A. Literacy Connections and Applications · Literacy for Life: Transferable Skills, Digital Media Literacy and Diverse Voices

Innovation and Design: Using Digital and Media Tools to Solve Real Problems

A2 A2.6 A1.1About 75 minutes

Learning goals

I can follow a design process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) to address an authentic, real-world problem.
I can write a clear problem statement as a "How might we...?" question.
I can select appropriate digital and media tools for each stage and justify my choices.
I can develop and propose an innovative solution with evidence, a prototype and feedback.

Words to know

design process
A series of steps for solving problems creatively, often: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test, then iterate.

user
The person who will use or benefit from a solution.

problem statement
A clear description of the problem from the user's point of view, often phrased "How might we...?"

ideate
Generate many possible ideas before choosing one.

prototype
A quick, simple model of a solution (a sketch, mock-up, storyboard or draft) made to test ideas.

iterate
Repeat the process to improve the solution based on feedback.

proposal
A persuasive text that explains a problem, presents a solution, gives evidence and asks for approval or support.

Remember from Grade 8

In Grade 8 you planned and published multimodal texts and evaluated your planning tools. Grade 9 asks you to use digital and media tools to support a design process, and to address authentic, relevant, real-world problems by developing and proposing innovative solutions. Think of it as English class meets inventor's workshop.

Let's start at a bus stop

It's −24°C with the wind chill. A dozen students stand at a rural bus stop. The bus is 25 minutes late, but nobody knew, because the delay was posted on a website most students had never heard of.

That's an authentic problem: real, local and affecting real people. Solving it doesn't need a robot. It needs communication, the right digital tools, and a design process.

The design process

Empathize: understand the users. Interview them, survey them, observe. What do they actually experience and need?
Define: write a clear problem statement, often as a "How might we...?" question. How might we help students know about bus delays before they leave home?
Ideate: brainstorm many ideas without judging. Quantity first; wild ideas welcome.
Prototype: make a quick, cheap model of your best idea: a sketch, a paper mock-up, a storyboard, a draft webpage.
Test: show the prototype to real users and collect feedback. What works? What confuses them?

Then iterate: improve and test again. The process loops, because first ideas are rarely the best ones.

The design process loops. Define (the "How might we...?" question) keeps the whole team focused on the user's real problem.

Choosing the right tools

Select tools based on the task and the users, not on what's newest. Justify each choice.

Empathize: online survey forms (quick data from many people), interviews recorded with permission, notes apps.
Define: shared documents for co-writing the problem statement; spreadsheets or charts to show survey results.
Ideate: digital whiteboards or sticky notes; mind-mapping tools.
Prototype: paper and pencil (often the best first tool!), slide software for mock-ups, simple website builders, video or audio editors for a short explainer, image tools for posters.
Test: short feedback forms; watching a user try your prototype and noting where they get stuck.
Propose: a slide deck, a short pitch video, a written proposal, or a one-page brief for decision-makers.

Also consider accessibility (captions, alt text, readable fonts), privacy (don't collect more personal information than you need; ask permission), and cost (free tools your users can access).

Stage	Tool chosen	Justification
Empathize	Online survey form (5 questions)	reaches 60 bus riders in two days; anonymous answers protect privacy
Define	Spreadsheet chart	shows clearly that 41 of 60 riders didn't know where delays are posted
Prototype	Paper sketch, then slide mock-up	paper is fast to change; slides look polished enough to test
Test	Watching 5 students use it + 3-question form	shows where users get confused, not just what they say
Propose	3-minute pitch with 5 slides	the principal's meeting has a 5-minute limit

One team's tool choices for the bus-delay problem (invented data). Each choice has a reason.

Worked example

Let's design and propose a solution

Follow the design process for the bus-delay problem, and outline the final proposal to the principal and the school council.

