This class has taught me so much about myself and about who I am as I designer. I’m incredibly happy that I took this course because it has made me want to pursue a career in design. This class and Professor Stover have taught me so many valuable life lessons. I know that I will take what I’ve learned from this class, with me into the future. I feel very lucky and very blessed to have taken this course :)

On Wednesday, April 27 my group presented. We were the group that talked about company pollution management and I think that we got our message across relatively clearly. I felt really good about sharing our research and work with the class and also to group 1. I liked that they were invested in what we were discussing because they initially came up with our idea. I also like how they had very specific questions that made us truly think about our approach. Overall, I think that the whole experience was beneficial and taught me a lot. As the semester went on, i felt like our projects became more and more focused and I really liked that transgression. I think that each project showed different aspects of design and what we might be subjected to in the future. As a student that’s extremely interested in design, I’m thankful that I took this course.

I’m very excited for our group presentations. On Monday, we figured out a lot of the small details that we had been putting off. I think that my group works extremely well together and I think that really showed throughout this entire design process. When we had difficulties, we figured them out as a team. I think that we’ve come a long way since the beginning of the semester. I think that this growth is very exciting because we truly have grown as designers. I can’t believe that this semester is almost over, it makes me pretty sad. I really enjoyed this class and I’m excited to see where my new skills will take me!

On Wednesday, my group and I decided to interview a professor at the University of Minnesota. Our project is structured around environmental health and fortunately, so is her career. She gave us a lot of helpful insight. She answered all of our questions with extreme detail and even gave us ideas and topics to grow from. As our interview continued, we asked her specific questions tailored towards specific topics. We asked her one question relating to her past and the environmental causalities of that time. Since we plan t to gear our project around younger generations, it was helpful to hear about her past. She gave us great examples, ranging from her fears as a child to environmental acts that were passed. After meeting with her, I have a whole new understanding of our project and even our world. I’m very happy that we pursued an interview with her. 

I’m really enjoying these projects. I think that they provide us with the opportunity to grow as designers. As the prompts get more difficult, our  teamwork steps up to the plate. I think that this particular prompt incorporates several different design processes. When we discussed our topic on Monday, several new angles and opinions surfaced. One thing that I specifically  appreciated was the amount of ideas that came to light as we expanded on our topic. I think that my team is full of brilliant people with design-oriented minds. I’m excited to further our research and efforts.  

I really liked class on Monday. Typically I just absorb the news and never take it upon myself to think of solutions. On Monday we were required to think of ways that we could solve some issues in the news. Once we were allowed to collaborate, our ideas took off. We talked about several problems around the world and even here at the  U. Eventually we narrowed down our ideas to specifically help the U. We actually got lost in conversation, so towards the end we had to quickly pick our three themes. I really liked that we had the opportunity to collaborate about such relevant topics. I think that this class relates extremely well with everyday life and I really appreciate that.

The speaker on Wednesday had me thinking about my group’s design. As she discussed the formalities of beginning and ending a design process, I reflected on my own design process. On Monday my group primarily discussed our presentation and our product’s 2.0 version. When Azul gave us the design process worksheets, I thought about how we could improve our design. Her worksheet gave us the premise of our product’s 2.0 version. We want to go towards the conservation path. She discussed several points that I think would be a great addition to our design. I think being conscious of our environment while designing a product is crucial in today’s society. She rose an important point about our planet that I think each team should consider when furthering their design process.

The speakers on Wednesday really intrigued me. They brought so many unique and fascinating ideas into our classroom. I really enjoyed how they laid out their thought-processes for us, showing the beginning stages of their ideas to the complete and final product. It reminded me a lot about our group project. They showed us that, starting with simple ideas is how you create a final, polished and well-though product. This ideology, along with their experience gave me a new sense of hope and ambition when I think about my own potential product. I thought that the speakers introduced ideas that people don’t normally think of, and even take advantage of. It’s cool to think that just about everything around us came form a design process, a process that’s very similar to the processes we’re conducting, right now during this class.