From An Idea To A Design
In the design thinking class, I learned about the design process and the logic behind every successful product.
Art is self-expression, but design is to serve people. As a "pure artist" who constantly expresses opinions and aesthetic preferences, I rarely created a work from the perspective of serving people in past studies. My understanding of "Student Wellness" keeps shifting, along with the class progress. At first, I felt new and confused about this topic because I couldn't think of any questions since I consider myself a healthy, happy, and independent student. But through thinking divergently in the course, I began to realize the breadth and importance of this topic.
As an international student, I had nearly forgotten the challenging experiences I faced upon arriving in a foreign country until the discussion in the class brought those memories to light. Although I had deeply buried these experiences, I realize not every international student shares this ability to suppress such memories. While my initial research focus was not on the wellness of international students, discussions with my classmates revealed a shared recognition of the emotional neglect this group often endures. When everyone shared their ideas and thoughts, I started to realize there are so many groups that have been ignored for such a long time.
After several rounds of research and discussion, our group selected a normal but challenging topic as our topic — disabled students. We consider disabled people to be a large group, but none of our group members had any experience in this field. The biggest problem that I met at the beginning was the interviews. I can't find appropriate interviewers around me. To overcome this, I turned to social media and community groups, where I connected with individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. These interactions taught me empathy and allowed me to engage deeply with these often-overlooked communities. We developed a profound understanding of their needs and feelings through interviews and observations. This user-centered approach highlighted the importance of defining problems from various perspectives and significantly enriched our research.
We had many activities during the class that seemed irrelevant to the topic, such as drawing round objects and building Lego. Each lesson is like a piece of yarn, gradually woven into an extensive network. Each link is closely connected and directly applied to our projects.
For example, drawing round objects helped us enhance our observational skills and attention to detail — qualities essential for designing user-centric solutions. Similarly, building with Lego encouraged us to think in a modular and scalable way, which is crucial when developing adaptable prototypes for diverse needs. The design process is like building Lego; there are always so many failures and defects that need to be repeatedly modified.
In terms of adjusting prototypes, we based on user feedback. For instance, we were designing a software interface for disabled students, and initial tests revealed that certain buttons were too small for users with motor disabilities or the whole function was not for our target users. As a result, we would enlarge these elements and test the revised prototype, repeating this process until the interface effectively meets the users' needs. This method ensures that the final product is functional and user-friendly, tailored to the users' requirements.
Overall, I am so happy in this class this semester. I like how everyone is engaged and involved in the class. I am also so proud of what our group did for this class.
