Students will use their five senses to investigate how people in Midtown Sacramento experience places like bakeries, gardens, art studios, and restaurants. Through play-based interviews, observations, and empathy mapping, students gather real quotes and sensory evidence from community members to understand what matters to them before designing their Five Senses Discovery Map.

Students will synthesize their Midtown sensory research into a clear, child-friendly problem statement that identifies who they are designing for and what those users need in order to explore Midtown with their five senses. Through play-based sorting, storytelling, and peer feedback, students will co-create a “How Might We” question that guides the next phase of ideation.

Students will generate many possible ways to help families use their five senses to discover Midtown Sacramento, then narrow their ideas to 2–3 strong concepts for their interactive discovery map based on real user needs gathered from community partners and visitors.

Students will build and improve interactive prototypes of their Midtown Five Senses Discovery Map, moving from quick cardboard models to stronger versions based on real peer and adult feedback. They will test tactile, scent, sound, and visual features with real users, observe reactions, and revise their designs before creating a higher-fidelity class map section.

Students will validate their Midtown Five Senses Discovery Map with new users, revise interactive elements based on real feedback, and present their full design journey—from community interviews to final prototype—at the Five Senses Fair.