From clue to prototype

Pick a mystery user. Follow the evidence through all five stages of the design process and finish with a virtual prototype you can present and defend. Don't design for a user you imagined. Design for a user you understood.

Team name Our mystery user

Teacher overview: lesson map

Groups of 3–4, one mystery user per group. Eight cards means up to eight groups; repeat cards for larger classes and let same-user groups compare personas in E2. Every activity below is tagged with its syllabus statement and command term. Student work saves in each device's browser, so ask one scribe per team to keep the journal on a single device, then print or screenshot it as evidence.

Lesson (≈60 min)	Activities	Statements	Output
1	A0 warm-up, A1 Persona detective	2.1.1, 2.1.5	Persona v1
2	A2 Research sorter, A3 Primary research (role-play interviews, survey)	2.1.2, 2.1.3	First-hand data
3	A4 Secondary research, A5 Journey storyboard	2.1.4, 2.1.6	Persona v2, pain points
4	A6 Product analysis (bring real products)	2.1.7	Product analysis table
5	B1 Problem statement, B2 Specification	2.1.8, 2.1.9	Problem statement, spec
6	C1 Crazy 8s and SCAMPER, C2 Evaluation matrix	2.1.10, 2.1.11	Chosen idea
7–8	D1 Mock-up and user test, D2 Model–test–refine log	2.1.12, 2.1.13	Iterations with data
9	D3 Detailed drawings	2.1.14	Orthographic and assembly drawings
10–11	E1 Virtual prototype (CAD)	2.1.15	Rendered, annotated model
12	E2 Present and defend, E3 Outline the journey	2.1.15, 2.1.1	Pitch, reflection

Empathize

Understand your user, their problems and the opportunities for a meaningful redesign. Gather evidence before you form opinions.

Map the journey before you walk it

2.1.1Outline5 minDone

Click the five stage descriptions in the order you think a designer uses them. You'll come back and outline each stage properly at the end (E3).

Teacher note: Point out that research (2.1.2) is not a stage of its own. It runs through every stage, which is why it appears again in B, C and D.

Persona detective

2.1.5Identify25 minDone

Read your case file. Use only the evidence provided. No guesses yet.
Sort every clue: tap a clue, then tap the box it belongs in. Tap a placed clue to send it back.
Write three assumptions about what your user needs, then prove or disprove each with evidence.
Build your persona. The quote must come from the evidence, not from your imagination.

Case file

Analyse the evidence

Make and prove assumptions

Our assumption about what the user needs	Verdict	Which evidence?

Anything marked "Needs more research" becomes a question for your interview in A3.

Build the persona

Name

Age

Occupation

Context and environment where they live, study, use the product

Goals what they want to achieve

Behaviours what they actually do

Frustrations and pain points

Needs

Quote from the evidence

Teacher note: 2.1.5 says a persona represents a group of end-users. Ask: "Who else is like this person?" Push teams to name the user group (e.g. older adults with reduced grip strength) beneath the persona name.

Research sorter

2.1.2Distinguish10 minDone

For each piece of research, decide who collected it (primary or secondary) and what kind of data it is (qualitative or quantitative). Then check.

In one sentence, distinguish primary from secondary research, and explain how each helped (or could help) understand your user.

Collect first-hand data

2.1.3ApplyAnalyse35 minDone

Plan five interview questions. Mix open questions (stories, feelings) with closed ones (numbers, ratings).
Role-play: one teammate becomes your user using only the case file; swap with another team for a cold interview if possible. Better still, interview a real person who fits the user group.
Run one quick measurement or observation. Examples: time how long it takes to find an item, weigh a bag, count the steps in a task.
Analyse: what did you learn that the case file didn't tell you?

Question	Type	Answer we got

Observation or measurement we ran method, sample size

Data we collected numbers, notes

Analysis: what does this data tell us about the user's requirements?

Teacher note: 2.1.3 lists observations, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, material testing and product analysis. Make each team name which methods they used. A good extension is a 5-question class survey on a shared form, which gives quantitative data quickly.

Back it up with secondary research

2.1.4Analyse25 minDone

Find two third-party sources that support or challenge your primary research.

Source (title, author, link)	Type	Key data	Does it support or challenge our primary data?

Persona upgrade: what did you change in your persona after A3 and A4, and why?

Journey storyboard

2.1.6MapIdentify30 minDone

Map your user carrying out the task, step by step. Sketch each frame on paper, write the step here, and rate how the user feels. Flag the pain points.

Emotion curve

The biggest pain point, and the design opportunity it reveals

Teacher note: The lowest point on the curve is usually the strongest design opportunity. Ask teams whether their lowest point matches the quote in their persona.

Product analysis

2.1.7Analyse40 minDone

Analyse two existing products: one the user already has, and one that solves a similar problem or could inspire a solution. Handle real products where you can.