Empathize: survey of 60 bus riders: 41 didn't know where delays are posted; many check a group chat where rumours spread. Interviews: parents of younger kids worry most on cold days.
Define: How might we help bus riders and their families find accurate delay information quickly before leaving home?
Ideate: an app (too expensive), a morning text from the school (privacy and cost issues), a QR-code poster at each stop, a one-page guide in the student agenda, a morning announcement, a short video for the school's social media.
Prototype: a one-page guide and matching poster with a QR code linking to the official delay page, plus a 30-second explainer video with captions.
Test: five students and two parents try it. Feedback: "Add what to do if it's very cold"; "Make the QR code bigger"; "Can it be in other languages spoken at our school?" The team revises.
Propose: a 3-minute pitch: (1) the problem with survey data, (2) the user quotes, (3) the solution with the prototype, (4) cost (printing about 20 posters), (5) the ask: approval to post the guide and share the video at the start of winter.

A strong proposal starts with users' needs, shows evidence, presents a tested prototype, explains why it's better than alternatives (cheaper than an app, more private than texts, links to official information), and ends with a clear request.

A low-fidelity prototype of the guide, with notes showing the design reasons. The last note came from testing with real users.

Innovation is about fit, not flash

Innovation doesn't have to mean brand-new technology. Combining existing tools in a smart way (a QR code + an official web page + a captioned video) for a real need is innovation.

Just for fun

Funny-but-true: a chemist once invented a glue that was considered a failure because it was too weak: things stuck to it but peeled right off. Years later, a colleague used it to keep bookmarks from falling out of his choir book. That "failed" glue became the sticky note. Prototypes that "fail" can still teach you something!

Hands-on activity

Mini design sprint at home

You need: paper, pencils, sticky notes or scrap paper squares, a device (optional), and two or three people at home willing to be your "users".

Empathize (10 min): ask your family about a small household problem, such as lost mittens and keys, morning rush, forgetting the recycling day, or sharing the computer. Write three quotations.
Define (5 min): write a "How might we...?" question.
Ideate (10 min): write at least eight ideas, one per sticky note. No judging yet.
Prototype (15 min): pick one idea and make a quick model: a sketched sign, a schedule, a mock-up of a reminder, a labelled drawing of a hook station. Choose one digital or media tool that would help (a shared calendar, a phone reminder, a printed chart) and write why.
Test (10 min): show your users. Write down their feedback, then make one improvement.
Propose (5 min): write a 4-sentence pitch: problem, solution, evidence, request.

What to look for: real quotations from users, a focused "How might we" question, many ideas before choosing, a justified tool choice and a change made after feedback.

Your turn

List the five stages of the design process in order.

Rewrite this problem as a "How might we...?" question: Students waste lunch time waiting in a long cafeteria line.

Why should you brainstorm many ideas before choosing one?

What is a prototype? Give two examples.

Name a tool for the empathize stage and justify it.

Why is testing with real users important?

What should a proposal end with?

More practice: warm-up

What does iterate mean?

Who is the user in a design project?

True or false: a prototype must be finished and polished.

Which stage comes right after ideate?

What phrase often starts a problem statement?

More practice: on your own

A team wants to build a phone app to remind students about library book due dates. Evaluate this choice of tool.

Survey results: 18 of 24 students say the school's announcements are hard to hear. What problem statement and two ideas might follow?

Why should a design team think about privacy when collecting survey data?

Explain how accessibility could change a prototype poster.

Which transferable skills does a design sprint use? Name three.

Challenge

Identify an authentic problem in your school or community. Write a "How might we" question, describe two users you'd interview, and propose a solution that uses at least two digital or media tools, justifying each.

Evaluate this proposal opening: "We think our idea is really cool and everyone will love it." Rewrite it to be more persuasive.

Why do designers say "fail early, fail cheap"? Connect your answer to prototyping and iteration.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which stage of the design process focuses on understanding users' experiences and needs?

Which is the best problem statement?

Why make a low-fidelity prototype first?

A team chooses an anonymous online survey to collect opinions. The best justification is:

What does iterate mean in design?

A strong proposal ends with:

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: A2.6 asks students to select and use appropriate digital and media tools to support the design process, and to address authentic, relevant, real-world problems by developing and proposing innovative solutions. It also practises transferable skills (A1.1).

How to help: Be a willing "user" for the home design sprint and give honest, kind feedback. Encourage simple solutions; teens sometimes think innovation must mean an app.

Common difficulties: jumping straight to a solution without understanding users; choosing tools because they're trendy; skipping testing; proposals without evidence or a clear request. Note: the bus survey numbers in the example are invented for the lesson.