Module 1 | A Day in My Shoes

A Day in My Shoes

Follow Jolene as she uncovers problems hidden in her everyday routine.

Designed in partnership with the University of South Florida

📌 Introduction

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Inventors don’t just guess what to fix—they look carefully at the details of their everyday routines. One simple way to do this is to break down your day step by step, notice where things get frustrating, and then imagining potential solutions to these problems. Let’s look at an example together!

📌 Meet Jolene

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🎒 7th grade | ⚽ Soccer fan | 🎨 Aspriring Artist

Jolene is 13 years old and in middle school. She likes playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and drawing anime. Most days she juggles school, homework, and a busy after-school schedule. Today, she’s paying closer attention to those moments to see what problems might spark an invention idea.

📌 Jolene Reflects on Her Routine

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Jolene closed her eyes and pictured a typical school day—waking up, getting ready, going to class, eating lunch, spending time with friends, and winding down at night. Carefully, she listed the everyday annoyances that made life harder: her alarm clock didn’t wake her, her shoes kept untying, her water bottle leaked in her bag, and more.

📌 Organizing Daily Problems into Buckets

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Once Jolene had a bunch of problems written down, she sorted them into three buckets:

• Morning: the things that happen before or on the way to school.
• Noon: the things that happen during school and lunch.
• Night: the things that happen after school, at home, or before bed.

Click the image to enlarge it.

📌 Conclusion

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Well Done!

Jolene spotted everyday problems in her routine—now it’s your turn! Use your Inventor's Log to reflect on your day and fill in your three buckets: morning, noon, and night!