In the second lesson of the week we reflected on a shark tank episode, and discussed the weaknesses and strengths. This task taught us how to provide constructive criticism to others as well as ourselves, which encourages positive growth. Furthermore, to further develop our creative and critical thinking we were required to combine 2 product ideas (based on our surnames) to develop one product with a specific target demographic.

Overall this past week we developed our creative and critical thinking skills by deepening our knowledge on presenting skills and practicing formulating solutions under set time frames: both of which can be implemented into daily life.

Based on this past week, there are a few things in Action Project I am looking forward to. For example, I am excited to collaborate with my peers to develop new skills while also challenging ourselves. Personally, I enjoy activities which test my creativity and also allow me to follow my passions, which I think will assist me in committing to purpose in Action Project.

Alongside this, our repeated practice of divergent and convergent thinking also assists in creating a solution. For example, this week we brainstormed as many different ways to utilise one object (eg. paperclip or pineapple) which helped me practice this skill.

Additionally, we also learned about the idea of an 'insight statement', which helped us convert our empathy map to develop into a goal. Throughout this I had to utilise creative and critical thinking to be able to translate all my ideas into a concise statement which clearly states: the user, what they need to feel, and why is it important. This insight statement further lead me to my solution: Timed Tasks (a time-management app).

Overall, the empathy map, the repeated practice of divergent and convergent thinking, as well as the insight statement acitvity helped me most in created my solution for my partner, Liselle.

The topic chosen for the task is regarding the groundwater contamination in the council area of Woodville North. This is a prevalent issue which affects a large portion of the population in the area (if not the whole population) considering the urgency to have access to clean water. Our group thinks that researching, and finding a solution to this issue is crucial, and will help in solving an important issue.

We still need to know the details behind the issue to fully understand how to develop a possible solutions. Some ways in which we can do this is by taking advantage of the countless online resources, and also surveying people in the area (or accessing any surveys which have already been completed).

The most intriguing thing about this topic is that there are likely various possible solutions, which can also be combined to develop a full proof implementation plan (several parts to solve the one overarching issue). I am also excited to further research the topic and learn about the groundwater systems, and the science behind possible solutions.

I am concerned about whether we will have access to the complete details behind the issue and how the systems work, as councils may keep this information confidential. In this case we may have to use more generalised information (or any resources regarding groundwater contamination in other areas) to create a solution.

Through the few Shark Tank episodes/snippets viewed in class, I believe some of the most effective persuasive techniques include:

• Establishing Credibility: This builds trust and shows experience

• Creating an emotional connection: This tells a story and connects with people's values

• Utilising logical explanations: makes the issue simple, direct and understandable through facts and logic

Additionally, some of the most effective presentation techniques noticed in these videos include:

• Using visuals effectively: Enhances understanding through statistics, charts, graphs and images - while also making the pitch & idea memorable

• Understanding and Engaging Your Audience: This allows you to tailor your message and demonstrate genuine understanding. 

• Structuring Your Pitch for Impact: Structuring the presentation with a clear narrative that flows logically from one point to the next allows the audience to easily understand the proposed product/solution.

Throughout this week we have further researched our spin-off topic, completing an empathy map and participating in the Persuaders toolkit Activity. We also explored the different 'pillars of persuasion': Ethos (credibility), Pathos (emotion) & Logos (Facts/logic).

Reflection:

I am most concerned about making our solution to groundwater contamination engaging for people who aren't directly affected by the issue. Since we'll be presenting to the class, it's important to ensure that everyone understands the significance and relevance of the problem, even if they don't face it personally.

Persuaders toolkit Activity:

(link to slideshow)

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGv_65OFlA/IffLEit1GkNR14ThkeWhSw/edit?utm_content=DAGv_65OFlA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

It was challenging to make a serious issue like saving the turtles light-hearted. The topic's gravity made it difficult to incorporate humour without diminishing the importance of the message. We tried to approach it by teasing the simplicity of the solution, highlighting how easy it is to make a difference, which added a light-hearted twist while keeping the focus on the issue.

From the persuaders toolkit Activity, the persuasive techniques which were found most effective were anecdotes, emotive pictures and statistics.

• Anecdotes: These are effective because they provide personal stories that make the issue relatable and memorable for the audience.

  
  

• Emotive Pictures: Visuals that evoke emotions can capture attention and create a strong emotional connection, making the message more impactful.

  
  

• Statistics: Providing factual data lends credibility to the argument and helps to convince the audience with concrete evidence.

In my Spin Off project, I plan to use statistics to provide a solid foundation of evidence, emotive language to engage the audience emotionally, and anecdotes to make the issue more relatable and personal.

