Week 2

Description

This week, we evaluated reflective models in class so to structure week 1 and 2’s blog, I’ll be using Gibbs' Reflective Cycle (The University of Edinburgh, 2020) as it offers various prompts to guide my thinking which leads to richer insights. Additionally, it focuses on both the positives and negatives of an experience to enhance self-awareness and a balanced perspective.

I managed to look through all assignments and slides, while making empty documents ready for when I need to start them and have just started going through the ethics modules; currently on the ‘Conflict of Interest’ module which isn’t even half way. While working on Miro, I also found two timeline templates that I could integrate with my current one.

At this stage of the Inspiration Phase, I'm benchmarking existing solutions to identify what their strenghts and weaknesses are in relation to effectively addressing DEI in the workplace and their use in different settings.

Feelings

Regarding these reflections, although I haven’t made much progress in the Inspiration Phase, I think they’re an essential part of design and serve as a foundation before I progress further. I swear I have short-term memory loss, so these blogs will be nice to look back on at the end and it’s already helping me to notice things about myself that I didn’t previously. 

Going through these ethics modules is a nightmare; I said I would do it in one or two sittings but I think I lied to myself. There is an overwhelming amount to go through and it feels like I’m back in business with all the readings/quizzes which I was hoping to escape from. Despite this, I know that these will inform how I approach my design process in the ideation phase when I involve others. 

Evaluation

The current challenges I face are balancing my responsibilities this semester:

• Through WDCC (Web Development Consulting Club), I’m the designer in a projects team that is developing a website and web app for the UoA Volunteers Club.

• I’m apart of the marketing team for UoA Volunteers Club so I’m in charge of the graphics that are posted on our social media.

• I’m going on an exchange next semester so I’ll have to do a lot of admin and planning 

• Besides the obvious personal/social/family commitments, regarding my capstone, I was hoping that my idea didn’t exist but through various case studies, I’ve discovered products like the Allergy Amulet and Nima (Kuszko, 2021).

I've also been considering what tools I might use later in the design process; although it all depends on the final output that I choose to create. I'd like to use Illustrator, Photoshop, and Blender. I'm more skilled in Photoshop which is useful for image manipulation and editing however, if I were to create a logo or packaging, Illustrator would be more ideal. I'm not familiar with Illustrator and it seems quite challenging to master. Blender's suite is ideal for designing products, however, learning to render is difficult and is crucial when making hi-fidelity prototypes. These are industry-level tools and although I have some experience in them, there's a steep learning curve and it'll be time-consuming to learn them.

Analysis

I'm aware that I’m overcommitting myself and prioritising club tasks over university work so I need to be more realistic with my time.

Despite my idea not being original, this indicates that there is a clear market and a need for a solution like mine.

The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design is very flexible therefore it allows for tailoring to various contexts. In doing so, I can mix and match the different tools and methods provided to suit my project. However, some methods and tools lack detailed steps so I may need to break it down further by focusing on method/tool's purpose and then create questions/steps that are more specific to guide me.

Conclusion

Doing the reflective toolkit made me realise the importance of methods, not only in the design process but how I reflect, sort of like a recipe. If you change an ingredient or the time it cooks, the dish will be different.

It also occurred to me that the type of design/format of my final output may impact my future job, as industry professionals will be viewing our final work at the end. As I major in marketing and business analytics, I hope to leverage these skills and incorporate either of them in some way. Additionally, I should use this project as an opportunity to focus on my design interests and skills that I want to learn. At this stage, I want to create a physical output so that I can utilise the FabLab.

Action Plan

• To be more realistic, I need to define the scope/limits of my project, and create a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C - where A is the most ambitious and C is the bare minimum.

• For the future, I will plan which reflective models to use in the different phases of my design process.

• Brainstorm possible creative outputs (or maybe even a hybrid offering) and how I can differentiate myself from precedents.

• Evaluate feasibility and direction of project

References

The University of Edinburgh. (2020). Gibbs' Reflective Cycle.

https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/gibbs-reflective-cycle

Kuszko, J. (2021). The Best Technologies Against Food Allergies. The Medical Futurist. https://medicalfuturist.com/best-tech-against-food-allergies/