I enjoyed this class a lot because it was different from my other classes. It was different because we did various hands-on activities during class. However, one thing I wanted to point out was that a lot of the work felt slightly repetitive. Also, I didn’t quite enjoy being given so many options to do one thing because it felt like I had to keep track of all the methods. As a result, I didn’t develop the best understanding of any of the methods when applying them to our project.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed having ethical conversations in class. I appreciated how willing everyone was to participate in the discussions and how they were centered around questions we asked. I never realized how different our perspectives could be on design until those conversations. (I thought everyone was on the design for social good wave but maybe not)
Some methods I would use again are user personas and competitive analysis. However, I don’t think moodboards, at least in the way we did them, were the right fit. Additionally, I didn’t enjoy drawing systems, particularly using paper and drawing. I felt there were more efficient ways to present the same information.
But, I really liked working on this project. I felt like I learned a lot about habits and behavior change. The sketchnotes were fun, but I don’t think I would adopt them due to efficiency reasons. I also enjoyed working with my team—we worked well together and were very supportive of each other’s ideas and opinions. We answered each other’s questions and collaborated effectively. One thing I wish we had done differently was choosing our topic earlier, as I think it set us back a little, but it worked out fine in the end. Another thing is that I wish we had stuck closer to our original design, but overall, everything turned out well. People seemed to really enjoy our prototype, which I was glad about.
Before this class, I assumed that companies didn’t think much about ethical considerations because at the end of the day, companies mainly care about money. But after this class, I feel hopeful for future waves of designers and realize that companies care basically to maintain their image clean.
Moving forward, our project uses social accountability to nudge people to be more productive. We aimed to use friendly competition to encourage productivity—essentially, gamified productivity. I feel like this approach is generally acceptable, but it has the potential to become harmful depending on the user. If someone has low self-esteem or anxiety, our product might not be the best fit for them. However, I don’t think our product is something they would be inclined to use.
Additionally, we took steps to protect people’s privacy by not displaying other users’ to-do lists. We felt this was the best approach to ensure our users’ safety.
Overall, I’m really glad I took this course. It taught me a lot, and the class was fun. Most of all, I appreciated the discussions about ethics. I enjoyed listening to different perspectives and engaging in those conversations. Thank you.
