Goals and reflections

There was one goal I definitely wanted to put down and that is to create a user research which has a foundation built on scientific research since this was in my opinion missing in our first prototype. I think that this has been quite successful in the time frame we had. When I first received the assignment combined with our choice of prototype I was quite sceptical about the functionality of the gumball machine. When I started doing more research on the prototype I got more convinced and educated on the subject of psychological detachment. Eventually I gathered enough information for me to believe in the reliability of the experiment and the research plan could in my opinion be sufficiently supported by the scientific research I red through. It is quite unfortunate that we had so little time for the research otherwise it would have been nice to do additional research on different methods of detaching because there is not a lot of research done on that part.

Integration of courses

Although this was not a normal way of doing a project I have learned a lot in the short period. The course that was mostly present in this project was user-centered design. The knowledge I have learned about conducting a user research and the skills of coming up with a research plan were very much appreciated during the project. I knew what the processes are with creating an ERB, consent form and researching the user group. The key element that I was definitely missing was on how I can use this knowledge in a practical setting which I ended up getting from this project. What I also used in the project was my knowledge about the user interactions. My theory was that when to fully detach you should fully focus yourself on the gumball. Since that is quite hard to do consciously I thought that with some questions that distract from work we can make the experience focussed just on the gumball.

Business and entrepreneurship

I consider this as my least developed expertise area and my development in this expertise area as way below the norm. Besides the small bits of knowledge and experience I have not picked up much. I think that through pitching my projects from different courses that I started to enjoy the challenge of trying to “sell” my prototypes. I have gained some knowledge about sustainable business models and about the sustainability changes at SAP and the involvement of different stakeholders help make these changes. My experience and knowledge is however very much lacking, especially when it comes to the economic and financial side.

What I could have definitely incorporated in my projects is some market research beforehand and some real-life testing after the prototype was created. In some way I could have also incorporated some bits about the manufacturing when looking at the differences between that of the prototype and that of a final product.

I hope to learn more about business and entrepreneurship in the future by doing the USE learning line “New Product Development And Marketing”. In future projects I will try to incorporate this expertise area more by doing market research before making a prototype or immersing myself into a concept and I will try to test the product and do a more in depth analysis of the business potential that the product or service might provide. I would also like to go more in-depth on the plausible manufacturing process of a product I have designed, especially when it comes to sustainable methods.

For me personally the business and entrepreneurial side of designing has become much more interesting as time has gone on, maybe because of projects that I see business potential in or because of my curiosity. I do aspire to start my own business or start-up and work together with companies or just do it independently. During my studies I am planning to broaden my network to create opportunities for when I have graduated.

Creativity and aesthetics

I think that before starting at the TU/e I already had a lot of experience with creativity and aesthetics. Although most of my experience stemmed from a more artistic niche instead of design, I have quickly adapted my artistic experience into the design niche. I think that development in this expertise area is quite difficult to measure. Coming from a more artistic background I do not necessarily see development in aesthetics as in improvement but more as a change of styles, comparable to fads in the fashion industry.

What I improved on was my ability to create original ideas that tie back to other designs or real world concepts. My creativity has definitely improved when it comes to applying different materials and electronics in prototypes. Something I could have done more is learning from other designers when it comes to aesthetics.

What I would do differently in my previous projects is paying more attention to the detailing and aesthetics of my prototypes. Most of the time I run out of time at the final stages for that. I could have also done a better job at visualizing my concepts to give people a better understanding of my ideas so I could receive better feedback.

I want to create original ideas that are challenging my creativity and ability to use aesthetics with different materials and applications. Besides that I am going to research certain aesthetic choices and if they are interesting for the user group because I have usually based them on my own preferences.

For me aesthetics need to have a purposeful choice, besides being visually attractive. I am mostly looking for minimalistic aesthetics to create products that last through time and surpass the concept of trends. This is mostly viewed from a more sustainability aspect, since todays world revolves a lot around fads and we tend to lose the grasp on consumerism.

Math, data and computing

For me this a very undeveloped expertise area. Definitely when it comes to using data analysis. I have not really followed data analytics in the first year which has set me back a lot compared to the level I am expected to be at. I do understand some basic theoretical data structures and some of the ethical factors that play into this area. I applied this basic knowledge in the course “Making sense of sensors” which I did end up completing. I do however have a solid understanding of math and logic and I can make up global conclusions from gathered data.

