Prototyping a Reflective Practice

Each week in both Critical Making and RE Studio we were tasked with submitting a piece on medium. For Critical Making it was a capture of our creations and processes for that week. And in RE… it was whatever we want. My submissions were all over the place, basically ramblings of whatever design-related topic popped in my head that week. I wondered what it would look like for me to start a more consistent practice of reflection each week to better track my progress throughout the program. Each week, I will take at least one photo and reflect on my purpose, process and learning. I made a prototype and thought I’d give it a try before departing for winter break:

What is it? Why did you/they create it?
The 3d printed shell-turned Bluetooth speaker I made for my final project in critical making. It was the main piece of my Sonicshell concept — a sea shell that when listened to, let’s the user hear what ocean noise pollution sounds like.

What was the biggest challenge this week?
Getting it all done. This was the last week of classes for Fall semester and there was a lot to get turned in. The biggest challenge was certainly pulling all the pieces together for the Sonicshell concept.

What was the biggest accomplishment this week?
Sonicshell worked! I managed to turn the 3d printed shell into a bluetooth speaker and see this concept come to life. It was incredibly rewarding.

What design tools/abilities did you practice this week?
Soldering, using hand tools to finish the shell, synthesizing and sharing ideas and content