Sprint 2: Mirror

"Learning Through Others" — Can you make your thinking visible to a partner?

Weeks 5-8 Pairs Concept: Abstractions

Sprint 2 Outcome

Demonstrate that you understood your partner deeply enough to design something they couldn't have asked for themselves — with evidence that it addresses their actual need, not just their stated want. Present it as if a hiring committee asked you to show how you solved a problem for someone.

By Sprint End, You Will Have:

Sprint 2 Grading: Goals 20% (individual) · Reflections 20% (pair-averaged) · Check-ins 20% (pair-averaged) · Demo 40% (individual)

Concepts: Abstraction — understanding what your partner needs vs. what they say they want. Making assumptions visible.

📅 In-Class (Wednesday, Feb 18)

Meet Your Partner + Discovery

  • Partners announced — meet and interview your partner
  • Concept: Abstraction — separating needs from stated wants
  • Discovery session: understanding your partner's real problem
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After meeting your partner in class, set specific goals for solving their problem based on what you actually heard.

Process what you heard in your discovery conversation. Use the Dojo to go deeper than initial impressions — specific quotes, observations, and the real problem underneath.

💬 AI-Discussion

S2: Assumption Audit

Surface 5+ assumptions about your partner's problem. The AI challenges each one — what evidence do you have vs. what just feels true?

Assumptions vs. evidence. Confidence vs. proof. Preparation vs. procrastination. Handwritten, photographed.

Concepts: Building with intention — every design decision should connect back to what you discovered about your partner.

📅 In-Class (Wednesday, Feb 25)

Challenge Session + Demo Design Intro

  • Guided challenge demo — testing assumptions with your partner
  • Partner challenge sessions
  • Demo design introduction — how will you show your process?
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📋 Assignment

S2: Week 6 Preparation

Prepare for Wednesday's in-class challenge session. Come ready to have your assumptions tested.

📋 Assignment

S2: Demo Design

Design how you'll demonstrate your work. How do you show that you understood someone deeply enough to build something they couldn't have asked for?

Plan what you need to learn about your partner's domain — and what you can strategically ignore.

📅 In-Class (Tuesday, Mar 4)

The Narrowing Move

  • Superagency + Human Value Proposition: where we're headed
  • Sprint arc: why foundational exercises matter for Sprints 3-4
  • Interactive worked examples: see the narrowing process (10 min)
  • Dojo activity: narrow your partner's problem to a buildable MVP (40 min)
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Fri, Mar 6
📋 Assignment

S2: Prototype + Build Log

Mon, Mar 9

Concepts: Demonstrating value — present as if a hiring committee asked you to show how you solved a problem for someone.

📅 In-Class (Wednesday, Mar 11)

Sprint 2 Demo Day

  • Demo presentations — show your partner what you built and why
  • Partner validation — did you solve their actual problem?
  • Partner evaluations completed in class
  • Sprint 2 retrospective
View Session Slides →
💬 AI-Discussion

S2: Peer Observation

Observe demo pairs through three lenses — notice, interpret, ask. The AI sits quietly beside you and occasionally redirects your attention.

Five foundational claims about this course — with a reflection prompt for each. Connect each claim to your actual Sprint 1-2 work honestly. Do this before the AI-Discussion session. Handwritten, photographed.

💬 AI-Discussion

S3 Prep: Claims in Practice

After writing your Bridge Reflection, use this structured activity to find specific evidence from your Sprint 1-2 work for each of the five claims. The AI pushes back on vague acknowledgments — you need to name the moment, the decision, the work.

SDL IS

What Comes Next

Sprint 3: Complexity — You solved for yourself (Sprint 1) and for someone you know (Sprint 2). Now you're entering a real clinical domain — antimicrobial resistance in Bhutan's healthcare system — where the stakes are not academic. Piranavan Selvanandan, a technical consultant brought in on this problem, will work with you directly across two class sessions. The gap between you and the people you're solving for is wider than anything in Sprint 2, and so is what's possible.