This week was all about precision. We stopped looking at the "big picture" for a moment to really understand our users and the root of the problem. We started by pitching our direction (Group vs. Individual) and received some solid feedback that sent us home with homework: be sharp. We are locking in strictly on the 12-15 age range, and tackling a critical question: Is our product creating new motivation to help, or just tapping into one that is already there? Then came the r

This week was a real turning point for us. After starting with a very broad challenge around social belonging among teenagers, we had to do something that sounds simple but is actually very hard: focus. As part of our design process, we filled out a user-centered template- who our user is, what they need, what challenges they face, what solutions already exist, and our How Might We questions. Instead of giving us instant clarity, it actually created more “noise” and forced us

This week, we moved into the need validation stage with our end-users, as part of the Define phase in the Double Diamond model. Based on expert interviews we identified 3 needs that we wanted to validate. To do so, we designed an interview protocol, aimed at testing these assumptions while remaining open to unexpected insights. We went through a series of interviews with middle school students, moving from general warm-up questions to more sensitive topics around friendships,

This week we officially began working on our project... We were first introduced to the central theme for this year- social c ohesion, and then divided into work teams. Our group opened the week with a team introduction and brainstorming session, where each member shared ideas and insights from their preliminary research on the Social cohesion topic. The discussion brought up a wide range of perspectives, including not formal education and organizations that promote belonging