The most effective presentation techniques noticed in this activity included clear and confident speaking, engaging visuals, and interactive elements that involved the audience. These techniques helped maintain attention and made the presentation more memorable.

Overall, this week we consolidated and deepened our knowledge on persuasive and presentation techniques. I plan to use the learning from this week in our Spin Off project to create an effective and engaging pitch.

So far, I am optimistic about the development and production of our Spin Off Project Video. I am most confident in our the solution we have developed to the original problem (polluted groundwater), as we have completed most of the planning and supporting resources to back-up our findings and ideas.

I am slightly concerned about how the video will be filmed, as we are yet to have a fully decided sequence of scenes or script to perform. I believe once we have a lesson with all 4 group members present, this will allow our group to set out our base idea and how we plan to portray our solution to the audience using our video.

I plan to incorporate my learnings over the past few weeks about pitches (presentation techniques) and persuasion (most effective devices etc), while also ensuring everyone else's ideas are heard and included as well. By combining all our ideas I am confident we can create an effective video to pitch our solution!

Throughout the completion of the Spin Off project, our group worked together to distribute tasks and responsibilities among ourself equally. During the planning process of our video we ensured that everyone was making equal input and all of our ideas were being heard in order to create a persuasive and effective script. During the filming process we effectively shared our responsibilities by assigning every group member individual roles (each of similar levels of speaking), to make sure everyone is getting a chance to appear and speak in the video. During the editing process, the group member who had the footage made some progress at home, and during lessons we each collaborated on it together. Overall, by sharing our tasks equally we are able to create an effective pitch to explain our solution (Safe Stream Movement) to our problem (polluted groundwater).

However, sometimes due to having multiple ideas it was difficult to settle on one to incorporate. For this reason, we either combined the ideas if possible (we combined 3 minor solutions to create our overall 3 step plan to solve the problem). If the ideas were unable to be combined, we each took turns deciding on the outcome (we each got the chance to make a decision - eg. where to film each scene). These strategies were mostly effective in terms of making decisions, as it ensured that every group members ideas were being included.

Throughout this task I contributed to creating a positive and respectful team environment by taking the initiative to suggest combinations of our ideas (if there are multiple at once). I personally find it really important to hear everyones ideas, hence, I try to include everyone as best I can. I consistently try my best to come to our lessons with a positive attitude to make our team a comfortable place for everyone.

If I were to do the project again, there is one thing I would change. If possible, I would find an editing platform which would allow us all to edit (even at home), or encourage each member to take different sections of the video home to individually edit. Implementing these methods could slightly minimise the workload of the group member who has the footage, as otherwise they may be required to complete more of the editing process at home without the help of our group members.

Throughout the completion of the spin-off project I learned and developed a range of different skills in different stages of the process.

• In the initial stage of this project I learned how to ensure a seamless process by dividing different components of the task, and what needs to be completed for each. For instance, we divided the task into the following order of ideating (problems), research (understanding the problem and target demographics needs), developing a solution (and providing statistics and facts to support), creating a pitch, and then filming and editing the video. This helped us tackle each part effectively, and made the process less overwhelming.

  
  

• Additionally during the ideation process, I developed my ability to think creatively and critically to think of problems that needed to be solved and possible solutions to them. I applied my knowledge of divergent and convergent thinking to broaden my ideas, and narrow down the possibilities.

  
  

• In the research portion of the task I further noticed the importance of understanding the problem and target demographics needs. Not only did we need to solve the issue of polluted groundwater, we also considered how this would impact the residents in the area - leading to us creating a 3 step process: nature, neutralise notify. Our plan aimed to use plants and barriers to clean the groundwater, and create an app to keep residents in the loop by notifying them of the water status. One of the strategies we used to connect with the residents is through an empathy map

  
  

• In the creation process of the pitch, I also learned to apply the persuasive techniques we talked about in class. We used a personal anecdote/experience to introduce the issue and catch the viewers attention. We also used statistics to emphasise the issue, and displayed visual animations to explain our solution. To complete the video we utilised humour and puns to develop a sense of memorability to the viewers.

What challenges did you encounter? How did you overcome these?

• We encountered the challenge of deciding on a solution which would fully address all the needs of the target demographic while also solving the primary issue. We then weighed the advantages and disadvantages of each one, and chose to combine the most effective options to create our 3 phase solution. Our creation of a multi step solution ensures that if hypothetically it were implemented in real life, it would serve as a 'foolproof' solution (through the multiple layers of barrier and notification system).

• Another thing that fueled our motivation was adopting a positive and productive mindset - like the reminder that 'its a slow process, but quitting won't speed it up' (attached image)

  
  

What is the most successful part of your final infomercial?

