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IT: Ideating Prototypes Pathways to Prosperity Network

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IDEATING PROTOTYPES

Essential Question: What’s Your App?

Learning Targets:

Students will:

Identify a need whose solution could benefit people.

Effectively engage in collaborative discussions with peers.

Describe the need an app should address.

Discuss potential solution designs with peers.

Lesson Overview

In this lesson, the IT Design Teams decide on their final app ideas. After reflecting on their own

ideas about a need that can be addressed with an app, design teams participate in a Mind

Dumpster brainstorming initiative. This initiative ends with the selection of one app design idea

associated with a need identified by the team. Teams also begin the process of learning to write

an app description by playing a Mad Libs-type game to create an index card story about their

app.


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Lesson Agenda Opening

Mind Dumpster (10 min)

Work Time Final Project Outline (30 min)

Draft Your App Description (20 min)

Closure Exit Ticket (5 min)

Materials

Young Professional student packet

Projector and speakers

Brainstorming App Ideas Note-catcher (one per team)

Exit Ticket (one per team)

Post-its (two different colored stacks per team)

Ignite example presentation (to project)

Index Card Story example cards

FACILITATION NOTES

Design Thinking. This lesson draws on the “ideate” and “prototype” phases of design thinking.

Review the videos shown in lesson 6 and the phases of design thinking to reference and

highlight as students work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee4CKIPkIik,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLAD1F87125529A918&v=kAvVd1Ipw68.

Mind Dumpster. This exercise follows the “ideate” phase of design thinking. Young

professionals will work in their teams to generate as many ideas as possible on post-it notes in

response to the prompts provided. Each group will have two different colored post-it notes to

respond to the two prompts. As students post their ideas on the chart paper, encourage them to

read them aloud to their teams. Each team member should contribute at least one idea.

Establish group norms in advance: For instance, all ideas should be treated seriously with

respect, each team member must contribute at least one idea per prompt, and no idea is too

big—think outside the box! This protocol has been adapted to closely mimic the "ideate" face of

Design Thinking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLYq4DnSgz0.

Needs, Not Apps! For students struggling to brainstorm needs or problems during the initial

Mind Dumpster brainstorm, emphasize that they do not need to come up with ideas for apps at

this time—this brainstorm is purely for thinking about needs or problems that they or other

communities in the world face. They will have time to brainstorm apps later during the initiative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee4CKIPkIik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLAD1F87125529A918&v=kAvVd1Ipw68

https://www.dropbox.com/referrer_cleansing_redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrLYq4DnSgz0&hmac=sfmKwqA2dc%2FBGBOUAPn1RP%2FOFeYYV3yf%2F9A4bWFdNQE%3D


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Ideate Scaffold. If the YPs meet roadblocks when brainstorming ideas for apps, emphasize that

they do not need to reinvent the wheel—they just need to reimagine it! Ask probing questions

like: What apps do you currently use? What annoys you most about the way these apps

function? How would you improve them? How would you personalize them more?

Final Projects. The format for the final product is introduced in this lesson. Familiarize yourself

with the final project by reviewing future lessons in the module.

Ignite. The final project will follow this presentation format, which is designed to tell a story

through photographs and words. It was developed based on a presentation invented by a pair of

architects to increase the interest level of design presentations in the field (the Pecha Kucha-

learn more at: www.pechakucha.org/). Ignite presentations are designed to be 5 minutes long,

with 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds (for an example, see:

http://www.ignitetalks.io/videos/vaccinate). Determine in advance if you need to adapt this final

project format to meet the needs of your class— for example, larger class sizes may need to

have smaller presentation lengths, i.e. 10-15 slides lasting 2-3 minutes.

Time Management. This is a packed lesson that may need to span over two class periods. It is

encouraged that you spend adequate time explaining the final project and its format, so you

may want to introduce the drafting of the app description in a second lesson.

IN ADVANCE

Review the Mind Dumpster initiative. Set up brainstorm stations for each team with two

different colored post-it notes and two pieces of chart paper with the prompts written at

the top per team.

Preview the example of the Ignite presentation:

http://www.ignitetalks.io/videos/vaccinate.

