Week 7
Brief Overview of This Week on Miro:
This blog post unpacks on presentation pitch to the DEI partners on Thursday. The slides that I included to support my presentation are the two red slides in this image. Research into the Rainbow Tick certification (Toitū Takatāpui, 2024) came about as a research of feedback from the partners.
This Week’s Presentation Slides to the Diversity Works Partners:
Reflecting on My Design Journey - Navigating Feedback with the Integrated Reflective Cycle
I’ve structured this week’s reflections using the Integrated Reflective Cycle, a model that encourages deep reflection by helping to break down experiences into digestible, actionable insights. This model, developed by Bassot ( 2013), guides reflection through a structured sequence of describing, analysing, and planning for future action. I have chosen to reflect back on my pitch to the Diversity Works partners on Thursday:
Describe: On Thursday, I had the opportunity to pitch my project, Bloody Strong, to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) partners. This was a crucial moment to gather feedback on my project’s development so far, particularly as I’m trying to ensure that I’m addressing the core issues effectively. The presentation was brief—just two slides in two minutes—summarising the progress I’ve made since the last iteration.
What I Did: I spent considerable time preparing my two-slide pitch, highlighting the progress Bloody Strong has made. The focus was on presenting the development of features and the direction I want to take. This was a chance to showcase my research and design work, ensuring I was on track with the goals of the project.
How It Felt: To be honest, I left the class feeling confused and somewhat defeated. I’ve invested a lot of energy into this project, particularly over the break, so the lack of clarity in the feedback I received was disappointing. The feedback seemed vague and leaned heavily on an HR perspective rather than focusing on the design elements, which was frustrating since I had a very productive conversation with my tutor, Dianna, just two days ago. We had agreed the focus should remain on design, but today’s session felt like it conflicted with that direction.
Stepping Back and Looking for Patterns: Once again, I find myself struggling with the complexity of menstrual equity as an issue. It’s incredibly nuanced, and I know that no single solution will ever fully address every aspect of it. Up until today, I was at peace with this complexity. However, the feedback I received made me question whether I’m expected to solve ‘everything for everyone’—which, as any designer knows, is an impossible task.
What Went Well: On the bright side, I was able to clearly present the work I’ve put into the project. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved so far (particuarly the progressions that I made over the mid-semster, and despite today’s challenges, I remain confident in the direction Bloody Strong is going.
What Went Badly: The biggest setback was not receiving very constructive feedback. I had been looking forward to this opportunity to get input on my project and move forward with greater confidence. Instead, the feedback left me with more questions than answers. Upon reflection over the weekend, I am remembering that this feedback is essential within my design framework, as it is essentially user-testing that enables me to go back, refine my ideas and come back with a better outcome.
What Could I Have Done Differently: At this point, I’m unsure what I could have done differently. Throughout the project, I’ve sought feedback from peers and my tutor, Dianna, almost every week. I’ve felt consistently supported, so the disconnect in today’s feedback has left me feeling a bit lost.
Answers: For now, my next step is to re-listen to the recorded feedback from today’s presentation. I’ll take time to process it, summarising the key points and sitting with it for a while to see what resonates and what doesn’t.
Asking for Advice: Once I’ve reflected on the feedback, I plan to reach out to Dianna via email or in class next week. I’ll ask for her help in clarifying the feedback so I can continue moving forward. I felt ready to proceed before today, but I want to ensure I’m aligning with the project’s goals and my tutor’s guidance.
Resources: This week, I’ll also revisit past exemplars from REDESIGN and review resources on the DEI website. These will help me recalibrate my approach if needed and ensure I’m addressing the right aspects of the project.
Plan: Moving forward, I’ll seek clarity from Dianna to help guide the next phase of Bloody Strong. I’ll also approach future feedback—whether positive or negative—with an open and curious mind. Since my project is deeply rooted in human-centered design, it’s essential that I stay receptive to feedback. After all, I’m designing to meet human needs, and that requires adaptability.
Regardless, I am still on track to be working within the prototype phase for the remainder of this week and next. I have mapped out what pages I want my website to include in the image below. These will all become high-fidelty and interview for my user. I am still gathering inspiration in terms of the social media campaigns, A1 poster and webinar / in person event that I want to theoretically be advertising for.
My objective over the next two weeks is to continue to rapidly prototype (filling out the sections in the image above) as much as possible. Failures and dead ends are bound to happen. This is all part of getting closer to designing an outcome that is user-tested and realistic to a real-world context.
Through the lens of the Integrated Reflective Cycle, this experience has been both a challenge and an opportunity. It’s a reminder that feedback, no matter how frustrating, is a crucial part of the design process. It’s how we grow, refine our ideas, and ultimately create something meaningful. Responding to this feedback as I plan to move forward is an important skill for me to learn to sit in the discomfort/ uncertainty from - as I am sure that over the next few weeks there will be plenty more constructive criticism.
References:
Bassot, B. (2013). The Reflective Journal. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Toitū Takatāpui. (2024). https://toitutakatapui.co.nz/