Week 6 - Defining Problems

Include the following in your Week 6 journal entry:

• The poster you have prepared for presenting in Week 7 (the final version of the poster should be prepared after the empathising session with the panel i.e. revise the poster you prepared in class after taking into account the perspectives of the panel members).

• Illustrate the context that is relevant for the problem statement you are exploring.
  Our problem statement is Dealing with memory loss in the elderly using technology.

• Provide evidence of the empathising process you have undertaken and link the outcomes to your problem statement.
• Include 2-3 revised / refined personas arising from your empathising process.
  Personas:
  Valerie Gleenie and Celica Livingstone
• Present your revised problem statement.

• Discuss the following:
  • Did any of your assumptions change after empathising with the panel?
    The panel brought new information that we were not aware of and clarified assumptions that were inaccurate. As an example, a guest said that many seniors are looking forward to implementing more technology that can improve their daily tasks. It changed the assumption #1 that stands for "1 - Old people don't want to learn new technologies because they think they don't need it".
  • Which tools did you find most useful in undertaking the empathising process?
    The tools that we found the most useful in our group whilst undertaking the empathising process were the personas and the problem statement matrix. We had used these tools before in our workshop and also used them in our poster so we found these two tools to be the most useful when undertaking the empathising process.
  • Outline other problem statements that you considered and highlight why you decided on the one you are presenting.
    We thought of various problem statements matrixes while completing our poster and decided to create them all on our topic which is memory loss. We included four different problem statements matrixes in our poster, which can be seen above. We used these problem statements matrixes that we created to help us with our group assignment. 

The peer review form you have created with your questions.

The four questions that we prepared to ask the two groups that are presenting to us are: 

• Why did you decide to use the tools that you did in your poster?

• If you had to create this poster again would you chance anything such as using more/different tools?

• Ask them about the information on their poster and why they included what they did. 

• If they did not use a tool, ask them why they did not use it on their poster.

 

The peer review form you have customised with your questions for use in Week 7.

FEEDBACK

• More personas are nee
• The problem statement is not clear

Week 5 - Empathising & Defining Problems

Include the following in your Week 5 journal entry:

• Carefully document the assumptions you consider to be valid and important in relation to the Design Thinking Project.

The first and main assumption that we have considered being valid in our Design Thinking Project are linked with elderly people and their limitations to deal with new technologies:

Assumption 1


1 - Old people don't want to learn new technologies  because they think they don't need it

During the weekly workshop, we also considered that elderly people could not do many activities because they have mental and physical limits.It is a very know assumption that most people think is true. 

Assumption 2

2 - Old people have mental and physical limits.

Finally, we assumed that most elderly people could not do many activities by themselves.

Assumption 3

3 - Old people are not able to do activities on their own.

• Present and discuss your problem statement matrix representing the key problem you intend to address in the Design Thinking Project.

During the weekly workshop, Jayden and I created this Problem Statement Matrix representing the MEMORY LOSS as a key problem that we intend to address in our Design Thinking Project. We both have people who suffer from memory loss. It is a common issue that we want to cover on our Design Think Project.

• Comment on the effectiveness of the various tools you have employed so far.

The frameworks that we have learnt have different applicability. We should look which one will suit most for our Design Think Project. We have seen some examples that helped us to clarify how to use them properly. For instance, using Personas and Problem Statement Matrix will be essential to our project. We need them to make clear to our audience how frustrating is having memory loss. It will reveal their feelings and concerns which help to develop empathy and understand them better.

Week 4 - Empathising

Include the following in your Week 4 journal entry:

• Your empathy map developed around the digital divide.

• One or more empathy maps relevant to the Design Thinking Project.

• 2-3 personas relevant to the Design Thinking Project.

Week 3 - Context

Include the following in your Week 3 journal entry:

• A discussion of the trends you and your partner identified.

Jayden and I looked at some digital trends that would be an advantage for people in their lives. We looked up technologies such as the new razer blade laptop and how iPhone builder Foxconn replaced 6000 workers with robots. We both love technology, so we focused on the digital aspects of trends that had been in the news. 

• The rich picture you developed with your partner to illustrate the ageing context.

• A discussion of the metaphors you applied to the ageing context.

Life is like a wink - the ageing metaphor that we developed during the workshop was “eventually everyone gets old so make the most of life while you have the chance because life is too short.” Before creating this metaphor, we planned to do something based on life cycle so we combined both our ideas and came up with the rich picture above. 

• Consideration of the effectiveness of rich pictures and metaphors to investigate / understand the project's context.

Doing this rich picture was a way to explore the ageing process and illustrated a concept. This tool helped me and my partner to open discussion about our metaphor. It was a helpful tool to help us understand the projects context. After doing that, we understood more about the concepts and multiple uses of rich pictures. We have also are discussing how to use these tools in our Design Thing Project correctly.

