-
I would advise future students not to
be intimidated by taking on an ambitious project but if they are going to do
that, make sure to take advantage of the resources offered through the class
community and to set a very strict timescale for their
project.
-
It would have been helpful for us to
create a timeline earlier in the quarter than we did.
-
If I were to do this again, I would
probably research more on the statistics of wheelchair
users.
-
I feel like I should have addressed
more of these questions [understood the problem better] instead of just jumping
into the design process after an interview.
-
If I were to do something differently,
I wish I had more time to work on the project.
-
If I could redo this project, I would
have explored persons with various disabilities that may need button dressing
aids.
-
If I were to do something different in
the course, I would have interacted more with the other students because even
though I knew that the insights I described in this reflection could have
helped other projects, and vice-versa. I would have also taken more advantage
of the PRL staff to gain design feedback and advice.
-
I do not think I would change much
about the quarter at all.
-
Pieces of advice that I would give
future students are:
-
Be specific about your design
problem statement and your user. This will allow you to ideate and test more
efficiently and effectively.
-
Be comfortable starting over in
your design process. Go back to the empathy stage if you need more data.
Brainstorm and prototype some more if you have to.
-
The more iterations you can do of
an idea, the better so that you can continuously improve your
product.
-
Ask for help or guidance from
Dave, your coach, other students in the class, people who took the class
before, PRL TAs.
-
Put time into your presentations.
Others won't be able to fully appreciate the work you've done unless you
showcase your process well.
-
If I were to go through this process
again, there are several things that I would do differently.
-
I would be sure to begin the
brainstorming and prototyping process as early as possible.
-
I would also be sure to keep that
process up until I reach the final design stage.
-
Also very important is to stay in
contact with your user as much as possible because they provide you with a
valuable perspective that you may not have.
-
If I was to do this class again I
would definitely try to contact a lot more users to test our product and start
the prototyping process even earlier.
-
I would get into the shop earlier and
prototype more.
-
Prototype early, prototype often, and
try to prove out or debunk product ideas as quickly as you possibly can, using
as low-resolution prototype as can give you definitive
information.
-
Strive always to maintain an open mind
and the flexibility to give up old ideas in light of new
information.
-
Enjoy yourself as much as possible,
because if the process of solving problems can become fun for you, then there
is no limit to what you can achieve.
-
I plan to encourage my group [members]
to take some time away from each other to brainstorm whenever each person feels
inclined; doing this along with more organized group brainstorm sessions will
provide a larger variety of ideas.
-
I would suggest that other groups get
to know their group members from the beginning and understand what everyone's
expectations are.
-
I also suggest making physical
prototypes as soon as possible. Drawing is great and helps at the beginning,
but the major "ah-ha" moments will come when you actually make your
designs.
-
The main piece of advice I would give
to future students is to focus on early prototyping and user
testing.
-
It was important for us to realize
that a lot of what we needed for prototyping was at our reach in the Stanford
PRL. Being thrifty and using easy quick materials like thin soft plastics and
wood was extremely important for making quick prototypes and being able going
through multiple iterations as our ideas evolved. We would basically sit in the
shop and just try prototypes of new ideas as we thought of them. I think being
able to try stuff out in this fashion was extremely helpful in honing down our
solution and eliminating problems as they arose.
