success looks like…
Write the user and the need first. As soon as those are down, sketch one first idea and label the main parts. Then add what success would look like (one or two plain checks you could test later).
Keep the sketch simple. The job today is a clear problem, not a finished model.
First we will hear a few groups share, then talk about why engineers start with the problem.
Our check on the board: Can you say who it is for and what they need?
Share who your user is, what they need, and what success would look like. Say those first. Only show the sketch if someone asks about a part.
Then talk with your group: why might naming the problem first save time later?
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