Week 7: Reflection on Project 1 (Class Free Week) 2/10/2014

Project 1 was my first experience in creating a solution to a problem that seemed to have endless different angles to approach. It was tough brainstorming ideas to solve the problem, as each solution had its drawbacks. I also had little knowledge of interest and how the bank works, so it did seem overwhelming at the beginning. After discussing several ideas with classmates I decided upon the idea of a scare campaign with reverse psychology. After coming up with the idea the research was fairly straightforward.

If I was to improve my Concept report, I would focus more on brainstorming more ideas. This would help to decide which angle was the absolute best to use, allowing me to compare a large amount of ideas. Also I would do some rough research into ideas to get an idea if they did work in society, rather than just using my own intuition to decide its effectiveness. 

Overall this assignment offered a lot of freedom which is why I felt like it was overwhelming at the beginning. However once you have an idea it becomes much more straightforward.

Here is an image that reflects how I felt while undertaking this project.

Bibliography: Courses.evanbradley.net,. (2014). Retrieved 11 October 2014, from http://courses.evanbradley.net/wiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=divergent_thinking.jpg

Week 6: Concept Report 25/9/14

During this tutorial we received feedback on our drafts for the concept report. The issue I had was answering the question of "Why is my concept the best in this situation", for the conclusion. As I knew there were drawbacks within my concept of a scare campaign that uses reverse psychology. After the tutorial I learnt that the campaign did not have to be perfect, but so long as it had the justification to explain how it was effective was enough, while acknowledging the drawbacks.

This made me reflect upon other potential ideas and critique within my concept report, pointing out the potential positives and negatives. Rather than leaving the ideas without explanation, this helped to justify my reasoning for choosing a scare campaign.

The idea of the scare campaign originated from the popular smoking scare campaigns with the graphic images. They had a strong impact on myself due to the how disgusting the imagery was, which leans me away from smoking. The reverse psychology aspect of my scare campaign came from talking about the attitude of people aged 18-25, in a previous tutorial. As reverse psychology can be a way to influence people in saving money, as it attacks people who are more stubborn.

Bibliography: (2014). Retrieved 26 September 2014, from http://scgordon.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/british_heart_foundation_smoking_quit.jpg

Week 5: Ideation 18/9/14

In this tutorial, we grouped up and discussed our ideas for the concept report related to saving money. From the discussion I had I learnt that there are multiple angles that I did not think of when I devised a plan to influence people to save. An example of this was; would it be better to encourage people to spend less rather than save money? And another was that does telling someone to save encourage them not to save due to their personalities being revolved around breaking the rules? Both questions helped to broaden my perspective on the problem of people not saving for the future. 

Since my idea is a scare campaign to get people to save. I thought the best course of action would be to show the viewer a insight into what their life would be like without saving. After the tutorial I was able to further develop my idea. Instead of just showing the viewer the consequences of not saving, include a message saying something along the lines of "go ahead and spend your money, throw your future away". This makes the viewer reflect on their own actions as they now think of spending as a way to throw away their future. This has a stronger impact than saying "save money for the future", as majority of the people aged 18-25 already understand the importance of saving. Also another thing I did not take into account was how specific would my target group for my scare campaign would be, as I was trying to influence everyone which is ineffective as it will be weaker than a more focused campaign. 

We also briefly touched upon ideation. The main point being the importance of defining the problem. Also only through attempting to find a solution will you then be able to find a concept, with the help of research to guide your ideas in the correct direction.

Defining the problem should be the first step in every issue, as it shapes the way you approach the issue.

Bibliography: (2014). Retrieved 18 September 2014, from http://www.bizzdesign.com/assets/BlogDocuments-2/20131023_PeterMatthijssen/Lean-DMAIC-phases.png

Week 4: Design Methods 11/9/14

This tutorial we discussed the purpose of a design method. I learnt that it serves as a guideline to the thought process while designing something, rather than it restricting the thought process. It could also be used to impress clients as it shows professionalism. A good use of a design method is to use it to help introduce people that are new in that field, into the thought process. 

We also briefly touched upon qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative being explained by what people do, and quantitative is shown by what people say. In terms of the concept report (assignment 1), it is very important as people tend to act differently from what they say. What this means is that asking how someone spends their money, compared to giving them money to spend on anything, will yield different results. This tutorial helped me to understand how to undertake research more effectively and will definitely help for the first assignment. 

This is an example of a design method flow chart for waste management. Without any knowledge in that field, I am able to get a grasp on how the process works.

Bibliography: Encycle.com.au,. (2014). Retrieved 11 September 2014, from http://www.encycle.com.au/images/flowchart1.jpg

Week 3: Wicked Problems 4/9/14

During this tutorial we discussed how to redesign a watch. Within our groups we framed this problem so that it no longer was restricted to the creation of a watch. We did this by defining the problem as we needed something to tell us the time efficiently, as well as be comfortable. By framing the problem this way it opens up new ways to tell time utilizing different senses to tell the time such as having smell tell us when it is dinner time. 

Another option was to implement a way to tell time in earrings, rings, necklaces or various other accessories. Since within our group we kept asking the question of why do we need a watch if we just have a phone. With the accessory concept you can now have a watch within your favourite accessory, increasing the speed you check the time as well as reducing the amount items you need to carry. The accessory idea was inspired by why we wear watches when you have a phone, the reason being it was a fashion statement. This naturally lead to the time telling accessory idea. 

Before going to the tutorial, the way I approached redesigning the watch was completely different. I was only focused on improving the watch itself, so I thought of ways to improve readability and functionality. I did not think of improving the way we comprehend time or ways to create a watch within different objects of everyday life. The tutorial helped me understand the importance of framing a question in order to open up new solutions. 

Here is a image of a watch that is a solution to the problem of creating something to tell the time efficiently as well as being convenient. This reinforces the importance of framing the question correctly, as it opens up a new perspective upon a problem.

Bibliography: Thehottestgadgets.com,. (2014). Retrieved 4 September 2014, from http://thehottestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/nailwatch1.jpg