Instructional Deck

Slide Deck for This Module

📑 Prefer the offline version? The full 20-slide deck is also available as module3_steps.pptx.

Watch

Design Thinking Process

A short video walking through the design thinking process and how it applies to a real design career. — Watch on YouTube →

Hands-On Practice

Small Group Exercise

⏱ 30–40 minutes 👥 Groups of 3–4

Walk the Steps: Redesign an Everyday Object

Your group will move through all seven steps quickly by redesigning a simple, familiar object. Focus on practicing each step, not on making a perfect final answer.

Materials

A simple everyday object per group (a water bottle, backpack, or pencil case)
Paper, tape, and craft supplies for quick models
Sticky notes

Steps

Frame (3 min): Write a “How might we...?” question about improving your object.
Empathize (5 min): List who actually uses this object and what bugs them about it.
Define (3 min): Write one problem sentence: “[User] needs a way to [need] because [reason].”
Ideate (7 min): Brainstorm at least 10 ways to improve the object.
Prototype (10 min): Build a rough model or sketch of your favorite idea.
Pitch (5 min): Show your model to another group and ask what they think.
Launch (2 min): Describe in one sentence how you'd actually make this happen.

Debrief Prompt

Which step changed your idea the most — and did any step send you back to an earlier one?

Knowledge Check

10-Question Quiz

School Name

Student Name

Teacher Name

Please enter your school, your name, and your teacher's name before submitting.

Answer all 10 questions, then submit for your score.

Question 1 of 10

How many total steps make up the design thinking process in this framework?

5 6 7 9

There are seven steps: Frame, Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Pitch, and Launch.

Question 2 of 10

Which step comes right after Define?

Frame Ideate Pitch Launch

After Define comes Ideate, where you come up with lots of possible solutions.

Question 3 of 10

What is the guiding question for the Prototype step?

Who is the user? What will this look like? How might we...? Does this meet the need(s) of the user?

Prototype's guiding question is “What will this look like?” — turning your idea into something real.

Question 4 of 10

Which step involves showing your solution to users to get feedback?

Frame Prototype Pitch Define

Pitch is the step where you show your solution to users and hear what they think.

Question 5 of 10

Which step is about being curious enough to go looking for problems worth solving?

Frame Empathize Ideate Launch

Frame is about curiosity-driven problem-finding, guided by “How might we...?”

Question 6 of 10

What is the guiding question for Launch?

What will this look like? How can we possibly solve this? How do we put this plan into action? The user needs...?

Launch asks “How do we put this plan into action?” as the solution goes into the real world.

Question 7 of 10

Along with Frame, which two steps make up the Empathy phase?

Ideate and Prototype Empathize and Define Pitch and Launch Research and Test

Frame, Empathize, and Define together make up the Empathy phase.

Question 8 of 10

True or False: Steps must always move forward in strict order with no looping back.

True False

False — steps often loop back; the process isn't a strict straight line.

Question 9 of 10

What is the main goal of the Ideate step?

Build a final product Come up with lots of possible ideas Present to an audience Measure long-term results

Ideate's goal is to brainstorm many ideas before picking one to prototype.

Question 10 of 10

Which step focuses on putting the solution into the real world and keeping it improving?

Define Prototype Pitch Launch

Launch is about putting the solution into motion and continuing to improve it after release.