Goals for the last semester
I want to be able to effectively implement 3D printing as a prototyping method for project 1 and future projects. I find that 3D printing offers a quick and efficient means of gathering mock-ups to test for size, shape, even material and I expect that it will become an increasingly popular and accessible means of producing designs. I will use SolidWorks for 3D modelling. I will, as such, also develop my 3D modelling skills through this goal.
I want to learn how to perform user research consistently comfortably, confidently, safely, and respectfully for project 1 and future projects. With Usercentred design I gained a new insight into the considerations and variables that must be considered when performing user research and I have gained a new appreciation for the time and effort that researchers go through to conduct tests ethically. I also like the approach to design that it offers – namely one that includes the user throughout the design process.
I want to be able to effectively use my own wiring skills to create a working component within a project, preferably project 1. Wiring is, needless to say, a vital part of technology so I would like to be able to create something of my own in this area. For the time being, I will use the e-lucid kit I already have.
Reflections in expertise areas
Technology and realisation
Technology and realisation is likely my favourite expertise area to work in. The act of physically creating something is the part, whether that be prototyping early on or creating higher-fidelity models in the final stages, is the part of the design process that I enjoy the most and tend to gravitate towards in project work. So far, I have had the opportunity to expand my skillset in this expertise area through projects such as FITD, where I assisted in the woodwork and painting for the final prototype, Creative Mechanical Engineering, where I built a functioning crossbow from wood and 3D modelled/printed parts, Creative Electronics, where I wired and coded a small machine and built a frame for it to function on or Project 1, where I have card modelled, foam modelled, and have done woodwork. Overall, I am happy with my progress in this expertise area so far, but I still have much to learn. For example, I would like to challenge myself to build more complex circuitry and code to accompany it because my skillset remains largely focused in the Physical construction of models.
Business and Entrepreneurship
Business and entrepreneurship, unfortunately, is the expertise area I have had the least opportunity to learn about and is therefore the expertise area I have developed the least. With that said, I have had some experience in this area. Through courses like User-Centred Design and projects like project 1 and FITD, I have been able to experience some of what this expertise area encompasses. In FITD I was introduced to the process of finding a gap, or a need in the market to then create a product to fill that gap. This project also gave me a first experience of real-life testing and assessing the viability of a product. User-Centred design built on this overall, introducing intrapersonal and business ethics into design considerations. Finally, through project 1, I have had a more in-depth experience of business design as, for a time, my group was designing a product for PostNL considering their goals and specifications, in exchange for information and the opportunity to explore one of their warehouses. I would like to further develop my knowledge in this expertise area, and plan to focus more on it in my electives in the coming year.
Creativity and Aesthetics
Creativity and Aesthetics is, as an expertise area, invaluable to a designer. In that sense, it comes as no surprise that it has been at the forefront of my development throughout my time as a designer. I have been constantly challenging my skills in this area: ideation through sketching, bodystorming, tinkering, and working with other materials to explore ideas and possibilities within a design. Furthermore, consistently discussing these ideas and thoughts with peers has improved my capacity to communicate my ideas with others as well. Most of the courses I have followed this year have required me to work in this expertise area, with FITD, Project 1 being the most demanding. One specific skill of mine that I was less than satisfied with at the beginning of the year - sketching - has improved greatly as a result of my spending time outside of project and coursework to practice. I am quite pleased with my progress in this expertise area. My creativity and ability to ideate and create has improved greatly as a result of the intense design workload this past year, and I certainly plan to continue building upon myself in that regard in the coming year.
Math, Data and Computing
Math, Data and computing has been a challenging expertise area for me. I find myself quite frequently using mathematics to determine solutions, and I do not tend to struggle in that regard. However, when it comes to manipulating data and computing with said data, especially through programming platforms such as Python, I struggle a lot. I find programming quite a challenging subject. Nonetheless, I would like to improve upon it, as I know it can be a vital skill for determining patterns and opportunities for improvement in a design. Many courses have required me to work in this expertise area, though I have developed most from Data analytics and Making sense of sensors. Data analytics was extremely difficult as I was presented with fairly complex coding problems despite my frankly nonexistent experience with programming in Python. Making sense of sensors, however, has been much smoother so far with respect to coding, as I have begun to gain an understanding of what each line of code means, and what it is doing in the grand scheme of the program. With that said, I have every intention of following up on this lack of experience with more practice and exploration of the possibilities with programming and computation.
User and Society
User and society has been a substantial part of my study thus far, with courses like User Centred design being entirely focused on how to conduct yourself as a designer with potential users and testees in experiments and other courses like making sense of sensors being about the possibilities for pattern recognition with results from those same tests. In User-Centred Design, I worked in a group on a project throughout which we were questioned on how we might conduct tests ethically for our product. In other projects, I have had to maintain similar considerations with respect to testing and finding information. I believe myself to be competent in understanding how people might interact or interpret a given design, product or system and how they might react to a given change, though being able to ethically study these through testing enables me as a designer to come to a more profound and informed understanding of contexts and behaviours. I acknowledge the importance of this expertise area and plan to continue developing it through future projects and courses
A more general reflection
During this academic year, I set myself goals for in projects. I was able to make steps towards two of my goals - namely user research and wiring. Wiring I accomplished through Creative electronics, where I created a circuit and system alternating a servo and water pump when certain conditions were met. I was unfortunately not able to bring this through to project 1 as another group member played a leading role in coding and wiring the prototype we presented, though I did inquire into the specifics of how it worked. User research I touched on in project 1, though not as in-depth as I had hoped. A couple of interviews were conducted with the intended user of our product to find detailed information on the process that was difficult to find in literature. Unfortunately, I was unable to touch on my first goal, though not by choice. My laptop began to break down and was unable to run the appropriate software to accomplish this goal and for personal reasons I was unable to purchase a replacement in time for the end of the academic year. With regard to extracurricular activities, I partook in two workshops - A workshop in which I learned the basics of Figma, and a workshop in which I learned about the techniques for car design and sketching. Both were interesting workshops, though I have had more opportunity to apply what I learned from the car design workshop as the sketching techniques are more versatile in the area I have been working this academic year.
