Seeing through someone’s eyes: reading for the main idea
Designers try to see through the user’s eyes, which means they try to understand how the user sees and feels. To do this, they observe (watch carefully), listen and ask open questions such as What is the hardest thing for you? When you read a text, find the main idea by asking what the writer wants you to remember. Then find the details that support it. In our text the main idea is that good design starts with watching and listening. The details show how Hazem observed his grandfather: the phone was slippery, his grandfather dropped it, he liked bright colours. A good answer to a detail question uses the exact information from the text. Your book has a short text about understanding a new student on page 77: read it after this lesson, write its main idea in one sentence and find two details. Remember to be kind and respectful when you ask people about their needs.
| Question | Answer from our text |
|---|---|
| What is the main idea? | Good design starts with watching and listening. |
| What did Hazem observe? | The phone was slippery and his grandfather dropped it. |
| What did he ask? | What is the hardest thing for you? |
| What did he design? | A case with a rough surface and a bright orange edge. |
Hazem wanted to make a phone case for his grandfather, but he did not know what it should look like. Instead of guessing, he spent one afternoon with his grandfather and watched. He saw that the old man held the phone with both hands because it was slippery, and that he often dropped it. Hazem also noticed that his grandfather liked bright colours, which were easy to see. Hazem asked, “What is the hardest thing for you?” and listened carefully to the answer. That evening he drew a case with a rough surface and a bright orange edge. His grandfather said, “Now I can see it and hold it.” Hazem understood that good design starts with watching and listening.
Through their eyes. Watch a grown-up or a younger child do a simple task for five minutes (cooking, tying a shoe, using a tool). Write what you notice, ask one open question and think of one small design idea. Draw the idea and explain it using First, Next and Finally.