Week 3
Building with
Evidence
Stakeholder knowledge as design advantage
Week 3
Stakeholder knowledge as design advantage
Today's Session
What AI Can (and Can't) Do
A live demonstration — and the question it raises
The Diagnosis
What was missing in Solution Architecture responses
The Connection Formula
How to show the link between self-knowledge and design
Design Decision Quiz + Peer Conversation
Practice making the connection before your demo
By the end of today, you'll know exactly what your demo requires — and whether you're ready.
A Different Kind of Start
Before we talk about your demo — watch this.
These are apps built in partnership with AI. Not templates. Not tutorials. Built from scratch.
Pay attention to what was built. But more importantly — pay attention to what the HUMAN had to know for these to work.
Live Demonstration
Watch what happens when someone who knows the problem partners with AI to solve it.
Prof. Sathya will build an application live using Claude Code.
Watch for:
The Real Question
With AI, I just built something in minutes that would have taken me hours — maybe days — on my own.
That's the opportunity. And it's available to everyone in this room.
AI couldn't have done this without me. It needed someone who knew what problem to solve, why it mattered, and what "good enough" looked like.
Problem understanding. Purpose. Judgment. Stakeholder knowledge to guide the whole process. These don't come from prompts — they come from you.
The technical ceiling keeps rising. What stays scarce is knowing who you're building for — starting with yourself.
Now Let's Talk About You
Next Wednesday, you'll demonstrate what you've learned about yourself as a stakeholder.
What I just showed you required knowing the stakeholder deeply. Your demo requires the same thing — except the stakeholder is you.
Opening Reflection
5 minutes. Think honestly before we discuss.
Question 1:
What decisions did you make in your experiment that reflect something you know about YOURSELF?
Question 2:
What would a stranger designing for you have gotten wrong?
If you can't answer these questions, you haven't used your stakeholder knowledge yet.
What I Saw in Solution Architecture
"I need to have more discipline and self control."
This isn't a design opportunity. You can't design willpower.
"A productivity app with AI chatbot."
Could be anyone's solution. What do YOU know about yourself?
Friction: "I forget." Solution: "Reminders."
No visible line connecting self-knowledge to design.
You listed components. You didn't show the CONNECTION between what you know and what you designed.
The Missing Piece
I know [X]
about myself
My friction is [Y]
My experiment does [Z]
The connection must be VISIBLE — not just components listed separately.
I know: I ignore notifications after noon — I've trained myself to dismiss them.
My friction: Evening reminders don't work for me.
My experiment: Morning-only reminder with pre-commitment before I get tired.
What Good Looks Like
Self-knowledge:
"Switching between tasks feels like managing too many separate projects. Distractions are easier than harder tasks."
Design insight:
"One task per time block, not a long to-do list"
Connection:
Decision fatigue → constrained choice → easier to start
Self-knowledge:
"I know I check my phone first thing when I wake up, and once I'm scrolling I lose 30+ minutes."
Design insight:
"Put the trigger BEFORE phone check, not after"
Connection:
Morning phone habit → intercept at trigger point → design around existing behavior
Next Wednesday, Feb 11
"Walk through your 5 Whys chain. At which 'why' did you find a design opportunity — something you could change about your environment or system rather than just 'try harder'?"
Sprint 1's Hidden Lesson
Sprint 1 gave you something rare: complete stakeholder knowledge.
You know every preference, every pattern, every thing that's failed before. No interviews needed. No assumptions to validate.
What did that knowledge enable you to design?
After the demo: "What did your complete knowledge of yourself enable you to design that wouldn't have worked if designed by someone who didn't know you?"
In-Class Activity
20 minutes. Interactive quiz that forces the connection.
This quiz tests whether you can make the connection — not just list components.
Peer Conversation
15 minutes. Challenge each other's connections.
"What's one design decision you made that reflects something you know about yourself? What would a stranger designing for you have gotten wrong?"
After your conversation:
Peer Conversation Check-in →Before Sunday
Use Framer → Reflector to stress-test your demo readiness.
@Framer
Develop your thinking. Clarify your 5 Whys chain. Articulate the connection between self-knowledge and design.
@Reflector
Test your thinking. Reflector uses a 4-criteria rubric. It won't approve shallow answers.
This Week
🎯 Design Decision Analysis
Started in class. Complete all questions, download JSON.
🥋 Dojo Depth Session
Framer → Reflector. Get Reflector approval on all 4 criteria.
🪞 Productive Reflection #3
Draft your demo answers. Handwritten, photographed.
📌 Demo — Next Wednesday
30 min handwritten, closed book. The questions are on slide 11.
One More Thing
You can't look anything up. You can't use AI. You can only write what you actually know about yourself and your learning.
The connection formula should be second nature by Wednesday. Practice it until it is.