Consider assigning roles in advance in each Design Team for drafting the app

description.

Vocabulary

Content Tier II

design thinking, ideate, prototype, audience,

user, customer development

colleague, component, client, prioritize

http://www.pechakucha.org/

http://www.ignitetalks.io/videos/vaccinate)


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Opening (10 min)

Mind Dumpster

Put on your innovation hats! What are some needs that you experience as a teen that could be

solved by mobile technology? Or think bigger—what are some broader issues in your

community, or the world, that mobile technology could address with a well-crafted app?

1. Explain to Teams that they will now brainstorm needs they might like to address through

the creation of an app.

2. Follow the Mind Dumpster initiative:

We are going to use an initiative called the Mind Dumpster. A Mind Dumpster is a fast way

to read the landscape of what’s running through your mind and, if you are working in a

group, the minds of your colleagues, or collaborators and co-working peers. This is a

common practice in design thinking where designers ideate, or generate a larger number of

ideas.

3. Provide two stacks of different colored post-it notes per team and a fat pen or

marker for each person.

4. Direct students to the first prompt written on the chart paper by their group: What

personal, community, or global need do you want to address?

o Explain to students that in their teams, they will have two minutes to write

their answers to the prompt on the same colored post-it notes. They can use

as many post-it notes as they need to generate as many answers to the

question as possible without censoring their ideas—any need or problem is

fair game! As each team member posts an answer, they should read it aloud

so the rest of the team can hear it.

o Encourage design teams to follow group norms throughout the ideation

process.

5. Following the two-minute mind dump, tell teams to go through the responses posted

on the chart paper and narrow down the posts to the needs that interest everyone in

the group.

6. Direct students to the second prompt written on the second piece of chart paper:

What app could address this need?

7. Explain to groups that they will divide up the “needs” post-it notes they have

selected. They can choose the notes they are most interested in. On each need

In the Mind

Dumpster

initiative,

students ideate

by responding to

a question or

prompt with

multiple

answers on

post-it notes. By

writing one

answer on each

note, students

are encouraged

to produce a

great quantity of

ideas without

self-censorship,

towards the aim

of generating

many ideas.

After this mind

dump is

complete,

students can

filter through the

notes for the

ideas that

interest the

team most.


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note, they should now generate an app idea that might be able to address that need,

using a different colored note to post on the second piece of chart paper. They have

another two minutes for this process.

o After two minutes, collect the chart paper for each group to let the ideas ferment.

Explain to students that they will return to these ideas after being introduced to

the overall project each Design Team will complete.

Work Time

Final Project Outline (30 min)

Young programmers, you are prepared. At IT Ops, your mission as a Design Team is to

imagine, create, and market an idea for a mobile app that meets a real need of real people.

This is no easy task. What need do you think an app can help meet? Who will download and

buy your app? How do you encourage people to use your app? These are just a few of the

questions you’ll need to answer. Today, you will work with your design teams to think of the

app you want to create and begin a draft of the 100-word app description.

1. Share the <App Development Project Descriptor>.

2. Invite students to popcorn read the project descriptor aloud.

3. Tell students that people who write code do a lot of their initial work on a paper

prototype before actually coding with their computer. Refer back to the design thinking

videos from earlier lessons.

4. Ask students: Why would developers begin with a paper prototype?

5. Call on volunteers to answer the question. Listen for: Paper prototypes are less

expensive, faster to create, easier to make multiple drafts of, etc.

Point out that later lessons will cover the marketing side of software

development: Crafting a business plan, writing a final app description, and

designing a logo and slogan.

Ignite Exemplar: Final Project

1. Explain that the final product, an Ignite presentation, is an engaging presentation

that tells a story through visual images and words. The author of the Ignite

presentation chooses 20 digital images to be slides and then has 15 seconds of text

or explanation to go with each image. (Note: Adapt this format according to the

needs of your students. See Facilitation Notes.)

Point out to

students that

this is a good

opportunity for

informal note-

taking. Students

should write

down anything

that might be

useful to have

for reference

and review as

they continue

their work.

When you

encounter the

word prototype,

explain that it is

a model of the

finished product.

