Reflective statement -
Being six again for this assignment was great fun but extremely challenging. Rewinding the clock almost 14 years to remember the toys I played with, cartoons I watched, and places I loved to go was nostalgic but came with challenges when brought to the design sphere.
One stand out positive aspect from this assignment was the feedback I received from kids that tested my prototypes. I was fortunate to have my cousins aged 7 and 9 test my prototypes and give me some candid feedback on my work. This input from my target user group was invaluable and resulted in the final prototypes.
Along with this, I was proud of my ability to grasp new software for this assignment. Having never used Figma, Rhino or Mozilla Hubs, I quickly learned the fundamentals and added more advanced elements as I progressed. I will have these skills in my design toolkit, making me more versatile for the future.
If I was to do this assignment again, the one thing I would do is focus more on time allocation. Many parts of the design process were enjoyable, allowing me to ideate freely, but it was challenging to get every idea down on paper with time constraints. My final prototypes may have been more polished if I did have the time to ideate further and develop my thoughts, but I am satisfied with my process and results with the time available.
Another aspect that I would have changed in this process was the software that I used. Both Figma and Mozilla hubs were extremely easy to understand and use for this assignment. However, I could not use Blender or Rhino to my full capability. Having a lack of knowledge for these programs was slightly disappointing as the final prototypes would have been vastly improved with more practice with these programs, but time hindered my efforts. This is another reason why time allocation is vital in a fast-paced design sprint.
Creating a re-lay of the AT hop app, a promotional toy poster and a virtual reality room was my most challenging assignment yet. Critically thinking about what elements, text and colours to use for a six year old could make all the difference in the usability and functionality of the items. Overall, the project was incredibly satisfying at the back end when my work started to come together. Testing my app, poster and VR room with younger kids gave me an honest and unbiased insight into the target user and their preferences. Framing this assignment through an extensive design sprint made every goal seem achievable and provided an excellent blueprint for each step of ideation and feedback.
Statement of intent -
The purpose of this assignment is to broaden our design thinking and to centre our development around the target user. I intend to use the knowledge and thoughts of young kids to develop and prototype an app, poster and VR room to suit the target user. Through a design sprint framework, I plan on ideating and developing low fidelity prototypes to then get feedback on. After being critiqued, I will build my prototypes with support from the target user into a high fidelity product. This will then be tested and developed into a final prototype.
