This module really felt like the culmination of everything I’ve learnt over the last 2 years and because of that, I found it really enjoyable and satisfying as a project. I can definitely see this is easily the most complete project I’ve done and I have really enjoyed getting to see the design process through properly here. The research side of this project is something I enjoyed a lot more than expected and it gave me a much better understanding of how research informs design. Being very focused on the process, I feel I really understand the idea of the double diamond system now as I was able to close out the research phase as I transitioned into design. I’d say the biggest thing I learnt from this module was how to utilise design processes properly when to use and when not to use certain design techniques. I really felt in control of this project throughout and more than ever felt I knew what steps and processes I needed to go through to complete. It’s given me a lot of confidence in planning and seeing out a project, which I noticed is reflected in how I started this project. When I wrote my brief early on in the project I expected things would change, and while there were some minor changes, I was surprised by how accurate my original projection of my work was. There might have only been one week where I didn’t achieve what I had said I would in the brief. This is something I think will be really good to have skill as I know estimating how long something will take me will be really important when going into placement and something I want to develop further.

The design for health topic as a whole was something I really enjoyed getting into. It’s such an important subject and has so many opportunities in so many different areas. While one part of my deliverable was a typical prototype, I really enjoyed getting to explore some speculative AR for the smart home system. If I could change one thing about my project it would be that I had more time to explore the speculative AR side of things and build out that part of the project. I think that’s why the design for health topic interests me so much; it’s not just designing apps. I saw this in one of the early weeks of researching into the topic and seeing things that were part of Interaction Design but not necessarily digital. It’s this variety and importance which I find so interesting and really look forward to exploring more in my placement.

Another thing I really enjoyed in this module was the class exercises. Getting to consistently and regularly work in groups on tasks was a really fun part of the module and also gave me a lot more confidence for working in groups and collaborating. I realise my groups were often more vocal than most during exercises, but this wasn’t us just talking but getting really into the task we were doing. There was a lot of arguing (respectfully) about parts of the tasks which while it may have slowed us down, made us make better decisions in the long run. Although this was somewhat over-the-top arguing between friends, this did teach me a lot about collaboration. I feel I have a better understanding of accepting others’ ideas and collaborating on work. I also think I understand more about when to stick with my own idea, and when to accept I’m wrong. It’s a hard thing to explain because of how much of a fundamental personal thing this is but I really do feel I’m now more able to collaborate better and be less precious over my own work.

Overall I really enjoyed this module as it allowed me to go really in-depth into a complex and important issue and develop my skills both in the actual design sense and my soft skills.