CS247 Final Class Reflections
Intro
I would like to start out this reflection by going into the main learnings that I feel stuck with me from this class as well as some random thoughts on things that I really liked. Then from there, I’ll talk a little bit about things that I thought could be a little different.
Learnings
User Testing
One of the first takeaways that came up at the very beginning of the class with P1 and persisted throughout the entire class, was the importance of research and user testing. I knew coming into this class that testing was an important part of the design process, but I do not think that I grasped the severity of its importance. I think that this came through for me in particular during P3 when we were doing playtesting. My team spent a lot of time on a lot of different changes debating what direction would be better and it wasn’t until the end of P3 that we realized that instead of debating our choices we could just playtest them and see which decision has a better outcome. I was also very grateful that I had many opportunities to do a lot of research, usability tests, and playtests. I think that learning about the importance of testing and learning about what the good and bad components of user testing are is really great, but at the end of the day, it is a skill and is something that you need to thoughtfully practice and refine for yourself in order to get better. I think that because of our opportunities to practice that, I really grew in that skill.
Information Architecture and Content Strategy
Another thing that that I learned about in this class, which is going to be quite helpful moving forward in my design career, is information architecture and content strategy. I had heard the term IA occasionally thrown around before this class, however, I had no idea what it stood for, let alone what it really meant or how you could implement it. Now, I understand that these ideas are so important, yet so commonly overlooked in designs all around us. I also see the tight connection between these two ideas, Information Architecture and Content Strategy, and visual design. I learned in this class that when you have a content strategy that is clear and concise and you know exactly what you are trying to convey, then you combine that with an information architecture that organizes your ideas in a way that fits peoples’ mental models, and then final you package that all up in a visual design that is intuitive and beautiful, that is when you get understanding.
Sketchnoting and Sketching
Another thing that we learned about in this class that I found very helpful was sketchnoting. I have never considered myself much of an artist, however, I found the practice of sketchnoting to not only help me stay focus and convey my thoughts, but it was also just really fun. I have never been the type of person that takes notes before in any of my classes. I have of course tried many times, but I always find it incredibly challenging for me to pay attention and digest the things that I am hearing while writing them down at the same time. I have always been a little bit bummed, however, that I am not a big note taker because I want to have something that I can look back at when I am older, if not for the actually information, but at least as a remembrance of the things that I learned. However, sketchnoting put a different spin on note-taking for me. Sketchnoting, for me, is more about conveying my own thoughts than it is about writing down what the speaker is saying. This gives me a nice way of looking back on my own thoughts in a visual way without having to be writing the entire time I am listening to someone talk.
Random Other Things
Another component of the class that was one of the best parts for me was the random conversations that sprung up normally at the beginning of the class. An example that particularly springs to mind is when Christina went into detail of all of the positions in the design world, what they mean, how well they are paid, and what they can be called. I had needed someone to describe that to me in that way for so long and although I don't think that was something that was specifically supposed to be part of the class teachings, it was one of the more helpful things that I learned in the class.
What If?
Teams
One thing that I wish we had a little bit more of is teaching on teams and team dynamics. I think that as the quarter progressed I came to wish that we were randomly assigned our teams at the beginning of the class. I think that would be helpful because instead of focusing on people that you think that you would work well with, or the topics everyone wants to work on, our focus could be on how we can make that team work regardless of those things. I also think it would be super helpful to have a couple of actual lectures on what makes a good team and how we could get that in our teams. In addition, I think that there could be more team deliverables, other than just the team norms, that we could get actual feedback on to help us grow as a team. I think that due to the fact that this is an area that Christina has done a lot of research in, it is something that I would love to learn a little more about in her classes in an explicit way.
AMA
The other thing that I think could be super helpful, which I mentioned at some point during the class, is having a short AMA at the beginning of class where we can ask questions about random things that we interested in or want to learn. As I mentioned above, one of the things that I found most valuable in the class was these random conversations and I think giving an explicit space for these conversations could be really helpful.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this has been one of the best classes that I have taken at Stanford. I think that both of you guys did such a great job with this class and I feel like I am taking so much away from it. I really appreciate all of the work that you both put into this class and how you took so much input from the class to see the way that we want the class to look and what we are hoping to get from it. I am very happy that I do not have to leave this teaching team behind because I am going to take 377G next quarter. I am really looking forward to that class and I will see y’all next decade 😜. Have a great break!
