INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIONS

CONSTANCE

Project and Collaboration Reflection

Overall, this project was a process of experiential learning (Kolb, 2014) for me. I have been using experiences from both past projects and this project to contribute to the team and improve myself as a designer. I particularly enjoyed the process of abstract conceptualization and active experimentation because it provided me with many practical lessons, as detailed in my blog. I realized that I have improved in how I contribute to brainstorming sessions and utilize my conceptual thinking abilities. I am now more confident in communicating my ideas and their value in a collaborative context.

Through reflection-on-action (Schön, 1991) of the experimentation process, I have reflected on the new skills I learned from my experiences in the 3D Workshop, photography studio, and in collaborating with other designers. I expanded my skillset by using new equipment and methods to create physical prototypes, compared to the low-fidelity cardboard prototypes I made last term. I learned how good lighting eases the touch-up work required in Photoshop. Being able to produce mockups was also valuable practice for me, not only because I lacked the opportunities to do so in the past, but also because I was able to teach Yuhan new Photoshop skills.

Given the limited time for this project, gaining experience in interdisciplinary collaboration was a top learning outcome for me. Working with designers from other disciplines allowed me to view problems from a different angle. The first meeting we had with our collaborator Kaman reminded me to be sensitive of how our design could affect both new visitors and existing visitors of the garden. When we visited the garden, we saw mostly mature adults and the elderly roaming around. The garden walls provide them with a sense of serenity and escape from the city, all whilst protecting the garden. Therefore, we did not want to design something that would solely attract new visitors at the cost of disrupting the garden experience for current visitors.

Working with Yuhan has also been incredibly fun. I learned a lot from her as she has encouraged me and helped me with my ideas throughout the project. From early on we agreed to design something that would attract people like ourselves to the beautiful garden and also prevent the navigation problem we experienced. I am very thankful to have worked with her this time; a good team truly produces the best outcomes.

Finally, the prototyping experience I have gained will be useful in informing my future projects. This project has helped me better understand interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of UX design and the value of working with and taking inspiration from designers in disciplines beyond UX.

Design Outcome Reflection

While our research initially did not quite fit with the steps listed in the brief, the process of reframing the brief helped us tie our research on the wall and glasshouses back in. I am reminded again of the importance of framing which I wrote about in my first essay. We translated our research into a design concept that attracts new visitors and helps them navigate the garden. Eternal Beauty is a design that Yuhan and I believe in – both in its feasibility and its potential to appeal to people like us who search for beautiful and aesthetically pleasing things to appreciate.

Kolb, D.A. (2014) Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. 2nd edn. United States: Pearson FT Press.

Schön, D. (1991). The Reflective Practitioner. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited.

YUHAN

Project Reflection

After this project, I feel I learn a lot through the design process. First, user play a really important role in design process, especially in experience design. Designers need to find the user's needs in order to know which design direction they need to focus on. The right design direction helping users solve problems or improve their lives better. In this project, during our research and observation we found that the people visiting the garden were mainly middle-aged and elderly. Based on this result, we decided not to put too much things on digital interaction. Because on the one hand, the digital design does not allow the 200-year-old garden and visitors to interact well. On the other hand, older people can't understand digital experiences in short time, and elderly will not understand the process of experience. So we decided to focus on physical outcome for our final outcome form.

Second, choosing the materials is particularly important in the design process. Different materials have different characteristics, the material will help the design idea to be better displayed, and the suitable material can help the good idea to rise to a new level. In our prototyping process, we chose to use transparent materials to make a bricks in order to break the wall around the garden. On one hand, people can be attracted by transparent bricks when passing around the garden. And to appreciate the flowers in the transparent material, on the other hand, people can see the environment inside the garden through transparent materials, and people are curious about the garden inside by watching the transparent materials. So that it can attract more people to visit the garden.

Third, cooperation can help designer to view of the problem in a multi-angle, different professional areas have different understandings of the same thing, sometimes. Fortunately, this time we can avoid problems by cooperation. For example, in the garden project, we have three different professional students to help us improve our design design concept. Our aim is for people to know the inside the garden from the wall, so Xinyu suggested that we can try other transparent materials. At the same time, when we were unable to make the resin material in school, he helped us make a resin sample as a demonstration. Those problems we are all didn't consider of before we collaborated. His appearance has improved our design. I think this is the most positive result of cooperation.

Finally, I am very happy to work with Constance in this project. I always believe that only a good teams design eternal works. I have learned a lot in Constance in this cooperation project. We believe each other, and we put what we are good at in our design. In the future project, I hope that I can still keep my passions for the collaboration project, and I will use what I learned in this project to design in the future.