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WEEK2:
KICK
OFF
28/07/2024
REPORT
I am still in the preparation stage before engaging with inspiration processes within the 'Human-Centred Design Toolkit'. The project's timeline, scopes (plan A, B, and C), and HMW statement have been defined and polished as a continuation of my DES300 report after assessing the feedback given by Diana, my course and stream coordinator in DES301. I have been focusing on completing the ethics modules for Assignment Two; I have two certificates for 'Introduction to Human Ethics' and 'Anonymity and Confidentiality' so far.
To progress into the inspiration stage of my design methodology, I am considering using one-on-one interviews, group interviews, visualizing with a collage, roleplaying, and storyboarding. Interviews will play a significant role in providing valuable insights and data from my stakeholders; the sooner I can complete these activities, the more precise the solution and path for my project will materialize. Based on my experience, visualizing with a collage/ moodboarding is an excellent tool for the beginning steps of any project as it provides the designer with a direction to follow without being too narrow-minded or requiring a solution to be known. Some informal conversations with my peers led me to believe that storyboarding and roleplaying will also have significance because my project delves into the social problem of racial discrimination, and this will create an emotional connection between my audience and marketing campaign (based on Scope A) and hopefully impose a lasting impact on them.
So far, the weaknesses I can foresee in these tools/methods are my limited sample size and restriction to only interviewing my peers, tutors, and lecturers within the cohort due to ethical concerns. In addition, most of my target participants will need help communicating/expressing their thoughts in complexity due to English not being their first language, removing quality insights to a certain extent that I would otherwise garner from conducting qualitative research.
RESPONDING
Although I've done a fair amount of work this week, my challenges currently include time management and the need for direction. I am still adjusting my lifestyle to semester 2 of full-time study, completing tasks for DES301 and DES302 while ensuring I can go to the gym, boulder and maintain a social life for my mental and physical well-being. It takes work. The ethics modules made this evident for me, as I found the amount of reading to be a huge slap in my face.
Furthermore, my main concern revolves around the solution to my idea. As I completed my report for DES300, I did not have any solution in mind and was mainly leaning on the idea of a workshop as a last resort; I find that if I were to do a workshop as my final product, I would feel very unambitious. However, after completing my scope plans and limitations, I believe that creating a marketing campaign to raise awareness towards Asian racial discrimination can be an enjoyable project if done innovatively, as it also gives me a lot of room to develop and design.
Funnily enough, after meeting with my DES301 group and discussing each of our projects and what we planned on achieving with each scope plan, I felt a lot better for two main reasons: they were able to provide me with their helpful insights and opinions on where my project could lead to, as well as the fact that our whole group feels lost and behind. Collectively, suffering feels less miserable.
RELATING
Reading through the ethics modules reminded me of my previous experiences in DES300 and business papers, where I needed to have and exercise my reading comprehension skills. In particular, I achieved my certificates within an hour and a half of pure focus, as I quickly fell into the routine of using Notion as a note-taking platform. Moreover, after writing my scope plans, I felt that my major in Marketing within my Commerce conjoint provides a solid foundation for creating a marketing campaign, which I believe is the best direction for my project.
REASONING
For me, the most significant aspect of this week's progress derives from reviewing the 'The Human-Centred Design toolkit' again as preparation for the inspiration stage. IDEO.org (2015) stated within the toolkit, "...we tinker and test, we fail early and often, and we spend a surprising amount of time not knowing the answer to the challenge at hand," which I found to be very relatable to my situation. Moreover, the methodology emphasizes for the designer to be open to a breadth of creative possibilities, and then narrow the vision to what is most desirable, feasible, and viable for the stakeholders (IDEO.org, 2015). This is somewhat comparable to the 'Double Diamond' design methodology that I have been using throughout my study, and allows me to feel like I am evolving as a designer by trying something new.
Additionally, this week reminded me of how suitable the methodology is for my problem space since writing my report for DES300; a significant focus on understanding the root causes of Asian racial discrimination and ensuring that my solution will target the needs of my victims throughout each of the three phases the toolkit encompasses. This mimics the approaches to the final assignments of DES100, where students had to design a solution to a client's problem space. However, the weakness of this toolkit derives from my limited sample size, making my solution less viable to the general population of Asians living in New Zealand (Simmons, 2018). Another weakness resides in the implementation phase, where the methodology expects me to create a pilot or monitor the solution's impact, which would be well after my project's submission.
RECON
STRUCT
ING
From this week’s progress, I have rediscovered my passion for creating and designing. Outside of study, I have been briefly designing a clothing brand with my friend and found that getting practical with my skills is very enjoyable; I also felt this way when I redesigned/updated my Wix website last week. However, I do think that I want to apply this level of enthusiasm to my project as well, which is why I want to make sure that I am heading in the direction of my scope A plan, as I strongly align with creating a marketing campaign due to its creative freedom and my major in Marketing within my Commerce conjoint. Moreover, DES300 made me realize the importance of incorporating design theory into the design process. Therefore, I wish to approach every upcoming task with an academic and creative mindset to bring me closer to being a holistic designer.
To resolve the challenges mentioned above, I will hold myself accountable to my DES301 planner and the to-do list I share with my group in DES301; compiling my personal and academic tasks into one platform/calendar will be a great solution. I am glad that Diana created the activity of cross-checking project progress between peers, as this makes me feel like I can’t let them down after promising so much. Furthermore, to combat the unsure feelings of my final solution, I will continue to find case studies revolving around my problem space to inspire me further; STOP AAPI HATE’s work (U.S.-based coalition dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) has been a handy source of influence for me.
REF
ERENCE
LIST
IDEO.org. (2015). THE FIELD GUIDE TO HUMAN-CENTRED DESIGN.
https://www.designkit.org/resources/1.html
Simmons, A. E. (2018). The Disadvantages of a Small Sample Size. Sciencing.
https://sciencing.com/select-statistically-significant-sample-size-2410.html
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