Development
This page outlines my development as a designer within the scope of 5 expertise areas.
Math Data & Computing
I view Mathematics, Data, and Computing as invaluable tools which I use to integrate logic and intelligence into my designs. I have always been captivated by the utility and elegance of mathematics in nature and I aim to replicate this in my work.
The Calculus, Physics and data analytics courses I undertook in my first year, allowed me to grow my general understanding and confidence in using and applying different mathematical and logical concepts.
I developed my general problem-solving skills and became comfortable with thinking about designs through an abstract mathematical lens. Furthermore, I’ve developed my data and computing related hard skills such as by learning new programming languages, learning how to analyse and interpret data, and learning new coding frameworks.
These are all skills which I have applied and broadened through work in my past projects and which I aim to use frequently moving forward.
Technology & Realization
‘technology & realization’ plays a crucial role in my design process allowing me to transform ideas into real products. I believe it is important that my designs aren’t limited by my skillset. Rather, I find it motivating to develop new skills in order to be able to realize ideas the way that I originally envisioned them.
For this reason, ‘technology & realization’ is an expertise area that I am passionate about, as I love discovering new tools and methods through which I can bring design concepts to life.
Rapid Prototyping, woodworking, 3D printing, electronics, programming and CAD are all processes which I have already developed in and utilised to achieve my design goals in my projects.
I believe having experience over a wide range of creative/technical tools is key to achieving seamless professional results, which is why my goal looking forward is to continue grow my skillset.
User & Society
I view Mathematics, Data, and Computing as invaluable tools which I use to integrate logic and intelligence into my designs. I have always been captivated by the utility and elegance of mathematics in nature and I aim to replicate this in my work.
The Calculus, Physics and data analytics courses I undertook in my first year, allowed me to grow my general understanding and confidence in using and applying different mathematical and logical concepts.
I developed my general problem-solving skills and became comfortable with thinking about designs through an abstract mathematical lens. Furthermore, I’ve developed my data and computing related hard skills such as by learning new programming languages, learning how to analyse and interpret data, and learning new coding frameworks.
These are all skills which I have applied and broadened through work in my past projects and which I aim to use frequently moving forward.
Creativity & Aesthetics
The role of ‘Creativity and Aesthetics’ is important to me, as I strive to create a unique and engaging appeal to my designs. The ‘Creativity and aesthetics’ expertise area encapsulates more than just the visual appearance of projects, hence why I also place a focus on the aesthetics of interaction in my designs.
I believe the aesthetics of a design should complement its functionality. This approach has allowed me to make informed and knowledge-driven design decisions, as opposed to relying solely on my creative intuition. I believe this design approach can lead to more captivating designs and improve my creative design process overall.
I had the opportunity to develop my ‘creativity and aesthetics’ related hard skills throughout several of my past projects. For example, I learned how to explore and communicate my ideas through the ‘exploratory sketching’ course. Additionally I worked on the aesthetics of the interaction of our Brian project.
In my future projects, I’ll be aiming to form my own overarching design language, to further establish myself as a designer.
Business & Entrepreneurship
Beyond purely designing, I also take an interest in the challenges of marketing and selling products, especially when relating these concepts to the ‘user & society’ expertise area to understand user needs. Pitching and presenting work is another way in which I have made an effort to fulfill this expertise area.
Though I have not yet had many opportunities to explore this expertise area in my studies, I plan on developing my business-related skills in the future.
An upcoming goal of mine to achieve this is applying to the URE extracurricular club through which I could have the opportunities to develop my teamworking and communication skills, while also experiencing what it’s like to be part of a team developing a real product under the challenges of regulations and deadlines.
A second long-term ‘business and entrepreneurship’ related goal I have is taking on an internship to build a professional network from which I can gain real-world experiences and knowledge.
I hope to develop further in this expertise area to gain a more complete perspective on the lifecycle and consumption of the products I design.
