Students will experience the Chicago teen budgeting challenge through a launch simulation, identify teen users and their needs, and produce initial framing documents that define the challenge and guide later research and design work.

Students will investigate Chicago teen living costs through source analysis, user research, and budget strategy comparison, then use evidence to identify root causes and propose a realistic direction for a Chicago teen budget solution.

Students will turn their Chicago teen budgeting research into testable design ideas, study effective financial advice models, plan a user-centered product, build and revise a budget prototype, and document how feedback improves the realism and usefulness of their recommendation.

Students will implement and test their Chicago teen budget recommendations with peers and community-connected reviewers, collect evidence about realism and usefulness, and use that evidence to improve their budgeting advice before the final share phase.

Students will present their Chicago teen budget recommendations to an authentic audience, document how feedback shaped their final choices, and complete a culminating reflection on their learning, skills, and community impact.