Following the

ideation phase

of design

thinking, the

young

programmers

will prototype

some of their

ideas to test

whether or not

they can

function in the

real world.


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2. Project the example of the Ignite presentation:

http://www.ignitetalks.io/videos/vaccinate. As you play the presentation, encourage

Design Teams to take notes on ways they plan to adapt the presentation example to fit

the needs of their project.

3. Invite students to turn and talk in their Design Teams about the project components.

4. Check for understanding: Ask students to show a <Fist-To-Five> to gauge their

understanding, with a fist indicating absolute confusion and 5 fingers showing that they

clearly understand the final product of this Design Lab.

5. Call on students with 4 or 5 fingers shown to restate the project requirements in their

own words.

6. Ask students if they have any questions regarding the project and provide needed

clarifications.

Choose Your App

1. Tell teams to return to their need-idea card stack from the Mind Dumpster initiative.

They will now narrow down their ideas to reach a single idea to prototype.

2. They should work together to arrange the cards in a rough order, with the ideas the

team is most interested in first. They may also add new ideas on additional post-it notes

as needed.

3. When a few minutes have passed, tell students to remove all but the top four

ideas. Explain to students that the goal is to narrow the ideas down to two.

4. After the teams have two ideas, explain that they must now choose one to prototype.

Draft Your App Description (20 min)

Now that you have chosen the app that your team would like to create, we will begin to flesh out

the details. These details will guide your work for the remainder of our time in the IT Ops design

lab. It might be helpful in moving forward with your design ideas to remember that apps “do”

something. They embody an action. To begin describing your app, we will try to think in terms of

the parts of speech–nouns, verbs, objects, and descriptors.

1. Distribute the <Brainstorming App Ideas Note-Catcher> and project the <Example

Index Card Stories>.

2. Explain to students that these index card stories were written by two middle school

students. The four words are the words they chose at random, and the two sentences

are the index card stories they wrote from their chosen words.

3. As you explain, model the process of selecting the four words randomly, and think aloud

as you craft the index card story from the four words. (Note: For differentiation, ask the

YPs to define the parts of speech as you model.)


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o Example:

Noun (user- Be specific!) (Ask: What is a noun?): Teens

Verb (Ask: What is a verb?): Recycling

Object (Ask: What is an object?): A meeting

Other: Environment

2 sentence index card story:

Want to meet with fellow teens who are interested in recycling? Use our app

to find local teens who want to help the environment, and set up a time to

meet and discuss eco-friendly initiatives!

4. Explain to students the steps to accomplishing today’s work:

o Each team member writes out four index cards using words to describe the

app. The four words are the user, a verb, an object, and one more word that is

either a noun, adjective, adverb, or verb.

o After this work is complete, mix up the index cards in those four categories–be

sure to keep all the different types of cards in separate stacks: user cards, verb

cards, object cards, and other cards.

o Each person then chooses four random cards, one from each stack, and writes

an “index card story.”

o As a team, choose the story that is the most engaging to be your rough draft of

the 100-word app description.

5. Have students work together in their Design Teams to draft their 100-word app

description. As each team member contributes their ideas, they should also serve one of

the following roles (project roles with descriptions):

o Taskmaster: Ensures the team remains on task at all times and focuses on

the need-idea chosen to prototype.

o Organizer: Helps the team organize their thoughts into a logical story that

makes sense for the app description.

o Scribe: Takes notes throughout the brainstorm process and scribes the draft

paragraph of the app description with input from the team.

o Communicator: Ensures the draft description is ready for presentation and

communicates the app description to the class.

6. Circulate and provide assistance to teams as needed.

7. When Teams finish, invite the Communicators to read out their Team’s chosen app

description.

Ensure all

students are

familiar with

these parts of

speech before

moving forward.

Check for

understanding

and run mini

grammar review

sessions with

groups of

students as

needed.

If you have

taught the

Collaboration

unit, refer back

to the lesson on

Additive and

Subtractive

Behaviors to

help students

select the role

that fits their

strengths within

the team.


