New Media Projects

I am experienced with:

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Jekyll
• C
• Emscripten
• WebAssembly
• Figma
• Wix
• Photoshop
• Camera Raw & Photography
• SQL
• Krita
• Video Editing & Filming
• Adobe Illustrator
• Python

I would like to learn more of:

• Eleventy
• Godot
• C
• C++
• Rust
• SVG drawing (Illustrator)
• SVG Animation (Adobe After Effects/Adobe Animate)

Thoughts on the IDEO Field Guide

Below is a list of thoughts that I wrote down while perusing the IDEO field guide.

I am very glad that the field guide not only describes the mindsets of design, but also lists many methods that designers can use. I'm someone who struggles with vague and open-ended instructions, so having lots of methods that are described clearly is great.

I noticed three methods in the inspiration category that had details I found interesting:

• Before interviewing people, you need to plan out who you're going to interview, and what you're going to ask. Having a plan means you'll gather good info more efficiently.
• Considering the people they are designing for is probably the highest priority of human-centered designers, but they mustn't forget to "consider governments, NGOs, other businesses, or competitors."
• You must interview both average users and extreme users in order to make a solution that works for everyone. I am very glad that IDEO does this, because many companies dismiss extreme users due to them being uncommon, and I myself am an extreme person who doesn't always feel considered.

I also like the importance they place on making tangible prototypes. I am glad that prototypes can help clear ambiguity.

IDEO's field guide emphasizes the importance of listening to the people you're trying to help. This is good, of course, but it is worrying to think that designers might need to be told this.

"You’ll diverge and converge a few times, and with each new cycle you’ll come closer and closer to a market-ready solution."
The use of the word "cycle" makes me feel that human-centered design is not a linear process. I've heard the same thing said about healing one's mental health, that it's not a linear process; it's a "spiral" where each time you go around the circle of sadness, you get a little bit better at recovering.

Human-centered designers don't just focus on what is desirable for people, they also have to make their idea technically feasible and financially viable.

I really liked the section on creative confidence. Often, I can't help but compare myself to the artists, storytellers, and composers who I respect a lot, and feel like I have no creativity whatsoever because I can't create the same tear-stirring original masterpieces that they can. It's a relief to hear that everyone is creative.
Confidence is also very important. It seems like confidence, and "the permission... ...to get something wrong", is an absolute must in order to get anywhere with the spontaneous philosophy of human-centered design.

Human-centered designers "don’t cling to ideas any longer than [they] have to". To be a good designer, I must be prepared to watch my ideas be discarded.

When trying to design solutions to societal issues like poverty; optimism, the belief that progress is possible, is a must; or else nothing would get done.

A crucial part of iteration is not fixating on making every prototype perfect. It's better to make lots of quick prototypes, so you can get lots of feedback at every step of the way.