15 Sep 23

High-level reflection

Description: This was a good week. I started fleshing out my idea and using multiple tools in my toolkit. I created rough prototypes and user journeys and started on reiterations. I also interacted well with my classmates, gained some solid insights, and provided feedback to others.

Feelings: I felt energised this week and was ready to work on my capstone project. After the first six weeks of sluggishness and doing some work but not nearly enough required for both of my papers, I’m glad to be out of that phase and have more motivation for my project. For me, building my list of tasks to complete during the scoping phase was overwhelming and led to a high level of anxiety and stress. The break allowed me to regroup and gave me some space without the stress of doing any work. This left me feeling refreshed and gave me a new sense of purpose and motivation.

Evaluation: Overall, this was a good situation and week. It started from the wrong place but turned into something positive. Everyone involved in this week was also supportive and encouraging.

Analysis: Things went well because I planned from a calm place during the break and started to notice and understand the deadlines and the pressure from them. The pressure makes me perform better and produce higher-quality work.

Conclusion: I learnt that I need to manage the pressure placed upon me and channel it into something productive. I need to prioritise my tasks, just chip away at them and give myself deadlines.

Action Plan: My action plan is similar to my conclusion. In addition to that, I need to give myself more structure and rigidity so that I get work done and stick to it.

Status update

Current status of the project in connection to your proposal?

It’s on track and still relatively close to the original intention of the proposal. One thing I am finding troubling is that the outcome has more purposes than originally intended. It is a good thing that the solution is more useful, but it is challenging to keep the design focused.

What tools/technologies are you using?

I am currently using rapid prototyping with pen and paper, user mapping, storyboarding and concept snapshotting. 

What outcomes did these tools produce?

These tools are primarily focused on prototyping and poking holes in my design. So far, they have produced a first prototype and a range of questions that must be answered before the next iteration.

What part of the project has made you smile/happy?

I recently told my dad about my project, who is in his mid-fifties and works in a corporate. I had made some assumptions about him and that he wouldn’t align with my project, but he was supportive and understanding. This made me happy to have his support behind my project.

What part of the project has made you sad?

My project makes me continuously annoyed and angry. I am angry at the statistics and angry that this issue needs to be addressed. Why can’t we just live in a world where everything is perfect!?