• I believe the most successful part of our infomercial would be the use of facts, puns and visual aids. For example 'Water You Waiting For?' was our attempt at a play on words, as our solution revolved around water. We also used visuals throughout our video to explain our solution while making it visually engaging for the viewer. Furthermore, the use of facts like 'over 2 billion people live in water-stressed countries' highlights the real-world applications of this solution and emphasised the importance of it.

  
  

What did you learn from watching your peers’ infomercials? What did other groups do well?

• From watching our peers infomercials we noticed strategies that were proving to be effective, and others that were not as effective. For example, I noticed groups who used emotional background music, visually confronting images, facts and logistics, all proved very effective and persuasive. Whereas others who only used a slideshow without any images or clips of them speaking did not prove to be as engaging. Overall, if we were to complete this task again I would ensure to include more of our app, some mock-up layouts or concept designs to further explain our solution to the viewer.

Among the activities, I found the ones like "If you could dispense a liquid from each finger, what 5 liquids would you choose and why?" both amusing and thought-provoking. At first, the playful tone made it seem like just a fun challenge, but it soon became clear that the task required meaningful decision-making. We had to carefully prioritise which liquids were most important to us, considering factors such as practicality, necessity, and even personal values. It was surprising how such a simple prompt stimulated deep thinking about what we value most!

Another interesting challenge was the 6-Word Solution activity, where we were given a problem and had only two minutes to generate a six-word response. The time constraint was intense but purposeful. It forced us to quickly identify the core of the problem and concentrate only on what was truly essential. I realised how often we overcomplicate solutions when, in reality, the simplest and most concise ideas often hold the greatest clarity and significance.

These activities made the often theoretical concept of design thinking come alive. They highlighted the importance of prioritisation, time management, and critical thinking in identifying needs, generating solutions, and testing ideas. The quick challenges were especially valuable because they mimicked real-world scenarios where decisions must often be made under pressure, emphasising the need to focus on what truly matters.

Additionally, we extended on our divergent thinking skills (brainstorming abilities) by ideating a list of possible real-world issues in a set of given categories. Once again, the time limit was slightly intense, but it helped me practise my ability to quickly form ideas.

Overall, I believe these quick challenges and brainstorming routines will help me reduce my perfectionism. The fact that design thinking is all about rough ideas allows me to simply communicate all my thinking without worrying about it being the best possible version of each idea - enabling me to constantly improve and develop my ideas and thinking.

In the next phase, we formed our Innov8 Groups to address a global issue. Working in this new group setup was refreshing, as it pushed me to collaborate with a mix of familiar classmates and others I hadn’t worked with before. This dynamic encouraged teamwork, adaptability, and new perspectives, which I found incredibly valuable. As a group we were interested in focusing on UN Goal 13: Climate Action. This goal aligns with pressing environmental concerns, and I felt energised knowing our group was tackling something so relevant and impactful. As a group, we have decided to look into the most impactful factors currently contributing towards issues revolving climate (like climate change), and creating a solution to combat the chosen factor. Slowly developing solutions to take action against each factor contributing towards the overarching issues, is most likely the most effective (if not only) method to move towards a better environment.

Overall, this experience made me reflect on the shared responsibility we all have to address issues like climate change. It also deepened my understanding of how teamwork, diverse input, and structured goals can drive creative solutions to big challenges. I am excited to see how our ideas develop in this project and how we can make a meaningful impact.

Initially, everyone had different ideas for what aspect of this issue to target. Through collaboration and active communication, we collectively decided on the problem of excessive textile waste caused by fast fashion. We felt this challenge was particularly relevant within our age group, allowing us to empathise with other young people and understand how fast-changing trends create pressure to buy cheap, disposable clothing. This empathy shaped how we brainstormed creative solutions.

One skill I particularly developed this week was critical thinking, especially when reviewing research sources. My group and I examined five specific sources, assessing their reliability and looking for solutions that were both practical and sustainable. This process helped us prioritise the impact and feasibility of potential ideas. For example, we noticed that while eco-fabric innovations like biodegradable textiles are promising, large-scale implementation would take significant time and resources. Realising this helped us pivot toward a more community-focused strategy, such as textile swap stations, which could have a more immediate impact.

Character was a quality I also relied on this week, particularly resilience and open-mindedness. At first, some suggestions were dismissed quickly during brainstorming, but it became clear that valuing every contribution would enrich our solution. By listening to and building on others' ideas rather than sticking to my own, I noticed our team’s ideas becoming stronger.

