What / How / Why
What / How / Why is an observation routine: students record what a person does, how they do it, and only then guess why.
Beginner◷ 15–25 minFree · no login
Watch first. Guess second.
How to use it + an example
How to use it
- 1Watch someone do the task for a few minutes and list only what can be seen.
- 2Add how they do it: effort, pace, repeats and ways round a problem.
- 3Write guesses about why, match each guess to what was seen, and plan how to check it.
Example
Watching Year 3 students open lunch boxes, a class notes that several use their teeth on the clip, and guesses the clip needs more grip than small hands have.
When to use it: During research, when students can watch a real user or study a photo of the task (MYP Design Criterion A).
Discover: Find out what's really going on.
Your turn ↓
Watch first. Guess second.
Watch someone do the task. Write what you see, then how they do it, then why you think they do it that way.
Enter to start · Shift+Enter for a new line
Before you start
- Ask the person first, and tell them what it is for.
- Write who they are, not their name: "a Year 3 student", not "Sam".
- No photos of faces. Photograph hands, objects and places only.
Look back. Which guess are you least sure about?
Try next
- Mind MapBranch ideas from a central topic to explore connections and discover patterns.Try it free →
- Assumption CheckWrite what you think you know about your user, plan how to find out, then mark each guess right or wrong.Try it free →
- Interview PlannerPlan open questions for a real person, then record what they said and what surprised you.Try it free →
For teachers: Discover stage · 15-25m. Free, no login. One of the 44 design thinking tools on StudioLoom, which also puts them inside lessons so students’ thinking is saved with their project.