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If students struggle

with understanding

the idea of

differentiating apps

based on the user,

offer concrete

examples:

Many apps target

specific groups of

users. 1) The JetBlue

app targets frequent

travelers and offers a

"hip, modern

interface" for those

who need to book

tickets, check flights,

and want to know if

there are travel

delays. Who here

would use an app like

this? 2) Khan

Academy is a mobile

app that allows you to

study math,

languages, and

computer

programing—all at

your own pace. You

can also review a

topic that you missed

in class or one that

you struggle with

before you take a

test. Who might use

an app like this?

Closure (5 min)

Exit Ticket

We now have concrete ideas for our mobile applications. Before we move any further

on our app designs for IT Ops, we need to revisit the people for whom we are working:

our customers and users. What is the value of your app? In customer development,

we seek to understand what the customers need and what they think they need, as well

as how they prioritize these needs. For example, a bakery sells bread and addresses

the need of hunger, prioritizing a simple and inexpensive food product. What need is

your product going to be designed to meet, and for which specific customers?

1. Distribute the <Exit Ticket>.

o What need does your app meet? What are the characteristics of the

ideal user of your app?

2. Provide time for the teams to discuss the question and answer it.

3. Collect the quick writes, read them, and return them the next class meeting with

written feedback.


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Name:

Date:

IDEATING PROTOTYPES: What’s Your App?

Today’s Learning Objectives:

I can:

Identify a need whose solution could benefit people.

Effectively engage in collaborative discussions with peers.

Describe the need an app should address.

Discuss potential solution designs with peers.

In this lesson, my IT Design Team will decide on our final app ideas. After reflecting on our own

ideas about a need that can be addressed with an app, my design team will participate in a

Mind Dumpster brainstorming initiative. This initiative ends with the selection of one app design

idea associated with a need identified by my team. My team will also begin the process of

learning to write an app description by playing a Mad Libs-type game to create an index card

story about our app.

Today’s Activities:

Mind Dumpster

Choose Your App

Draft Your App Description

Exit Ticket


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App Development Project Descriptor

At IT Ops, your mission as a Design Team is to imagine, create, and market an idea for a

mobile app that meets a real need of real people. This is not an easy task. What need do you

think an app can help meet? Who will download and buy your app? How do you encourage

people to use your app? These are just a few of the questions you’ll need to answer. Your final

products for this work include the following components, or parts:

An app prototype that is a paper version OR three working screenshots.

A prototype is a model of the finished product.

Marketing Your App

A business plan A 100-word app description A good name for the app

A logo

Performance

An Ignite-style presentation

This presentation is in the style of an Ignite presentation. You will be required to have 20 slides

and speak for 15 seconds on each slide. Your goal is to tell the story of your app in photos and

write good text to accompany each slide.


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Brainstorming App Ideas Note-catcher

On index cards, each team member writes out four cards using words to describe the app. The

four words are the following parts of speech:

o Subject (the user)

o Verb

o Object

o Another noun, verb, adjective, or adverb

Shuffle the cards and turn them upside down, being careful to keep each of the four categories

separate.

Each member chooses four index cards from the stacks. Write an “index card story,” a two-

sentence story using the four index cards about how someone would use your app. Practice

making the description engaging for the reader.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________


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Design Team Roles

Taskmaster: Ensures the team remains on task

at all times and focuses on the need-idea chosen

to prototype.

Organizer: Helps the team organize their

thoughts into a logical story that makes sense for

the app description.

Scribe: Takes notes throughout the brainstorm

process and scribes the draft paragraph of the

app description with input from the team.

Communicator: Ensures the draft description is

ready for presentation and communicates the app

description to the class.


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Facilitator Documents:

Example Index Card Stories

Example 1:

Noun (user- Be specific!) (Ask: What is a noun?): Teens

Verb (Ask: What is a verb?): Recycling

Object (Ask: What is an object?): A meeting

Other: Environment


Want to meet with fellow teens who are interested in recycling? Use our app to find local teens

who want to help the environment, and set up a time to meet and discuss eco-friendly initiatives!

Example 2:

Noun (user): Smokers who wish to quit

Verb: Quit

Object: Cigarette

Other: Help


Attention smokers! Do you wish to quit? Don’t go crawling back to the cigarette; get help now

with our app!