The challenges in this class have provided a broad scope of
methods and fields in design, and the course exposed me to new modes of design
thinking. Specifically, I have never had
any experience in designing fashion and wearables, which pose an interesting
perspective on the product, and force the designers to question what the user
needs. Based on my personal skills and
interests, I was most engaged by the news app challenge, which called for an
extensive amount of insight and knowledge of different people and markets. At the same time, this challenge had no
boundaries to usability in a visual sense, in which I was excited to apply
knowledge in User Interface and User Experience. These insights explain my submission reflections
and personal design style.
After reflecting on my submissions, I’ve noticed an
important pattern in the products I chose to analyze. With the exception of the first week, I’ve
chosen design methods that are applied in technology hardware; especially the
ones that people use everyday. For
example, the Apple track pad and magsafe charger are integral parts of the
world’s most popular laptop – the MacBook – yet the explanations of the design
choices surprise users. That is, the
amount of insight that goes into developing these tools is not reflected in the
simplistic design. Although it may sound
ironic, an enormous amount of talent is used to make these products as simple
as possible, which is a complicated process.
I’ve enjoyed digging deeper into some of the products we use everyday,
and discovering the insight behind it.
As far as design style, I feel like the picture below depicting
‘algorithmic art’ characterizes my evolving sense of true ‘desirability’ in
design. I am most engaged with design
intersecting technology, which not only entails how something looks, but how it
works, and how it can be built. With
that in mind, this piece not only has intriguing aesthetics, there is a mathematical
order to the lineage, which is as sophisticated as it is simple.
