Thursday Open Technology Lab · Week 1
Technology Is a System, Not a Screen
Ask · Learn · Build
Map one technology experience across people, software, hardware, connection, and the services and data underneath. A paper drawing is a complete way to participate. No computer is required.
Twitch published this replay at 2026-10-02T00:12:52Z. No computer is required. A paper drawing is valid. A phone photo or screenshot can be used later for submission. People can participate at different levels.
This week's replay
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What you will learn
A screen is only the part you touch. The activity is to map one technology experience across five layers and see how a person actually moves through them.
- Human
- Software
- Hardware
- Connection
- Services + Data
Deck and resources
Activity
Map one technology experience. Pick one technology you used recently — a bus pass, a group chat, a school login, a game, a kitchen timer — and place at least one real thing in each layer.
Draw the connections. Then say what the person experiences, not just what the machine does. Paper is enough. You can photograph it later.
Choose your lane
Each lane is a depth you can choose. None of them is worth more than the others. You can participate without a computer. A paper drawing is valid. A phone photo can be used later, when submissions open.
Explorer
Understand the system in plain language.
Week 1
- Identify at least one item in each of the five layers.
- Draw how they connect.
- Explain what the user experiences.
Builder
Move from understanding into making, testing, or changing.
Week 1
- Complete the Explorer map.
- Identify something that could be tested, changed, repaired, automated, or built.
- Identify one failure point or dependency.
Engineer / Researcher
Reason about deeper system behavior and evidence.
Week 1
- Complete the system map.
- Identify interfaces, state, trust boundaries, bottlenecks, failure domains, and measurements.
- Name evidence that would support or reject a claim.
Engineer / Researcher is an educational depth lane. It does not enroll a participant in human-subjects research.
Start or submit your work
You can complete the activity now. Uploads are not open on this page. When you are ready, read how submission will work, including privacy, before you share a file.
Key terms
- Human
- The person using the technology, and anyone else affected by that use.
- Software
- The programs, settings, and instructions the person interacts with.
- Hardware
- The physical device or object in their hands or in the room.
- Connection
- How the device reaches another device, a room, or a network. Offline counts.
- Services + Data
- The accounts, files, and organizations on the other side of that connection.
- Engineer / Researcher
- An educational depth lane in this lab. Choosing it does not enroll anyone in a research study.
Privacy and accessibility
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