Finally, collaboration and communication were central to this week’s success. Since we all approached the problem from slightly different angles, we ensured everyone had time to share their thoughts. This respectful exchange of perspectives helped us finalise a target issue and begin shaping our innovative solution—the Fashion Circular Loop. By combining our shared passion for sustainability with practical thinking, we’ve laid a solid foundation for developing this idea further.

Final Thoughts

In reflecting on this week, I see how collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking came together to help us conceptualise a meaningful and relevant solution. I also realised how important it is to stay empathetic to the people affected by the issue (in this case, fast fashion consumers and the environment) while keeping our ideas grounded in what can realistically be achieved.

Our two proposed solutions (a pop-up swap and upcycle event, and a biodegradable clothing line) are directly connected to the needs, challenges, and desires we identified using our empathy map. The survey revealed that young people want to help reduce waste but struggle to find accessible and affordable options. Our pop-up events address this pain by making sustainable choices easy and community-focused, while the biodegradable clothing line appeals to those wanting long-term change in what they wear and buy.

We have already received helpful feedback from classmates and teachers about our pitch. For example, suggestions included making the “swap event” more interactive and clearly explaining how clothes are upcycled or recycled if they are not swappable. In response, we updated our slides to include a step-by-step visual of the process and a mock-up of the event space. This made our Google Slides much clearer and more engaging.

Currently, our biggest challenge is making sure our solutions seem achievable and not just idealistic. To tackle this, we are researching real-world examples and adjusting our ideas to fit within the resources a student-led project could reasonably access. By using feedback, research, and empathy data, we are steadily improving our pitch and prototype for our final submission.

However, I did struggle with completing all of the components to a high standard due to the absences of my group members. Unfortunately, during the preparation process, I faced some unexpected challenges as both of my group members were absent for significant periods due to illness. Jocelyn was away for one and a half weeks as she was in hospital, and my other group member missed two lessons due to a cold, while I was left unaware as to why they were away. As a result, the responsibility of creating most of the script and slides fell largely to me as the deadline came closer. I did my best to cover all aspects of the project, but given the circumstances, it was difficult to ensure every part was addressed perfectly.

If we had an opportunity to present again, I would hope my team members would be present so we can work together on each component and equally distribute the workload. I would also try to elaborate a little more on the solution (with visual elements) instead of spending a large portion of time on talking abt the problem, as I have seen this is more effective when it comes to shark tank pitches aswell.

For the actualy pitch, I prepared myself with how to answer possible questions from the judges, which helped me feel more confident for when the questions actually came up. Each of my group members contributed to the answers, to ensure a multi-faceted answer which effectively addresses the respective judges concerns.

Additionally, through some further research we realised it would be useful to still incorporate our 'collaboration' with the Kowtow company as this would give some more credibility to our solution aswell.

Research:

Collaborating with other big companies gives a pitch credibility by leveraging their established reputation and trust, which transfers to your company through association. This partnership provides social proof that your product or service is good enough to work with an industry leader, increasing your own brand's visibility and making your pitch more persuasive to potential customers, partners, and investors (Gardner, 2025). 

Overall, the research conducted this week effectively guided our decisions on what to incorporate in our pitch. Hopefully, this research will also make our pitch more effective and persuasive to our audience!

How Flyers, Booklets, and Brochures Can Boost Your Sales - Jennings Print 2019, Jennings Print, viewed 19 November 2025, <https://www.jenningsprint.com.au/how-flyers-booklets-and-brochures-can-boost-your-sales/#:~:text=Printed%20ad%20adds%20validity%20to%20your%20business.,your%20business%20is%20serious%2C%20legal%2C%20and%20credible.>.

Gardner, M 2025, The power of partnerships in business: driving growth and innovation, IENYC – The Blueprint, viewed 19 November 2025, <https://www.ienyc.edu/the-blueprint/power-of-partnerships/>.

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This makes me a bit nervous on how our presentation will go, as it seems that I am the main person putting in enough effort and time commitment. I will continue to encourage equal responsibilities, hoping for a better outcome in the following days of preperation for the final INNOV8 expo! Overall, I am still very excited to work together and present the ideas we have been researching and working on for the past few weeks!

Despite not being able to attend the event, I still think that I have learned a lot in the process of this task. I learned the importance of conducting a lot of prior research on the problem being aimed to solve (in our case it was climate change), as this helps understand the key areas of the problem being targeted. Additionally, utilising convergent and divergent thinking throughout the ideation process really helped us be creative with out possible solutions, combining multiple ideas into one to create the most effective solution. Furthermore, observing positive and negative aspects in other pitches (like from shark tank) helped us understand what structures of pitches are most persuasive, as the way of presenting is one of the most important (if not the most important) part of pitching the solution. Overall, I have learned a lot of skills from this task which I am sure will continue to guide my learning in the future!