# Lesson Notes — Design, Creation & Troubleshooting (STOP → THINK → CHECK → SEARCH → TRY → LEARN)

- Link: https://doss.academy/course-1-computer-literacy/unit-15-computer-literacy-final-capstone-project/lesson-3-design-creation-troubleshooting-stop-%e2%86%92-think-%e2%86%92-check-%e2%86%92-search-%e2%86%92-try-%e2%86%92-learn/lesson-notes-c1u15l3/
- Published: 2026-10-19T12:14:08-04:00
- Author: matthew.leffler@jefferson.kyschools.us

Course 1: Computer Literacy / Unit 15: Computer Literacy Final Capstone Project /
Lesson 3: Design, Creation & Troubleshooting (STOP → THINK → CHECK → SEARCH → TRY
→ LEARN)

## Lesson overview

This is your studio time. You will build your project, and something will probably
go wrong. That is normal. The goal is to treat problems as part of the process and
solve them with the skills you have built all year.

## Build in rounds

**Iteration** means repeating a cycle: make something, test it, and improve it. 
A first version does not have to be perfect.

 1. Build the most important part first.
 2. **Test** it. Does it do what your requirements say?
 3. Make a **revision** to fix what is not working.
 4. Repeat until it is ready.

## Use the six steps

When you get stuck, go through **STOP, THINK, CHECK, SEARCH, TRY, LEARN** from Unit
1. Write down what you tried. Sometimes you will find a **workaround**, a different
way to reach the same goal when the first approach does not work.

## Ask for help well

You will have short one-on-one check-ins with your teacher, and your pod can help
you debug. To get useful help, be ready to say:

 * What you are trying to do.
 * What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
 * The exact error message, if there is one.
 * What you already tried.

When you help a podmate, ask questions that lead them to the answer, and let them
do the typing.

## Protect your work

 * Save often and use clear file names with version numbers.
 * Make a copy before you try something risky.
 * Check version history if something disappears.
 * Keep your files in cloud storage so a broken device does not stop you.

## Keep a log

Jot down problems you hit and how you solved them. This log will make your documentation
and reflection much easier.

## Check your understanding

 1. Describe a problem you ran into this week and how the six steps could help.
 2. Write a clear help request for a problem in your project.
 3. What is one way you will protect your work from being lost?

Use this lesson’s Key Terms page to build your glossary.