2/6–2/13 Weekly Reflection

This week, I finally gathered all the parts for the Raspberry Pi. I booted it up and configured the Raspian desktop. After that, my plan was to get a simple LED to light up. I followed along with a YouTube video to connect jumper cables to a breadboard and put the LED and resistor it their proper places. Then I used this video to write the code to make it turn on and off. It took almost an hour of troubleshooting and fixing my syntax mistakes before a light finally went on. The first program is always the hardest but I’m so glad I finally did it. Seeing that LED turn on has been the highlight of my week. I feel accomplished and hungry to learn more going into next week. Here’s a pic!

Looking into programmable LEDS, I learned a lot about fashion designers finding ways to incorporate light shows into clothing. This is something to keep in mind while I search for the kind of LEDs I plan to add to my spice rack.

This semester, I am also enrolled in a UX/UI Design class that is helping me considerably with prototyping. It has helped me get into the designer mindset and think of how each element of my product will impact the user. Two books, 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People and The Design of Everyday Things have also been useful for developing my thesis project. Both are insightful reads and I found myself learning about human nature and life designing as well. I am also rereading sections of Designing Your Life so I can keep on top of my own feelings and emotions about how I plan to spend the rest of my semester.

Another class I am also taking this semester is Digital Fabrication. This class requires getting certified to use the woodshop on the bottom floor of AIMM. I just finished up the final session on Tuesday morning and now have full access to get started on my physical spice rack prototypes. I am learning about different materials I have access to and laser cutting that can come in handy later on in my project.