I think the first thing I could have improved on is thoroughly follow the basic course ‘data analytics for engineers’. This would have set the theoretical and practical basis I need to evaluate data representations in projects. During ‘making sense of sensors’ I could have immersed myself more into the data processing to gain some experience in a practical setting.

For now I will focus on the new course ‘foundations of data analytics’ so I can use that knowledge and experience in future projects when analysing data collected from testing. Either after the first prototype has been created or before to create an overall understanding of the wishes of people who might be interested in the created prototypes. Once I gain a better understanding of python and algorithms I would like to do more projects that are services instead of products.

For me data analysis does not really concern my interests but I understand the importance of a sufficient level in math, data and computing as a designer. Especially when creating a product or service that involves thorough testing and analysing based on user experiences. I do not see myself create services but I do want to do more with electronics which do require data analysis on the performance of the products.

Technology and realization

I am quite experienced in this expertise area according to my own understanding. I have created prototypes with electronics, algorithms and the appropriate mechanisms. The most challenging thing I have created is a speaker controlled by motion in the course ‘Creative electronics’. For most of my prototypes I have used Arduino, that uses C++ since it is a very entry-level type of application for prototyping with electronics and programming. I also used processing for digital representations which language is java.

I think the past courses have tested my abilities to create prototypes by using sensors, actuators, algorithms and mechanisms. I learned a lot about the integration of sensors and actuators and the interactions they create between user and product (FITD and Creative Electronics). I have built a lot of knowledge about algorithms and on how to write quite complicated code. For engineering design I have learned to work together with students from different studies to create a comprehensive prototype.

I think the biggest issue I have is my lack of curiosity when it comes to finding things out myself. In many instances I have used and edited existing code to come up with the code that suits my project. Instead of doing that I could have explored a little more by writing it myself using the according library’s. For the electronics I can learn a bit more on the smaller scale. I lack the knowledge necessary to create complicated circuits. The last thing would be that I do not prepare sufficiently before starting with building a prototype, circuit or writing code. Without a plan I get stuck on things I should not get stuck on.

For now I want to expend my knowledge and train myself to see the realistic possibilities that lie in my technological knowledge. I also do not want to limit myself to the basics and try to challenge my expertise. I have done this in the past and so far it has worked out, I like to explore on things that are not directly taught but need research to create an understanding of how it works. I would also like to create some prototypes with smaller scale electronics.

I think this expertise area can use some attention in the way of gaining more knowledge on the electronics and the use of smaller electronics in prototypes. I do like how I can use my creativity when it comes to applying technology in different ways.

User and society

I want to increase the amount of experience in this expertise area, especially because I consider it quite underdeveloped. Most of the time I have created prototypes that are not designed to a certain user group or society. The only user research I have done was in the retake of Project 1.

In the past courses I have learned on how to create interaction between users and products or services. I also learned about the different types of research methods for user research. I have created some simple experiments regarding prototypes but not nearly thorough enough to gain something from that I can use in the designing process.

I think that in my past projects I could have done some more user testing and research. Most projects are just created with the challenge of creating something original and not necessarily beneficial to society. Picking a destined user before starting a project would have been a more acceptable approach towards tackling a design process. After the prototype is made it would have made a big difference if I did a user evaluation for the sake of reflection.

For future projects I will set a certain user, research that user and create according to their specific needs. After the project I will let the user evaluate how the product or service is created according to their wishes. I would also like to do more research on the societal effects my designs might face.

For me user and society is very important to understand since I find it sometimes difficult to take a different perspective in the designing process. I think that improving this point will later help me in my career when it comes to business because marketing will become more customer focused.

Design and research processes

Each design process takes a different approach. I think that my methodology can be approved when it comes to the effectiveness of the design and research processes. I work in quite a chaotic way, which can often obstruct the process which makes it so that I lose track. I am however very strong in my ability to create. I will mostly focus on what is possible and therefore think outside the box. Combined with my ability to bring visualization into reality I usually take the role of conceptualization and realization.

Professional skills

Over this year I have learned to reflect on myself and on the projects created by me. I have seen the prospects of reflections and how they help me grow as a designer. On top of that, I can take and give constructive feedback and know how to use it in my development and that of the designs I create. I have improved on my presentation skills but I can definitely improve on giving a short and comprehensive presentation. I would like to focus my networking and business skills for the rest of the year.