Summary
Context
In January 2021 I was invited to teach high students about design. My initial, internal, reaction was “Nope, no thank you very much” so, of course, I said “Yes, sure thing!”
My focus was across two modules: Empathy in research & design and, Prototyping. As well as designing the content I was invited to facilitate each session, in person, at a local high school.
Project goals
- Provide an action based learning experience to help take good ideas into business opportunities
- Introduce the students to Design Thinking – giving them experience of conducting research and creating (and iterating on) prototypes
Output and outcomes
- Students learnt about the importance of empathy in research and design
- Students gained basic understanding of design research, including undertaking their own fieldwork
- Students got first hand experience of ideating, prototyping and iterating
Read on for more details and depth.
This work is confidential so this example focuses on method and approach, I have included examples / artifacts where possible although these have been edited to maintain confidentiality.
Setting up for success
Module Creation
Creating the content for both modules for an audience I had zero experience with was a challenge. I was, however, pretty sure that the familiar approach of presenting a bunch of PowerPoint slides would loose the students’ attention in seconds.
Working with The Common Purpose Collective we came up with a variety of games, interactive exercises and, different ways to share information. We settled on a mix that included videos, open questions and discussion, role plays, a paper aeroplane competition and more.
Conscious of the students’ different learning methods and communication styles, I wanted a variety of teaching methods. As well as helping ensure that as many students as possible were able to understand and grasp the concepts I was also conscious of their attention spans.
Examples of this include:
- Short simple concise slides to reinforce learning
- Providing verbal and written instructions for all exercises
- Building in 5 minute “get up and stretch” breaks to help with focus and attention
- Written reminder summaries in the student workbooks.
You can see some of the slides I made below:
Delivery
empathy in research
Role playing and observation
I wanted to demonstrate the power and importance of showing empathy when undertaking research.
Working with another facilitator we role-played a ‘how not to do it’ example and then lead the students in discussion about what happened and why. We then role-played a ‘this is how to do it’ example to demonstrate the difference between the two and, again, lead the students in a discussion about what happened and why.
I’d initially considered asking a student to be a volunteer for the role-play but once I thought about how that student might feel to experience the the “how not to show empathy” example, especially in front of a roomful of their peers, I quickly decided against it and asked someone else to step in.
Learning to prototype
Time to make paper aeroplanes!
I chose this exercise as a simple and fun way to give the students experience of making and tearing on a prototype:
- Students were all given a sheet of A4 paper and asked to make a paper aeroplane
- then everyone was invited to go to the back of the room as a group and see how far they could thrown their prototype aeroplanes
- After taking note of where their plane landed the students were asked to collect them and make adjustments
- The students re-grouped at the back of the room and threw their planes again
- As a group we had a chat about what they’d just done – create a prototype, test it out, iterate on it and test it again.
This proved to be a very popular exercise!
Prototyping video
After the paper plane prototype exercises I shared a short video from “From The Earth To The Moon” to reinforce and build on the students’ learning.
The video clip showed how cardboard prototypes were used as part of the process of building a space rocket.
I chose to use a video for a number of reasons:
- It clearly demonstrated how prototypes are used in real situations
- It was a different way of communicating information to the students
- I hoped it would capture the student’s interest (it did!)
- I also hoped it would help to setting the student’s energy level after the excitement of the paper planes. (Luckily, it did that too!)
Impact / what happened next
These two modules were part of a much larger project – you can read more about that here: adaptorproject.com
As well as learning about research and empathy and prototyping the students’ got first hand experience of actually doing those things – they got to practice asking open ended questions and listening with empathy as well as exploring their creativity to design prototypes.
If you’re curious, you can read more about The Common Purpose Collective here: commonpurpose.com.au
Personal reflection
Being in front of 20+ teenagers really tested my ability to adapt. I had to explain things in multiple different ways while keeping my examples simple and succinct. I also had to strike the balance of working hard to keep the class engaged without them feeling like I was begging for their attention. Having the support of another facilitator, who was also a trained teacher, meant that I had an ally in the room for when things got a little rowdy – It also meant I could pause, take a breath and try another approach.
While I’m reasonably sure I’m not about to re-train to be a Teacher, I did enjoy the experience. And, while the whole experience was mildly terrifying, I’m really glad I said yes to the opportunity. It taught me a lot about myself, including my ability to adapt. It also restored my faith in the next generation. I’d gone into the prototyping session assuming that all the students would create digital solutions – teenagers are, after all, known for bing glued to their devices. Well, that assumption was well and truly busted! As soon as the prototyping started, each group grabbed the Lego and built real-life face to face experiences.
Not a device in sight.
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways in which I work.
I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.