Week 6 - Capstone

What If? - D4G Methodology

[Figure 1: My work this week, My Miro]

[Figure 2: Design Criteria Template filled out, D4G Field Book Liedtka et al. (2019)]

Week's Focus: Insights and Design Criteria

Description:

This week, I worked on gathering insights and establishing design criteria to prepare for developing my concepts. I’m a bit behind according to my timeline—I should be brainstorming outcome ideas now, but instead, I’m planning to catch up by doing three weeks of work during the break. To guide my process, I used the insights I’ve gained from research, conversations, and interviews to create four personas, which helped to further define my direction. I then compiled these insights into a design criteria template from the Designing for Growth Field Book, allowing me to curate a list of requirements that my design must meet.

In one of my classes (302), I used the time to work on my report and the positionality statement activity. However, a conversation with one of the TAs brought up concerns about the specificity of my topic. They suggested it might be too narrow to design for, and that I might need to adjust to a broader focus on culture. This threw me off because it felt like a setback, potentially forcing me to rework everything I’ve done so far. After the conversation, I didn’t do much more work that day as I waited to confirm this with Diana. Thankfully, she reassured me via email that I could continue with my current topic, which was a huge relief.

Feelings:

Initially, I felt a bit anxious about being behind schedule, especially with so much work piling up. But I also felt a sense of focus while working on the design criteria; organizing my insights helped me clarify the project’s direction, even if it was later than planned. The conversation with the TA was unsettling and made me doubt my progress, which led to a moment of panic. But once Diana reassured me, I felt more confident and ready to continue without major changes.

Evaluation:

The time I spent gathering insights was productive, especially when creating personas and using the design criteria template. It felt good to finally have a clear list of what my design needs to achieve. However, the conversation with the TA caused unnecessary stress, and I should have sought clarification sooner rather than letting it derail my progress for the day. On the positive side, having Diana’s confirmation saved me from scrapping my work and starting over.

Analysis:

In hindsight, the process of compiling insights and creating personas was critical to developing a focused design criteria. The personas provided a way to contextualize the diverse needs and challenges I need to address. This step also helped clarify which aspects of my research should guide the design. However, the scare from the TA made me realize that I might need to be more proactive about defending my research choices and seeking advice earlier when faced with doubts.

The lesson here is that the reflection process helped me to see that not every conversation or feedback needs to lead to drastic changes. Balancing feedback with personal conviction in my research direction is essential.

Conclusion:

Overall, this week highlighted the importance of staying focused on gathering insights while remaining adaptable to feedback. I also realised the importance of seeking clarity immediately when unsure about something, rather than letting it disrupt my workflow. Moving forward, I will aim to incorporate feedback more thoughtfully without letting it throw me off course unnecessarily.

Action Plan:

Next week, I’ll use the break to catch up on my timeline by brainstorming outcome ideas and finalising my concepts. I’ll continue using the design criteria template as a guide for evaluating my ideas. I also plan to seek feedback earlier in the process to avoid similar setbacks. Lastly, I’ll work on incorporating more reflection and specificity in my blog posts, ensuring that I thoroughly document my process, insights, and challenges.

[Figure 3: The University of Edinburgh (2020) Gibbs' Reflective Cycle]

This Tuesday was also my birthday so having this all happen this week was a lot more stressful but I didn't want it to ruin my birthday week so I convinced myself to calm down because I also had to plan for my birthday party on the Saturday.