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We practiced pitching our solutions to two different student teams at the Careerline Tech Center. Each time we pitched, we gained valuable insight and affirmations into our solution. We arrived back to school with a list of things to work on in our final weeks leading up to the submission deadline.

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Create a furniture concept that provides individuals with unique needs, or for use in various environments (public spaces, private spaces, natural environments, business spaces, industrial spaces).

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After creating their poster of what they felt was the best furniture concept, each student pitched their idea to our whole team. At the end of each pitch, we asked clarifying questions before sharing two things we liked about each idea.

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Our team was originally imagining that we might design a furniture concept for schools. So, after creating our Bug List, we set off on a touchstone tour around our school building. We had three different lists to take notes on: what we liked, what we disliked, and emerging ideas. The first thing we did was observe each piece of furniture. Next, we each sat in the furniture to form an opinion. Then, we discussed our thoughts and connections to other types of furniture. As we finished looking at each piece, we noted who was the manufacturer. There were pieces from Miller Knoll, Steelcase, Fleetwood Furniture, and several others.

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From our Elevator Pitches, we were given three dots to vote across all posters for what we felt were the best features or ideas. At the end of Dot Voting there were concepts and features that emerged as the best ideas to move forward.

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After feedback at the Careerline Tech Center, we had some time to make revisions with our team. Then, we had to re-pitch our solution. In this round, the opposite team gave ratings using the NUF+ Test (new, useful, feasible, meets unique needs of individuals, works in various environments), as well as, clarifying questions and constructive feedback.

Each team took the feedback and continued to further refine and revision their solution to its final stage for submission.

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Going into our day at the Careerline Tech Center (CTC), we had drawings to use to help present our idea to student groups. However, after our first round of presentations at the CTC, we immediately dove into creating prototypes working through the lunch time to have a working prototype to present to the next group. It was impressive how quickly each team put together ideas and used some AI to render images to what the product might closely resemble with real life materials.

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Referencing our three lists, interviews with people about furniture, and the bug list, we created our Know/Don't Know List. This helped guide us to what were some of the missing puzzle pieces we need in order to create our furniture concept.

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We identified and discussed all of the stakeholders we brainstormed that had a connection to our driving question. We considered who were the users, purchasers, or both roles. We discussed what types of furniture they might encounter or how many different environments they might use pieces of furniture in their daily life. Our Stakeholder Map helped us to narrow the environment and population of people we wanted to design our furniture concept for.

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We had eight squares and one minute in each square. Each square represented a new furniture concept. The first four squares were ideas we had to think of without any outside prompting. The last set of four squares drew upon outside inspiration. For example, we had to draw a piece of furniture that might be featured somewhere in Disney.

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We had 10 minutes to find the "coolest" furniture we could find through Google searches or Pinterest boards. After time was up, we each shared what we found, what we thought was cool, the functionality of the piece, if anything bugged us about the piece, and where we might draw inspiration from as we move into the Incubation stage.

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Individually we researched what Andrea's position might entail. Then, we had to brainstorm a top 5 list of questions we would ask Andrea. Once that was complete, we asked different large language models of AI to revise our questions.

After everyone had finished their top 5 questions, we reviewed the questions, voted on our favorite questions, and even had some new questions formulate as an outcome.

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We were so excited for the opportunity to interview Andrea Haggerty from Miller Knoll. Haggerty is a Digital Program Manager -- Materials Experience. She has been with the company for over 13 years all in materials. We learned SO much from our interview. One of the things we learned is that there is so much that goes into selecting materials for a piece of furniture. Andrea did an amazing job at helping break it down for us and even provided some materials recommendations for our furniture ideas. We super appreciate the time she took out of her morning to talk with us!

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Our team largely remained the same from Fall Academy. So, we revisited the Hopes, Fears, and Norms from the fall + included some new ones with our new team members. Our team is made up of competitive individuals who strive to have fun, love to dive into investigation, and continue search for the best idea!

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After learning about the driving question, we individually made a Bug List of all the things that bugged us about furniture. The individual lists seemed to go on for infinity. When we shared round robin, we found many common themes. We also noticed that most of the things that bugged us were in home environments or public spaces, such as a doctor's office.

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Andrea Haggerty - Miller Knoll

CTC Business and Marketing Students

CTC Environmental Science Students

Libby E. - futurePREP'd Alumni

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Please add quotes from students, parents, authentic audience, and any business/community members you utilized. Please use first names only.

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Show through pictures, videos, examples of student work, to reflect on the authentic audience, the pitch, the final product. Include any information/pictures from your community partner.

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Take time to reflect on what went well. What will you change for next year? What feedback did you get from students, the business partner, the authentic audience that can help make this project even better?

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SeatMate is a versatile, customizable spectator chair designed to provide comfort in any environment. Featuring interchangeable backrests that easily slide and lock into place, users can choose between firm support or a softer, relaxed feel. Built with a durable steel frame, memory foam cushioning, and weather-resistant fabric, SeatMate transitions seamlessly from outdoor sporting events to indoor gatherings. Compact, foldable, and easy to transport, it eliminates the need for multiple chairs while delivering affordable, premium-level comfort for fans of all ages.

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FlexNest is a smart, space-saving furniture solution designed for hotels and small living spaces. By day, it functions as a dining table or workspace with built-in seating and storage. With the push of a button, it transforms into a comfortable bed, maximizing both function and square footage. Combining sleek design, durability, and efficiency, FlexNest reduces the need for multiple furniture pieces while maintaining a modern aesthetic. It offers an affordable, high-quality solution that helps small spaces feel larger, more organized, and more livable.

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Everyone had an idea to pitch that emerged from their Crazy Eight's discussion. Students were tasked with creating a poster to use to pitch to the team their idea.