	Product 1 (current)	Product 2 (inspiration)
Name and photo reference
Function: what does it do?
Performance: how well? Measure something
Features worth keeping
Features that fail our user
Materials and manufacture

Define

Turn your research findings into a clear design challenge and requirements you can test against.

Problem statement builder

2.1.8Explain20 minDone

A good problem statement names the user, the need and the evidence. It does not name the solution yet.

Who the user group, not only the persona name

Needs a way to a verb, not a product

Because the insight from your evidence

When or where context

Final problem statement in your own words, with design intentions

Teacher note: The checker flags product nouns ("bag", "chair", "opener"). Discuss why "a backpack that…" closes off ideas that "a way to carry… without…" keeps open.

Design specification

2.1.9Construct40 minDone

Write success criteria for the redesign. Every line needs a source in your research and a way to test it. The checker flags vague words that have no measurable value.

#	Category	Specification	Essential or desirable	Evidence it comes from	How we'll test it

Teacher note: Aim for 8–10 lines with at least 5 essential. Weak: "The product should be comfortable." Strong: "Contact pressure on the shoulder must not exceed the current bag's when carrying a 6 kg load (pressure-sensor or user rating test)." Specification numbers are reused in C2, D2 and E1.

Ideate

Explore distinct ways to solve the problem, then evaluate and refine them against your specification before you commit.

Crazy 8s and SCAMPER

2.1.10Apply30 minDone

Fold an A3 sheet into eight. Each person sketches eight ideas in eight minutes, one per minute. Quantity over quality.
Stuck? Spin a SCAMPER prompt.
As a team, write the eight most different ideas below. Different means a different principle, not the same idea in another colour.

8:00

Spin for a SCAMPER prompt.

Shortlisted idea 1

Shortlisted idea 2

Shortlisted idea 3

Evaluation matrix

2.1.11Compare20 minDone

Score each shortlisted idea against your essential specifications (0 = doesn't meet, 3 = fully meets). The matrix pulls from B2 and C1 automatically.

Our chosen idea, and how we'll refine it using the best features of the others

Teacher note: The highest score isn't automatically the winner. Ask teams to justify the choice against the user's main frustration, then combine strengths from the runners-up. That combination is the "iterative analysis" in 2.1.11.

Develop

Improve the solution through testing, refinement and technical communication.

Mock-up and user test

2.1.13Create60 minDone

Choose the lowest fidelity that can answer your question. Card, foam, tape and string are enough for most first tests.
Build the mock-up at full scale where size matters.
Test it with an end-user (or a classmate acting as your persona, following the case file) and measure something. A model without performance data is a sculpture.

Question this model must answer

Fidelity and materials

Specifications tested use numbers from B2

Test method and metric

Performance data

What the user said

Model, test, refine log

2.1.12Demonstrate60 minDone

Record every loop. Keep going until all essential specifications are met or you can explain why one can't be.

Version	Model and fidelity	What we tested	Result and data	Refinement for next version	Specs now met

Teacher note: Minimum three versions. Photograph each model next to its log row; the photo strip makes the iteration visible in the final presentation.

Detailed drawings

2.1.14Create60 minDone

Could a manufacturer make it from your drawings alone? Tick each item when your drawing set includes it.

Orthographic projection of the assembled product (front, plan, end), third-angle, with a title block Overall dimensions in mm, taken from anthropometric or product data Scale stated on every view Component drawings for at least two individual parts, fully dimensioned Exploded or assembly drawing showing how parts fit together Parts list naming each component, quantity and material

Where did our key dimensions come from?

Present

Showcase the final solution and prove its value to the user.

Virtual prototype

2.1.15Create120 minDone

Software

Link or file name of the model

Your virtual prototype must show

The complete product modelled to the dimensions in D3 At least three rendered views with realistic materials An exploded or section view The product in context: in use with a human figure or in the user's environment, for scale Call-outs for at least three usability features A before-and-after comparison with the existing product from A6

Feature call-outs

Usability feature	Specification it meets (#)	Evidence it works (from D1, D2)

Present and defend

2.1.15Explain3 min per teamDone

Two minutes to pitch, one minute to defend. The audience draws challenge cards and asks them.

1. Who our user is

2. Their main frustration, and the evidence

3. Our problem statement

4. How the design solves it: key features

5. Proof: test data and specifications met

6. One surprising insight

2:00

Audience challenge cards

Draw a card to challenge the presenting team.

Peer feedback received

Two strengths

One improvement

Outline the journey you just took

2.1.1Outline15 minDone

Outline each stage of the design process using your own project as the example. One or two sentences each.

Empathize

Define

Ideate

Develop

Present

Where did research happen outside Empathize? Give two examples.

Teacher note: This doubles as exit-ticket evidence for 2.1.1 and 2.1.2. A follow-up exam-style task: "Outline how primary research informed the development of a persona" (4 marks).