Does the revised notice still work without a phone?
Use midpoint feedback to improve one work sample.
The question
A fictional library asks you to write a one-page pickup notice. The goal is to help a first-time visitor collect a hold with or without a smartphone. The trial ends with a short walkthrough.
- Phone routeScan the QR code for pickup steps.
- No-phone routeAsk at the staffed pickup desk.
- Initial briefThe desk is available during pickup hours.
“Does the revised notice still work without a phone?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: What must the notice let someone do?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Make the QR code the only route.
Tempting, but it misses something. The brief includes visitors who do not have a smartphone.
Show a clear pickup route with and without a phone.
The strong move. This matches the task for both visitors.
Expand the sample into a full library signage system.
Tempting, but it misses something. The trial asks for one pickup notice.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Find a pickup route they can use. Keep the phone and no-phone instructions clear.”
Why it works: A visitor should be able to take the next step from the notice itself.
Step 2: What should you check at midpoint?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Ask about desk hours and what a visitor needs for pickup.
The strong move. Those answers test whether the proposed route is usable.
Ask whether the reviewer prefers blue or green.
Tempting, but it misses something. Colour does not establish whether visitors can use the route.
Ask the team to choose an entirely new project.
Tempting, but it misses something. The existing brief gives a specific artifact to improve.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Ask whether the desk is staffed throughout pickup hours and what visitors need to collect a hold.”
Why it works: Availability and eligibility determine whether the route works.
Step 3: How will you revise the notice?
The desk is unstaffed from noon to 1 p.m. The library confirms the pickup kiosk works during that hour for visitors with a library card.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Keep the desk route as written.
Tempting, but it misses something. During the closure a visitor would reach an unstaffed desk.
Send all visitors to the QR code during the closure.
Tempting, but it misses something. That removes a route the brief requires for visitors without phones.
Add the card kiosk route and the next staffed time.
The strong move. This gives each visitor an action that fits the confirmed options.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Show the card kiosk during the desk closure. Include staffed desk hours for visitors who need help or do not have a card.”
Why it works: The changed schedule invalidates the original desk route for an hour.
Step 4: What will you show at review?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Show the new notice and walk through both card situations.
The strong move. The reviewer can see how the changed schedule affects real use.
Explain only why the new layout looks cleaner.
Tempting, but it misses something. The review still needs to show whether the pickup route works.
Offer to build a website instead of showing the notice.
Tempting, but it misses something. The requested artifact is a one-page notice.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Walk through the notice with a no-phone visitor during the closure. Show the card route and the staffed option for someone without a card.”
Why it works: A walkthrough tests the practical change while staying inside the one-page brief.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Give a kiosk route during the closure and list the next staffed time.
- Because
- The first notice assumed the desk was always available.
- What would change it
- A change to the desk schedule, kiosk availability or card requirement.
Common traps
- Testing the appearance before the route.
- Keeping a first draft after its operating assumption changes.
Check your answer
- What must the visitor do?
- Which fact can invalidate the draft?
- What can a visitor do without a phone?
- What will the review demonstrate?
Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026