This design process has been really enlightening. I’ve learned a lot about who I am as a designer from how I manage projects to the way I handle adversity. This stage of the design has been largely frustrating for me because I find myself spending a lot of time worried about the content of my module. I want really badly to create something that is both visually appealing and instructionally sound. However, I don’t have proper user- or content research to really organize the course content the way I’d want to. As frustrating as that is, it has taught me that my favorite parts of the design process are probably the discovery/needs assessment and content development; this will help me identify my personal design philosophy. I am also learning the importance of iterations. While making this first prototype, I would tend to get fixated on one portion of the course and get stuck. I would treat each portion of the course as if I were creating the final product. I’ve read many times in this course (and in other courses) that the proper way to approach design thinking is to not be married to an idea and to iterate. I would stop myself from lingering on one section during the creation of this prototype. I would make myself just build a rough version and move on. I could worry about the fonts and color scheme after I had an interactive prototype that outlines how I would want the course to flow. 

The other thing that has been really enlightening during this process are the design consultations. I didn’t really understand the point of having a design consultation early in the semester, but it made sense this time. I was very inspired by one of the courses that I was assigned to give feedback on. The visual and interactive elements in my design partner’s course helped me realize that I was only using a fraction of the storyline capabilities that I could be using. In fact, it kind of made me want to scrap my whole structure and go back to the drawing board. For the sake of time, I will push forward with what I have, but I want to continue to reimagine this course throughout my grad program because I want it to be the best that it can be. My feedback partners course also highlighted some points that I learned in the course reading. Edward Tuft (2003) discusses the importance of how material is presented and that nonlinear presentation can enhance content relationships and contexts for presentation material. My design buddy had his course laid out in a way that spatially helped me organize the information. It encouraged me to revisit how I presented my content because mine was pretty text heavy and more like bulletpoints on a page. This design process (and this course) has been like drinking from a fire hydrant. I am excited to take the things I’ve been able to catch and slowly learn more as I develop as a designer. 

Reference: 

Tufte, E. R. (2003). The cognitive style of PowerPoint. Graphics Press.