Week 3
BRAIN DUMP:
Having submitted my first blog post on Monday, I feel like I have a better understanding of 302 and where it is going from here.
This week I have really been focussing on fleshing out Plan A, B and C for the assignment.
Something that I reflected on in my blog post last week was speaking about how I have been getting too caught up on trying to know where this project is going and it has been preventing me from just fleshing out ideas, even if they suck! Acknowledging this has helped me to get on with it and get out of my head.
I really want to focus on organising my Miro in a way that most logically and clearly shows my thought process. Right now my Miro is huge and organised, but I want to make sure that the marker is able to follow my design process chronologically.
This week's personal goal is similar to last week's, in terms of focussing on being less linear. This should ultimately take the mental pressure off of myself and allow me to relax into designing better solutions.
I am also trying to consciously not fear diverging from what I had expected at the outset of my research proposal
Expanding from Endometriosis to Dysmenorrhea originally made me feel very uncomfortable. I found myself wanting to resist this change and find a reason to convince my tutor why I think I should not change my research proposal. However, I am glad I have pushed past this thought process - learning to trust the process and leaning into the unknown...
The Four F’s of Active Reviewing:
Facts:
this week was important for me to get my progress so far up to a stage that I could get valuable feedback from Dianna in studio time on Thursday
It was positive to get validating feedback that my current thoughts on where I see my project going as well as the questions I am asking myself - are all on track.
With the hand in next week, it was really important for me to spend significant time this week thinking about my plans A, B and C.
Critical moments were probably that I have finalised my HMW statement (for now) and I have begun the early stages of writing my 302 report.
I had hoped to conduct my empathy interview on Thursday however, given that Dianna was giving us really thorough feedback and lots of time, we ended up running out of time for me to conduct the interview. That is ok though and I will achieve this in the coming week.
Feelings:
similar to the feelings I have described in previous weeks - I definitely experience waves of panic and then feel like I am on track.
It was good to chat to Dianna on Thursday in our session and get the affirmation that at this stage of the design process, we are not supposed to have a fixed idea of where things are going and that is absolutely ok. This was very reassuring.
I would like to get to know some of my classmates better so that I will feel more comfortable chatting to them about my ideas and getting their feedback. I think this would also make me feel less stressed/daunted, knowing that we are all in the same boat.
I think that once this hand in next week is complete, I will feel less stressed.
Findings:
I learnt a lot about ethics and actually feel like I now understand not only the ethical expectations of my research but also now feel comfortable and ready to conduct an empathy interview next week.
I am getting more comfortable with thinking about my positionality and discussing it in relation to how it impacts my design process
That progress is not linear and it is not supposed to be.
Getting regular feedback is key for me to manage stress and know that I am on track.
Future:
I want to make the most use of my tutor as well as my peers for feedback. This will mentally help me to feel less daunted, more connected to my peers and ultimately enable me to make better, more-human centred design decisions.
Valuing just doing something, anything, even if it fails and is a ‘rubbish’ idea, is better than inaction.
Referring back to the identities in the Wheel of Power/Privilege how close or far away from the centre am I?
Looking at the Wheel of Privilege model, I feel very fortunate but also very confronted. I have always been aware (to an extent) of my fortunate positionality. However, apart from identifying as a cisgender woman as opposed to a cisgender man, and renting property as opposed to owning property - I am virtually always placed within the closest centred circle of the wheel. In this way, the best response to this is to use this positive of privilege/power to be able to lift others up. I am hoping that in some way, my design capstone is able to touch on this.
Most of my peers will be in similar positions.
I think it is really important to discuss my positionality by acknowledging the sacrifice that my parents have made to place me in this position of comfort and privilege. My parents immigrated to New Zealand with my sister and I when I was 8 years old (leaving behind all of their family, friends, career etc) to give my sister and I the best life possible. This is incredible and as I get older, I realise that this is the greatest gift they could have ever given us. Therefore, I don't want to be ashamed of my fortunate positionality, but it is about finding a balance of awareness, gratitude and the ability to pay things forward.
Miro Overview of 302 work this week:
