Reflecting
on the design around us
︎︎︎
Literature Reviews & Concept Mapping
February 3, 2020
REFLECTING ON: literature reviews & concept mapping in my degree project
After settling on a “How Might We…” question...
I have moved into the secondary research phase in order to get a better grasp of the topics. My investigation involves three distinct topics—international students in America, English learning or language neutrality, and way-finding design—which makes the process of organizing new ideas very nonlinear. Luckily, concept mapping is the perfect tool for keeping track of the subcategories of each concept and visualizing the way that these categories are interconnected and interdependent.
I approached the secondary research process by focusing solely on the literature reviews at the beginning and waiting to draw connections between them until I had a more complete grasp. I was surprised to find sources that contradicted my preconceptions of these topics, as well as contradicting each other at times. One shocking source was an article which called out the vast majority of research on international students for approaching the experience from the perspective of host-national universities and their goals for host-national students as opposed to the actual goals of the international students themselves. I realized that this article was calling out my assumptions as well, since I have approached this topic from the privileged perspective that all international students choose to study abroad primarily to gain diverse experiences. However, many students have more dire concerns such as social mobility and future job security.
With a more well-rounded understanding of these subjects, I began to break this information down into the main ideas and synthesize the distinct concepts and find connections. This process of concept mapping felt like a big step towards understanding what this project will become!
This post exists within a series of reflections on my final degree project in the Graphic Design BFA program at the University of Arkansas. This project examines the experience of international students in America, and specifically at the University of Arkansas, in order to create a more comfortable and rich experience for them abroad.
February 3, 2020
REFLECTING ON: literature reviews & concept mapping in my degree project
After settling on a “How Might We…” question...
How might we use way-finding systems to help new international students navigate campus, interact with local students, and improve their English-speaking skills?
I have moved into the secondary research phase in order to get a better grasp of the topics. My investigation involves three distinct topics—international students in America, English learning or language neutrality, and way-finding design—which makes the process of organizing new ideas very nonlinear. Luckily, concept mapping is the perfect tool for keeping track of the subcategories of each concept and visualizing the way that these categories are interconnected and interdependent.
I approached the secondary research process by focusing solely on the literature reviews at the beginning and waiting to draw connections between them until I had a more complete grasp. I was surprised to find sources that contradicted my preconceptions of these topics, as well as contradicting each other at times. One shocking source was an article which called out the vast majority of research on international students for approaching the experience from the perspective of host-national universities and their goals for host-national students as opposed to the actual goals of the international students themselves. I realized that this article was calling out my assumptions as well, since I have approached this topic from the privileged perspective that all international students choose to study abroad primarily to gain diverse experiences. However, many students have more dire concerns such as social mobility and future job security.
With a more well-rounded understanding of these subjects, I began to break this information down into the main ideas and synthesize the distinct concepts and find connections. This process of concept mapping felt like a big step towards understanding what this project will become!
This post exists within a series of reflections on my final degree project in the Graphic Design BFA program at the University of Arkansas. This project examines the experience of international students in America, and specifically at the University of Arkansas, in order to create a more comfortable and rich experience for them abroad.
The Questions We Ask Influence the Answers We Get
January 22, 2020
REFLECTING ON: the start of a new human-centered design project… the How Might We question.
Developing a “How might we…” question seems simple when you’re in the brainstorming stage, but it is a really integral part of setting the tone for a human-centered research project. After honing in on the topic of helping international students integrate into the University of Arkansas campus more comfortably, I wrote a HMW question to reflect that. I then swapped questions with my peers so that these questions could be broken-down and diagrammed through a fresh set of eyes. Surprisingly, diagramming the questions of my peers gave me insight into the areas for improvement in my own question. I think this is due to the fact that analyzing a project that I am not too close to allowed me to adjust to the process of objectively picking apart all components of a problem without getting caught up in my biases. When I returned to my own project to diagram the question, I began to see my own assumptions and indecisiveness as it manifested in the question I had written.
This post exists within a series of reflections on my final degree project in the Graphic Design BFA program at the University of Arkansas. This project examines the experience of international students in America, and specifically at the University of Arkansas, in order to create a more comfortable and rich experience for them abroad.
January 22, 2020
REFLECTING ON: the start of a new human-centered design project… the How Might We question.
Developing a “How might we…” question seems simple when you’re in the brainstorming stage, but it is a really integral part of setting the tone for a human-centered research project. After honing in on the topic of helping international students integrate into the University of Arkansas campus more comfortably, I wrote a HMW question to reflect that. I then swapped questions with my peers so that these questions could be broken-down and diagrammed through a fresh set of eyes. Surprisingly, diagramming the questions of my peers gave me insight into the areas for improvement in my own question. I think this is due to the fact that analyzing a project that I am not too close to allowed me to adjust to the process of objectively picking apart all components of a problem without getting caught up in my biases. When I returned to my own project to diagram the question, I began to see my own assumptions and indecisiveness as it manifested in the question I had written.
This post exists within a series of reflections on my final degree project in the Graphic Design BFA program at the University of Arkansas. This project examines the experience of international students in America, and specifically at the University of Arkansas, in order to create a more comfortable and rich experience for them abroad.
December 12, 2019
REFLECTING ON: Human-Centered Design
Over the course of the past semester, I learned about the potential role of a designer through a class titled Human-Centered Design. From data transparency to design research, we as designers have the capacity to intervene in the world around us beyond just the aesthetic. Human-centered design isn’t just for design researchers, though. Coming into the semester, I had the tendency to approach graphic design as the design of purely aesthetic experiences and, admittedly, I prioritized my own aesthetic preferences. I felt the most fulfilled when I created something visually appealing. However, after coming to know the values and mindsets of human-centered design, I’ve learned that there is more fulfillment in designing for the improvement of the world around me and even more so in the improvement of the lives of those around me. Before, I had a very black-and-white idea of the different types of career paths a designer could take. I was shocked to learn how many paths a designer can take, even within the human-centered realm, from data visualization to commercial design research to UX design.
This post exists within a series of reflections on topics and coursework from my Human-Centered Design class, taught by Marty Maxwell Lane at the University of Arkansas.
November 20, 2019
REFLECTING ON: a proposed design solution to the challenge of helping college students make healthier food decisions. Read my other reflections from this research process to for more insight into what I’ve discovered about taking a human-centered research approach!
Throughout the course of this semester, I have worked alongside three of my peers—Sherill, William, and Nicole—to investigate the influences, attitudes, resources and decisions which define a person’s eating habits. Our research led us ask ourselves a question: How might we educate and empower college students living off-campus to incorporate healthier food choices into their diverse lifestyles? The culmination of this project was a proposal for a design strategy which intervenes in our users’ journey to making healthier decisions. Allow my research group and I to guide you through our research process and design solution in the video below!
This post exists within a series of reflections on topics and coursework from my Human-Centered Design class, taught by Marty Maxwell Lane at the University of Arkansas.
