IU’s HCI Program is Life Changing
Cohort — “A group of people banded together or treated as a group.”
This post is about my journey the past 4 months in graduate school and how much it has changed me. I hope you enjoy.
Before Coming to The Program
Before talking about my experience in the program, I wanted to share a piece of my story. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life when I first came to IU in 2012. I started with the intention of studying Business, then switched to History the following semester. After talking to Steven Chen, who happened to be one of the most involved students in the School of Informatics, convinced me to once again change my major that summer. Informatics is a very broad major and I still did not know what exactly I wanted to do with it. It wasn’t until I took intro to HCI taught by Marty Siegel that I realized I wanted to do that. The thing was that at the time there was only one course in HCI that was offered for undergraduates. It was pretty bad time because that was one of the very few classes that I actually liked and was motivated to learn.
After graduating I realized one thing, I felt so dang alone and it had a direct affect on the summer. I became very depressed and did not do anything the whole summer. It was difficult just to get out of bed and I would sit in my room until I had to work at night. I didn’t really keep track of the time and it felt like I was going through the motions. It took me four months to finally tell someone about my depression and eventually told everyone in my cohort.
Throughout my four years of undergrad, I was very demotivated to do anything and I had zero confidence in myself. I didn’t believe in my abilities but somehow one person did, Marty Siegel. I don’t know what I said to him in the meetings we had that convinced him to let me into the program, but I am so damn happy he did. I remember it was orientation day and I was sitting with people in my cohort thinking, “Why the hell am I here? I don’t deserve to be here what so ever and everyone else here is so much more qualified than me.” The very first thing Marty said to everyone was, “You are here for a reason and we handpicked you because we saw that you all have what it takes to become a designer.” The following day Jeff Bardzell said something very similar and it has stuck with me since.
Start of Graduate School
Marty handed us the first project on the first Tuesday and I was nervous as hell. Me and my teammate Patrick went around the Informatics building and talked to random students asking god knows what questions. We received very little information other than what we already assumed. Not knowing really what to do next, we came up with a few designs and tested one. We made a slight change and that was our final design and it was absolute crap. Our document was even worse because we just turned in a Google document and it looked awful. But this is what I like about this program, fail fast and often so you can learn from your mistakes before going out in the real world. If I made a document like that in a job setting, I would most likely be fired.
It’s mid September and we received the second project. The first project, there were only two teams that presented and for this one, every team presents. I am an awful presenter and get really bad stage fright, but I realized it was because I never have confidence in myself and I would always psych myself out. Well, it happened again for this project. I remember Igor started the presentation out full of energy and immediately caught the audience’s attention, and then I went….
I was so nervous that I was shaking while waiting for Igor to finish his part. When he finished, I walked up spoke in a very monotonous and boring tone. My voice was shaking when speaking and it was obvious how nervous I was. When I finished my part, I remember being so pissed at myself that I did not answer a single question from the audience after our presentation was finished. It ended up being one of the most memorable experiences for me because of how different my presentation was in the final project.
It’s now October, therefore we received project three. Project three was a big eye opener because after the presentations, I realized there were so many different things that me and my team could have done to make our design better.
The biggest challenge I faced this semester was when I got mono at the end of October, right when we received project four. I missed the whole entire project, and it was crap. It was difficult mentally, having to miss such a long time and felt helpless. There’s really nothing else to say about that project because I wasn’t able to be a part of it.
The final project we got right before Thanksgiving break. This was my favorite project of the five because my team had such good chemistry. Before starting the project, we hung-out and played board games. It gave us the chance to relax and get to know each other before actually starting the project. I alongside my three teammates presented our final project last Tuesday morning and it was so much fun. The difference in projects from just one semester is astounding. I could tell how much more research was conducted in the final project in comparison to the first one. The conversations me and my team had with our users were much more meaningful and it felt like a conversation, not an interview.
My Cohort Is Amazing
“A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.”-Jim Morrison
This quote rings true for me. I remember when my cohort had the chance to ask a few second year students questions before the semester officially started and someone asked what did they get most out of their first year. Eric Van Scoik answered that the people that surrounded him everyday was the single greatest thing and man, I could not agree more. I have made some amazing friends that have given me the freedom to be myself and become the person I have always wanted to be.
We did everything together throughout the semester and I was able to try so much Indian and Chinese food, it was amazing. Culture has been one of my favorite things to learn about and talking to the international students and their experiences was always a blast. The people in my cohort are so fun to be around and there is always something to be learned from them.
This is the first time in my life where I’m surrounded by people who have the desire to constantly learn and develop as human beings. It’s so easy talking to everyone and I enjoy getting Hopscotch Coffee or going to Upstairs Pub for a drink with them. I can always count on them to have a good time as well as having great conversations.
I cannot believe I am 25% finished with graduate school, but I am so happy to have been able to experience this incredible journey so far with everyone in the pictures. These are only a few of many pictures that were taken throughout the semester. My mom has tons of photo books from me and my brother growing up and I finally see the importance of them. I have memories with my cohort that I will cherish forever.
Conclusion: Best 4 Months of My Life
You see that guy in the green jacket surrounded by smiling, goofy looking, happy people? That’s Marty Siegel, who started this program around 16 years ago. He’s the person who believed in me when I sure as hell did not believe in myself. He is the reason my life has changed so much in such a short period of time. I cannot thank this man enough for the opportunity he gave me. I also have my amazing parents to thank because they have given me the chance to chase whatever dreams I may have, and have backed me up every step of the way. I absolutely love quotes and this one Marty said in our very last IDP(Interaction Design Practice) class:
“The best design you will ever make is the design of yourself”-Marty Siegel
What I Learned About Design
- You are forced to work with others from so many different backgrounds, it is extremely challenging but rewarding
- Team chemistry is very important or else you will fail
- Rigorous honesty is difficult in a team setting but it is crucial to be honest with one another
- Asking a good question is hard to do and takes a lot of practice
- Ask ask ask for help
- The best way to truly understand your target users is by going out and talking to them. By talking to them, I don’t mean asking them 20 questions, have a conversation and be personable with them
- You present to sell your design, not just show it
- Time management is a must
- You have to know yourself before thinking about designing for others
- Even though I’m still a terrible designer, the difference between my first and last projects are night and day
“I believe that design is understanding that we are just human beings.”
-My Designer Statement
What I Learned About Myself
- Depression really really sucks, seek help and don’t be afraid to tell someone (Took me 4 months)
- I kept everything to myself and talking to my cohort was the best decision I made since joining the program
- It took a very long time, but I finally believe in myself and think I have what it takes to become a designer
- I love talking to people and can finally talk to anyone I want
- I am still terrible at presenting but I have confidence in myself and know that with practice, I will become much better
- Losing 12–13 pounds in 6 weeks from mono is not good
- I never had the desire to learn like I do now
- I think a lot, maybe too much
- Laughing is the greatest gift we as humans are given
- Empathizing with others is difficult but is vital
