Six semesters in, two to go. This semester revolves all about research and methods.
Who am I? Shihaab Rouine and at the end of the starting semester, I chose for software, which I then changed to media design. But I was also very interested in the other directions, so I guess my interests are broad. I think this reflects on my products. In the previous semester, I focused on interaction design and delivering a whole product. This is something I definitely want to continue.
Before this education, I graduated from application and media development, which is an MBO study. I mainly learned the skills of application development through practice. I did four internships and one of them was in Spain which lasted six months. By forcing myself out of my comfort zone through these internships I developed my interests in the unknown. I am a curious individual, I'm always fascinated by strange and bizarre ideas.
In the past semesters, I have learned that I enjoy making products and using the programming skills that I have more as a tool rather than using it as the main focus.
Podiatrists group
Bringing together students from Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands to spread
Some meetings can be intimidating or overly serious for what they are. To
Learning outcome 1: User interaction (analysis & advice)
You analyse the user, the user interaction and the user experience, also taking state of the art interactive technologies into account. You select a suitable design process to be able to advise on UX interventions based on a validated UX design
I performed research on various best practices and latest technologies that are relevant and documented this in the Subquestion research document. I looked i.e. at Duolingo and its gamification elements.
I analysed the user experience of the current design in the Design research document of the feet-check-app and made improvements based on the research conclusions of the Subquestion research document.
I answered the research question “What is the metaverse” in the document What is the metaverse.
When design the individual project design I analysed various elements of existing applications in the Figma process.
I selected the design process “define, ideate and design”. This can be seen in the Client project reading guide and the Individual project reading guide.
Learning outcome 2: User interaction (execution & validation)
You execute and evaluate the user experience of an interactive product. You document the development process for the stakeholders.
I produced and executed a high-fidelity prototype (Figma my prototype) that I can present to users, I explained my design choices and documented this in the Design research. I evaluated this user experience by performing a
I co-created a high-fidelity prototype out of different designs, that can be presented to users.
I co-created the Advice document where the design choices are explained for the stakeholders. We pitched the advice containing these explanation to the stakeholders in the Client project presentation.
Learning outcome 3: Software design
You design and evaluate a software system with existing components or libraries using predetermined quality criteria.
I investigated what existing component and library are best suited for my individual project in the Research software possibilities document.
In the Project plan individual project and the Advice individual project document, I established quality criteria for the concept. I evaluated the quality of the POC individual project in the Research software possibilities document. I also evaluated the quality of the design of the Figma prototypes Vibe Check using the preset goal, this is documented in the User test individual project document.
I designed a schematic representation of the user flow (Project plan individual project) and of the whole software system (Advice individual project).
Learning outcome 4: Future-oriented organisation
You carry out a problem analysis and on that basis, you determine the definitive problem and elaborate on this in a project plan.
I co-created the problem analysis in the Project plan client project, I contributed to the assignment's context and identification of the stakeholders. I partly formulate the design challenge and the two primary research questions. This mainly iterated via the Miro board.
I defined the context of the assignment, the tasks and the planning in the Project plan individual project.
I identified the context of the international week assignment in the International week reading guide under the heading
Learning outcome 5: Investigative problem solving
You formulate sub-questions pertaining to the primary question and answer these using relevant research methods. You use the conclusions of the sub-questions to justify (design) choices.
I contributed to creating the subquestions for the client project in order to more clearly distinguish the main two questions. These subquestion are displayed in the Miro board and the Project plan client project. I worked on my own Subquestion research document.
I selected and used the
I also made use of the
I made use of the
I also made use of the
Learning outcome 6: Personal leadership
You methodically reflect on your professional identity and personal development.
I methodically considered my work in the Individual project reading guide reflection, looking back on my work and at potential opportunities. I selected the
Learning outcome 7: Goal-oriented interaction
You communicate with different stakeholders and team members about the ICT assignment, taking into account an international context.
I co-created the Project plan client project, it communicates the context and schedule of the project to the stakeholders. I also pitched, together with the group, the advice (Advice document) to the stakeholders in the Client project presentation.
I communicated and worked on a project with international students during the international week, I also did a culture comparison (Hofstede assignment) with the international group.
I made the International week video to have a desired impact on the stakeholders when we delivered our concept at the end of the International week.
I created an Advice individual project document where I explain/communicate how to continue the project to a potential stakeholder.
A list of all links and documents that are being referenced to are here with an explanation, and the direct links are below.
During this semester I learned a lot about documenting, I see this mostly when rereading earlier documents. The level of writing changed to a more professional way and I have less struggle with trying to explain something. Normally I am a bit reluctant with writing down information, I usually adapt a more wait-and-see role in a team. But this slowly changed to a proactive role, where I try to write things down and document changes. I know that this is important for my professional identity and it is something I want to aim for.
A normal semester for me starts with a week or two with total dedication and focus. Then I become more lax and this motivation slips away. I notice it straight away, yet I do not know how to solve it. Deadlines are the one and only thing that scares me enough to migrate back to a dedicated mindset. I notice this when there is a portfolio assessment mid semester, or the final assessment. Overthinking starts and I question my decisions I made. But there is one think I notice that diverges this semester from others, I sort of planned my stress. The few weeks before I overthought so much I had no choice other than getting things done quick. When I am so stressed, it makes me a bit numb, extremely motivated and totally focussed. My stress had always been a weakness in my eyes, but maybe it should be used as a benefit. In moderation of course. It is something I have to remember for the next semester.