[IxD Studio] Reflections on Collections

For our interaction design studio class we're doing a project on collections. I don't collect much, but I do have this box of letters and snapshots that belonged to my grandparents. Most of the letters are written in Japanese, and all of the snapshots are completely anonymous. Why am I keeping this stuff? I'm not really sure, but I think my initial desire to save the letters and photos has to do with the aesthetic value -- their appeal as visual artifacts.

[Business of Design] Journey Map to CCA

Blog on your own “journey map” for choosing to attend CCA. What “pain points” were you trying to address and how did CCA’s offering influence you to choose it over alternatives?

Awareness
Argh! I do not like my career trajectory and my work is leaving me unfulfilled. Something is missing. Maybe I should go to grad school

....2 years later...

Research & Consideration
Where should I go? Researching, speaking with advisers, and taking advice. 
Design thinking! Sustainability! Buzz word buzz word buzz word!
To-do lists, essays, and portfolios.

Selection
Two out of three, now I have to make a decision!
Pro-con list. More advice. More talking with advisers. Talking with professors.
It's so expensive! Is it worth going back to school for a masters when it means going into debt? Finally, making the decision where I think I will be happier. San Francisco and CCA.

[IxD Theory] Goals

Reflect on your own goals as an interaction designer. What is your personal flavor of interaction? What part of interaction design excites you the most?

My goals as an interaction designer are, at their core, the same goals I had as a graphic designer. I want to use design to make a difference in people's lives, to solve problems, and to communicate meaningful stories. I majored in graphic design in college because because it was a compromise with my parents; they were pushing for engineering or architecture, I was pushing for studio art, design was a reasonable compromise.

I loved what I was doing in school, I graduated, I found a job.

But my jobs after college didn't fulfill my goals. Far too often I found myself at the mercy of my clients, churning out brochures and banner ads that "popped." Graphic design turned stale and, to be honest, I did it with half of my brain turned off. (Here's another goal as an interaction designer: I want to be challenged.) Perhaps this was my own fault for staying with clients who didn't value my perspective and problem solving abilities as a designer. I knew something was missing but I didn't really have the language to describe what exactly it was.

[Business of Design] Trends

This weeks assignment is to blog about a trend from Intuit's list of Twenty Trends that Will Shape the Next Decade. There are multiple trends that are currently and will continue to influence me, but I will focus on the two trends that are most disturbing: the combination of Individuals Shoulder the Risk Burden and Work Shifts from Full-time to Free Agent Employment.

To be honest reading this article made me feel old and scared. It is daunting to think that the government situation regarding health care and social security is highly unstable, plus support in the private sector is expected to reduce. It reminds me of the rule that clients can only have two out of three -- quality, speed, and price. How does it work out that governments will offer fewer social support programs, traditional full-time/full-benefit jobs will be harder to find, and insurance companies will continue to be unregulated (this one is my own assumption, not from the article)? I just received a letter in the mail letting me know that my individual health insurance was increased because I turned 30; it is up around $500 per month now. Happy Birthday to me!!!

I think these two trends invite a conversation about what government should or should not provide for its citizens, but that is, perhaps, too far outside the scope of this blog... In terms of how these trends are influencing me, it makes me really want to get a job with a stable company rather than going back to working for myself. Additionally, the two trends often make me consider what life would be like living and working in another country. At what point does the individual burden become so great that it drives people, and their innovations, out of countries with little social support into countries with lots of social support?

[IxD Theory] Foundational Principles

Are some of the foundational principles more important than others? If so, which ones? Why are some more important than others? Can you point to examples that illustrate the hierarchy you propose? Consider both Neilson’s and Norman’s lists.

I do not think the answer to the first question in this prompt is fixed; which principles are most important really depends on the application and the goals of the interaction. The question of who will be experiencing the designed interaction (Who are the users?) and what is their connection with the experience (eg. Are they likely to be novice or expert users?) should guide which principles will be most important. For example, if you are designing a museum exhibit, then you can probably be less concerned with "Recognition rather than recall" and more concerned with "Affordances" and "Mapping."

That being said, I do have some pet principles that I am particularly drawn to. From Nielsen's list, I like Flexibility and efficiency of use and from Donald Norman I like the principle of Mapping.

[Business of Design] Owning a business...or not.

Which you think you’d enjoy more: designing your own business or innovating within an existing business?

Hmmm....this is a tough question if there can only be one answer. For the three and a half years before coming to grad school I worked as a freelance designer and it was hard. Really hard. During my second year of freelancing it took me about 14 hours to do my taxes (the first year was easy because I hardly made any money), invoicing was a pain, health insurance companies are terrible, etc.

At this point in my life, when I finish grad school, I want to innovate within an existing business. I am looking forward to the perks of a benefits package and -- as Alexander Levit puts it -- the ability to turn off [my] BlackBerry without jeopardizing the company’s future.

However, that's not to say I want to work for The Man for the next 35 years. I think it's fair to assume at some point in the future I'll get sick of working for someone else and head off to do my own thing. Lately I have been thinking that it is OK to have multiple careers throughout a lifetime; I like this idea. I think it's exciting and allows yourself room to change. Plus, it allows me to focus on what I want to do now and spend less time worrying about whether I will be happy with my chosen course 15 or 20 years down the line.

Business of Design

After five weeks filled with eating and sleeping at regular hours, skiing, traveling, Hulu watching, Netflix watching, and novel reading, the new semester is finally upon us!

The week 0 assignment for the Business of Design class is to write what we're NOT looking forward to about the class. So here it is.

Part of the pre-class survey asked about our proficiency with Microsoft Excel. I assume that means we will need to use Excel for the class. I am not looking forward to relying on any Microsoft product, least of all PowerPoint, Excel, or Word.

I finished my undergraduate education in June 2005 and started my graduate education in July 2012...meaning I have seven years experience working as a designer. I know I have plenty to learn about business, but I am not looking forward to (re)learning the basics one picks up simply by working as a designer.

For this class we work in small teams for the whole semester. My team is made up of talented, unique, and hilarious folk. I know that we will be a great team because I get along with all of them and know that they are hard working. Buuuuuut.... It just so happens that they are all international students. I am worried this means the heaviest part of the writing and presenting will fall on me, which I am not looking forward to. I'm an introvert!!