"In the first phase, students look, listen, and learn.The goal here is awareness. It might be a sense of wonder at a process or an awareness of a problem or a sense of empathy toward an audience." -John Spencer

So, what does it mean to empathize? It means to understand and share the feelings and thoughts of others. How do we do that? We ask tons of questions and do our best to be genuinely curious and open-minded about the answers we get.

In this stage of the design process, you will...

• reflect on what hobbies or careers you're most passionate about, and what interests you about them

• identify what you need to learn and demonstrate in order earn credit for your course(s)

• brainstorm ways you can connect essential learnings to your passion