Week 2 - Digital Innovation

Include the following in your Week 2 journal entry:

• Describe one technology trend that has led to innovation in the Health industry, specifically in relation to the elderly.

I researched about how to provide a quick and safe diagnostic elderly people who suffers diabetes. Many companies offer efficient diabetes monitoring devices with a friendly interface. Frequently, these technologic devices require knowledge and skills that seniors do not have. This trend approaches their autonomy.

• Document how you intend to work with your partner to complete the Design Thinking Project including:

Jayden and I have planned to meet up every Tuesday at 11 am until we have finished our pitch. Also, we are communicating about the assignments development, by phone, email and Facebook. Communication is an essential point that we are aware because this Design Thinking Project will require commitment from both of us.

Weeks	Steps
3/4	By the end of week 4 we will have finished empathise and define a problem.
5	By the end of week 5 we will have finished Ideating.
6	By the end of week 6, we will have finished choses our top ideation and will have started prototyping and testing.
7/8	By the end of week 8 we will have finished our paper prototype.
9/10	By the end of week 10 we will have finished testing the prototype.
11	By the end of week 11, we will have refined the prototype.

We have decided that we both should keep copies of our work on our laptops. Also, we transfer our work by email, Facebook messages (not often) and USB device. We should ensure that keeping many copies of our work is a safe way to succeed in our pitch presentation.

• Comment on your experience of the d.school crash course. For example, highlight which parts you found challenging and which ones were easy, describe which aspects you enjoyed and which took you outside of your comfort zone...

At first, I found a bit hard to interview him because I am very shy.  However, this tool helped to break the ice between Jayden and myself. Further, it was very helpful to know each other better. Jayden was very friendly and accessible. We did some sketches that helped gave us a big picture about each other. The part that took me out of my comfort zone was answering very personal questions and concerns to someone that I did not know. It was a bit hard sharing such personal concerns, but he was very friendly. After doing that, I felt more confident with him.

Week 1 - Introduction & Overview / Design Thinking

Include the following in your Week 1 journal entry:

• Include your completed student characteristics inventory and answer the questions at the top of the sheet

Student Characteristics Inventory

Tick the best column for each characteristic.

Keep your answers; repeat this activity in Week 13; make a comparison in your Journal assessment.

Also in your Journal assessment, you may consider the following:

· Which do you think are important for your future career? 

In my opinion, being able to manage my time well working in IT field is a key point. To build a career, a set of skills are required to reach my goals such as having excellent communication skills, problem-solving skills, being proactive and on time, cultivating a good relationship with everyone, and so on. Furthermore, it is essential showing that you can prioritise, work efficiently and productively, and manage your time well.

· Can you think of any others?

Also, some skills are required to accomplish a good career such as being responsible, collaborative, inquisitive and enthusiastic.

  

· Which characteristics do you think the guest speakers rely upon in their professions?

I believe they are enthusiastic in their jobs; they love what they are doing, and they are very responsible in their positions.

	Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Personal
You accept responsibility for your learning		x
You attend your scheduled classes		x
You're honest and trustworthy	x
You're an attentive listener and an articulate speaker				x
You work alone and in small groups		x
You follow instructions		x
You contribute to class and online discussions			x
You organise your time				x
You plan ahead			x
You meet deadlines			x
You're comfortable writing on whiteboards		x
You can talk to an audience			x
You accept responsibility for your outcomes.	x
Scholarly
You're inquisitive		x
You're enthusiastic about attending uni		x
You can evaluate and compare different readings
You write descriptive notes as you read			x
You make insightful observations that lead to robust conclusions		x
You know why referencing is important	x
You use referencing appropriately	x
Your vocabulary is well-developed			x
You can write eloquently			x
Your grammar is well-developed			x
Your writing is well-structured.			x
Technical
You can use a web browser	x
You can use Microsoft Word	x

• Highlight the three main things that you expect to get out of this course (after reflecting on the student advice from the previous year)

Firstly, the main thing that I am expecting to get out of this course is to improve my communication skills. English is not my first language, so I am having trouble to make people understanding my ideas. I read the previous students reflection, some of them said that their communication skills were improved. The second goal that I expect to approach is to develop my public speaking skills. I get nervous easily when I have to present to a big audience, and I still do not feel confident. After reading some students feedbacks from the last year, they said that one of the main improvements that they had was overcoming their fears when they presented their Design Thinking Project. Finally, the third main thing that I am expecting to get out of this course is to be able to manage my time properly. I am facing a big challenge at this moment in my life. Before I come to Australia, I never had worried about cooking my food, washing my clothes, paying so many bills. Here I have to do all by myself. It seems that I don't have time enough to complete all the tasks that I have. Some students from last year said that they could improve their time management.

• Comment on the success of the creativity / mug exercise you undertook

The mug exercise was fascinating and fun. I did not know before this activity that we were able to suggest so many different approaches for a mug. It was a brainstorming activity that helped us to rethink concepts about a simple daily life object.