Empathize
Empathize
Students will engage in empathy-building workshops, conduct interviews with individuals affected by homelessness, and collaborate with local social services to gather authentic insights on the essential needs and preferences for their tiny home designs.
Days 1 - 8
Define
Define
Students will synthesize insights from empathy research to define specific challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness, validating these with community partners to inform targeted design solutions for sustainable, dignified tiny homes.
Days 9 - 16
Ideate
Ideate
Students will brainstorm and sketch a diverse range of innovative tiny home designs using sustainable materials and technologies, incorporating feedback from community partners to ensure practicality and respect for future residents' needs, in preparation for the prototyping phase.
Days 17 - 24
Prototype
Prototype
Students will collaborate with architects and construction mentors to create and iteratively refine physical and digital prototypes of their tiny home designs, using innovative materials and technologies while documenting their process and insights in digital portfolios to prepare for the final testing phase.
Days 25 - 32
Test
Test
Students will engage with future residents and stakeholders to solicit feedback on their tiny home prototypes, analyze suggestions for improvements, refine their designs, and document this iterative process in their digital portfolios.
Days 33 - 40
Empathize
Days 1–8
Day 1
Reality Check Workshop Launch
Launch
60m
Day 2
Empathy Interview Skills Workshop
Activity
45m
Day 3
Conducting Empathy Interviews
Activity
90m
Day 4
Insight Synthesis Workshop
Activity
60m
Day 5
Reflection Writing Session
Deliverable
45m
Day 6
Empathy Workshop Presentation Rehearsal
Deliverable
60m
Day 7
Feedback & Revision Session
Deliverable
45m
Empathy Interview Reflections
Assessment
Day 8
Empathy Workshop Presentation
Assessment
Define
Days 9–16
Day 9
Community Partner Introduction
Launch
60m
Day 10
Empathy Mapping Workshop
Activity
90m
Day 11
Design Challenge Brainstorm
Activity
60m
Day 12
Mathematical Concepts Integration
Activity
45m
Day 13
Peer Feedback Session
Deliverable
45m
Day 14
Collaborative Design Drafting
Activity
90m
Day 15
Reflective Report Writing Workshop
Activity
60m
Community Partner Presentation
Assessment
Day 16
Design Challenge Reflective Report
Assessment
Collaborative Design Proposal
Assessment
Ideate
Days 17–24
Day 17
Design Launch Panel
Launch
60m
Day 18
Sustainable Materials Workshop
Activity
60m
Day 19
Sketch and Feedback Session
Deliverable
75m
Day 20
Prototyping Hands-on Day
Activity
90m
Day 21
Green Technology Exploration
Activity
60m
Day 22
Community Feedback Integration
Deliverable
60m
Day 23
Innovative Tiny Home Design Presentation
Assessment
Portfolio Building Workshop
Activity
75m
Day 24
Design Iteration Portfolio Submission
Assessment
Prototype
Days 25–32
Day 25
Material Exploration and Innovation Challenge
Activity
90m
Day 26
Design Refinement Workshop
Activity
90m
Day 27
Digital Portfolio Draft Submission
Deliverable
60m
Day 28
Prototype Presentation Prep
Activity
60m
Day 29
Feedback and Iteration Session
Deliverable
90m
Day 30
Interactive Peer Review of Sustainability
Activity
75m
Day 31
Portfolio Reflection and Finalization
Activity
60m
Prototype Presentation and Critique
Assessment
Day 32
Digital Portfolio Submission
Assessment
Sustainable Design Evaluation
Assessment
Test
Days 33–40
Day 33
Launch: Stakeholder Perspectives Panel
Launch
60m
Day 34
Empathy Mapping Workshop
Activity
90m
Day 35
Prototype Feedback Roundtable
Deliverable
60m
Day 36
Critical Thinking Design Challenge
Activity
75m
Day 37
Digital Portfolio Peer Review
Deliverable
60m
Day 38
Stakeholder Feedback Analysis Practice
Activity
70m
Day 39
Presentation Skills Rehearsal
Deliverable
60m
Stakeholder Feedback Analysis Report
Assessment
Day 40
Digital Portfolio Submission
Assessment
Tiny Home Prototype Presentation
Assessment
October 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
19
Day 1
Empathize
Reality Check Workshop Launch
20
Day 2
Empathy Interview Skills Workshop
21
Day 3
Conducting Empathy Interviews
22
Day 4
Insight Synthesis Workshop
23
Day 5
Reflection Writing Session
26
Day 6
Empathy Workshop Presentation Rehearsal
27
Day 7
Feedback & Revision Session
Empathy Interview Reflections
28
Day 8
Empathy Workshop Presentation
29
Day 9
Define
Community Partner Introduction
30
Day 10
Empathy Mapping Workshop
November 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
2
Day 11
Design Challenge Brainstorm
3
Day 12
Mathematical Concepts Integration
4
Day 13
Peer Feedback Session
5
Day 14
Collaborative Design Drafting
6
Day 15
Reflective Report Writing Workshop
Community Partner Presentation
9
Day 16
Design Challenge Reflective Report
Collaborative Design Proposal
10
Day 17
Ideate
Design Launch Panel
11
Day 18
Sustainable Materials Workshop
12
Day 19
Sketch and Feedback Session
13
Day 20
Prototyping Hands-on Day
16
Day 21
Green Technology Exploration
17
Day 22
Community Feedback Integration
18
Day 23
Innovative Tiny Home Design Presentation
Portfolio Building Workshop
19
Day 24
Design Iteration Portfolio Submission
20
Day 25
Prototype
Material Exploration and Innovation Challenge
23
Day 26
Design Refinement Workshop
24
Day 27
Digital Portfolio Draft Submission
25
Day 28
Prototype Presentation Prep
26
Day 29
Feedback and Iteration Session
27
Day 30
Interactive Peer Review of Sustainability
December 2026
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
30
Day 31
Portfolio Reflection and Finalization
Prototype Presentation and Critique
1
Day 32
Digital Portfolio Submission
Sustainable Design Evaluation
2
Day 33
Test
Launch: Stakeholder Perspectives Panel
3
Day 34
Empathy Mapping Workshop
4
Day 35
Prototype Feedback Roundtable
7
Day 36
Critical Thinking Design Challenge
8
Day 37
Digital Portfolio Peer Review
9
Day 38
Stakeholder Feedback Analysis Practice
10
Day 39
Presentation Skills Rehearsal
Stakeholder Feedback Analysis Report
11
Day 40
Digital Portfolio Submission
Tiny Home Prototype Presentation