Concluding Blog Post

What seminar readings, exercises, or assignments were most challenging, interesting, or rewarding for you? Why?
I found Norman's "Emotional Design" and Lagerfeld's "What Main Street Can Learn From the Mall" to be the most interesting and applicable readings. These readings dicussed several points that were particularly relaivant to design, especially when evaluating it. After I learned about visceral, behavioral, and reflective design, I began evaluating almost everything using these three aspects. We also used visceral, behavioral, and reflective design to evaluate anything we discussed or presented after that. These aspects could also be applied to a downtown location, which was discussed by Gibb in Lagerfeld's article. Lagerfeld's article was interesting because it allowed me to developed logical reasons for why I do not like downtown Kalamazoo. Learning and reading from these authors was rewarding because it opened by eyes to design... in its truest sense. Before this class, I never evaluated an item based on pros and cons. Instead, I really only judged it on my liking.
What are the most important things you learned in this seminar?

During the course of this seminar I learned the value of discussion and presentations. Before this course, I avoided any formal discussions, or giving presentations. Not only did they make me feel nervous, but also uncomfortable. However, I observed that discussion is a great opportunity to share ideas. I think this seminar's topic was relatable for all of us. Design is all around us, and we are all designers. Therefore, it was easier for me, and probably others, to participate in discussion. Similarly, presentations gave me the opportunity to feel more comfortable speaking in front of a group. In the same way, I was able to practice projecting my voice.

How might you use this learning in the future?

All of the readings and assignments for this seminar will be useful in other classes. Discussions are essential to communicate ideas. Without them, it is a lot more difficult to know what others think, especially if you never talk them outside of class. I truly believe discussions can lead one to another way of thinking, like broadening one's horizon. Professor Stull gave us all a list of discussion roles, like gatekeeping. Now I understand what a discussion is like, so I will definitely use this for my future classes. Giving simple, clear, and concise presentations will also be required in the future. Even sharing ideas with employees after college will need to conveyed in a clear and concise manner. It is always important to remember who your audience is and how they can best understand what you are presenting.