Problem: Suppose you have been hired to re-design the student lockers at a large public high school. What

PROCESS would you use to tackle this project?

Describe the most important steps.

Submitted by: Tina Gregory for Design Thinking Action Labs – Creative Art Spaces Team

Observe

• How are students using lockers now, if at all?

• How are they currently getting learning materials to where they need them?

• What difficulties can you see with the methods currently used to ensure that learning materials are where they are most useful to students?

• Do the current methods work for all or most students (old, young, tall, short, abled or disabled?) If not, who has additional obstacles and what are these additional shortcomings?

• Draw or jot down what you see, any method will do.

Communicate with Users• Talk with students:

1) How do you use your locker?

2) Is it easy to access

3) Does it fit all you stuff

4) Does it help you have the things you need on hand, when you need them, for class or study, etc.?

5) What do you need to have for each class?

6) Etc.

Evaluate

• Now evaluate the spaces that students, their teachers, administrators, parents and other social interactors use each day

– Look at specifics about the interactions (are they standing, sitting, both…)

– Do the interactors move within the space or are they mostly static?

– Are they balancing things, holding things in their hands, using headphones, etc.

– When do the interactors seem most comfortable? Least comfortable?

• Do the spaces ever change from day to day? Do they need to?

• What are common items the interactors have with them (laptops, books, pencils, iPods, etc.

• Does the space have natural light? Artificial light? Colors?

Generate Alternatives

In-class storage

Shared resource storage

Group-centric storage

Pod

Exchanges

Test Ideas Live

• Run ideas by stakeholders and participants• Get Action Teams together• Test each idea within Action Teams• Action Teams present results to other

teams/stakeholders

Funding and Sourcing for Implementation

• Ideas may best effective, tested and innovative, but if they lack funding and

• Reasonably reliable support from investing parties

THEY WILL DIE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH!

Funding and Sourcing

• Public funding / bond funding• Angel investors• Corporate supporters and investors, including

targeted solution hardware/software providers• Community outreach