Blog 10 – Danyang Wang

Module 1 Reflective Report

Introduction

Reflective journal is a very important learning step. In this essay, I will reflect on my new experiences and new perspectives in this module. Identify new issues that are not the same as before. Daudelin (1996) and Kolb (1984) suggested that self-reflection as one’s past and current experiences to operate more effectively in the future Each reflection will allow me to identify new problems and then correct them. It has been a long time since I last conducted a reflection journal on my learning, and this was my mistake. Taking a record of learning reflections should be as timely and informative as possible. It is a fundamental way for me to improve and I should be proactive and make more use of it.

In this reflection writing, I try to write using the ‘DIPE’ four-step strategy: describe, interpret, evaluate and plan. The new learning steps may help me to have new reflections.

Describe

One thing I haven’t done before or done very little of is to play with the practicality of my work. But now I am making the work human-centered and helping people solve problems. I started my postgraduate studies by learning about human-centered design. My design began to become realistic from idealization. I used to want to make big designs that changed the world, now I am learning to design for a subset of ‘target users’. I used to think of design as serving the whole of society, now I am learning to design for and serve a small group of people. These changes are good ones, and I am constantly learning to recognize my own shortcomings and discover my own narrowness. Design is made for needs. A good design is one that can bring care to the audience.

I learned a lot of new things during this module, which was a new journey for me. In all honesty, this module was difficult for me to study as it was a completely new experience and area. I started to get involved in the professional theory of UX design for the first time.

Compared to previous studies, each week added to the learning tasks of blog. This stage of study is highly practical. The work this semester has been almost entirely new. I have learnt new things about UX design. This is an application that allows for better implementation of graphic design content. There were four main projects done for this module, three of which were related to UX design. In these three projects, I learnt in depth the steps of pre-research. Research is the design process that takes up the most weight. It allows us to better understand the purpose of the design and the psychology of the client, and is the basis of UX design. I learnt about persona, PACT analysis, empathy maps (see Fig.1), user experience mapping (see Fig.2) and other ways of analyzing target users, gathering information and analyzing their social attributes, thoughts and habits to deduce their real needs and goals. This will give our target users a better experience.

In this section I would also like to mention the shift in my work, I used to do mostly visualization and peaceful change, I used to tend to express problems rather than solve them. But my current work is transforming my idealization into something more realistic and practical. This is by far the more important thing I have come to realize.

Interpret

Many new insights have emerged from my studies in this module. It may be that my learning of new theoretical knowledge and my shift in design approach and thinking has led me to these insights. From this module, I learnt that design should not be just about formality or stylization. This realization may have important relevance for some reasons. The design profession we study and practice is a work and discipline based on the existence of objective facts. Problem solving and the creation of new user experiences are the main central elements. Taking the user’s perspective in the design process is not just about enhancing the user experience, but also about solving problems. When the user’s need to use, the design is greater than the aesthetic need, the study of pain points must trump the study of aesthetics.

Design should be human-centered, close to people’s lives and provide solutions to problems. It is very important that as designers we need to reflect our professionalism. So, we have learnt a lot of professional knowledge this semester, which has helped me to refine my design process and clarify my goals and positioning. The aim of design is not only to be creative, but to give better solutions. This is something I did not share before studying UX design. But I now see the ultimate logic of design as practicality which brings the most direct benefit to people. I used to think that my work could influence people and society in a very idealistic and subjective way, and I became a dreamer rather than a designer. Recognizing the purpose of design as problem solving is an important new insight for me. It has made my designs more purposeful and meaningful.

Evaluate

In this module, I have learnt many new theories and terminology. The theory of the art of design plays a crucial role in the practice of art and design. When I understand the principles and concepts of design, I will improve my artistic skills and develop a better concept of art and design. This part of my studies allows me to develop a foundation in mastering design and learn other things such as interaction, artificial intelligence and design thinking (blog 1). The design learning process is not just about learning aesthetics and the use of tools or a software, but also about learning these theories and concepts to improve my communication and interpretation skills. It is also about design thinking, for example, when I learn the term ‘affordance'(Don Norman, 1988), I learn that the qualities of an object and the ability of the subject interacting with it together make up the relationship or interaction between them (see Fig.3). I will then explore all the possibilities of manipulation in my future designs because I thought of this word. This understanding is important in a number of ways. My research process has become more structured through a deeper understanding of design thinking (empathy, defining the problem, ideation, prototyping, testing and repeating these steps in an iterative process). Design thinking (see Fig.4) allows me to solve real problems for specific people by coming up with meaningful ideas and thoughts. Design thinking has given me a great way of thinking and framework for identifying problems in the design process. I can identify problems in the creative process, understand this problems and find potential solutions. Using design thinking can greatly improve the quality of my work and help me connect with my clients.

These theoretical studies have helped me to gain a deeper understanding of and complete the topics I am currently studying which has made my work more professional and more persuasive. I intend to continue learning and using design thinking and other disciplines in the future.

Plan

When graphic design is used as a functional art form, business tool and promotional tool, there are lots of regulations to follow. And my design lacks theoretical knowledge as a foundation. This is my weakness and I plan to continue learning the theoretical knowledge. And I think my strength is the meaning I bring to my ideas.

The courses I am currently taking about professional design and research are the foundation for my future as a graphic designer. When I want to express my ideas, I need comprehensive professional skills. The process of studying research has helped me to develop a forward-thinking sense of analyzing and predicting the market for my target clients. You can only be a good designer if you have the knowledge and skills. Once upon a time design was my hobby and I didn’t have to be professional. Now design is my skill and profession, and the more professional I am the more I can get paid and the more opportunities I have.

Summary

Design requires constant reflection to make progress. Summarizing also helps me to reflect on this stage of learning, and the process of reflection will gradually reveal shortcomings and solutions for improvement. Design is the creative activity of changing something, making it change, renew and expand. Now my learning of UX design is just beginning, and there is still much to explore.

Image list

Fig. 1 Empathy Map