How many hours of practice time per week would you consider excessive? How many hours would not be enough to create sophisticated work? Where are you situated?
It’s hard to count my hours, mostly because I feel like I’m always working. Even when I’m not physically sitting in from of a computer with illustrator open or putting pencil to paper, my mind is filled with design. I look at menus and I see type, I look at interactive apps and I see the gestures. I feel like design thinking consumes me. Is that too much? Maybe, but I think it’s helped my work, so maybe that’s ok. I definitely recognize that I also need to take time to “turn off” my design mind occasionally so that I don’t burn out. I would also like to add that any time spent in the lab past five o’clock on a Friday would be considered excessive.

What is “sophisticated” work? What is sophisticated in the designs of your maps?
Sophisticated work involves an elevation beyond the “default.” This means   there is a certain threshold of work that has to be done in order to consider the work to be sophisticated. I think often, this means taking whatever your original idea was and doing something more. In the case of my maps, this was most apparent in my visualizing information map. My initial bar graph was a standard stacked bar graph. It was composed of two solid colors and it wasn’t interesting. Eventually, I came up with the idea to create granola bars out of the bars in my graph. This added a whole new dimension to the graph and made it sophisticated. In addition to adding a sophistication to the project, I added a sophistication to my own level of expertise by learning new skills in photoshop.

What was some meaningful feedback you received about the maps and what did you do with that feedback?

The most meaningful feedback I received was regarding my decision map. This was the only map that I had a lot of trouble starting on. I showed up to the critique where we were supposed to have a first draft and it was not up to my standards. I was frustrated that I couldn’t seem to come up with any thing decent, besides my main idea: kosher. I really liked the idea and was annoyed that I was probably going to have to change it. However, during our first critique, I was inspired by what Tuan (and others) had to say about the rationale behind decisions; the idea that our decisions, and the questions we ask in order to get there, have to refer to motives, not just the outcome. This helped me to redesign the way my map was structured and I was able to move forward with the rest of the design.

Describe what level of challenge you encountered in the creation of your maps. What was the hardest part / what was the easiest part? What was the most enjoyable part of the process?

I’ve found that in the design processes there are sometimes very distinct “aha” moments. All of a sudden, you have an idea that completely changes the way you’re thinking about a problem and it just works. That is the most enjoyable part of the process for me. I suppose the hardest part of the process is working through the time before your “aha” moment. I’ve learned this semester that there are calculated ways to work through that time. You can’t stop making just because you don’t feel inspired.

Did you do anything else outside of class, extracurricular, related to art, design, or creativity?

This semester I started making a lot of notebooks. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT.  After sitting in on Kim’s GDES III class during my shift as a lab monitor, I became a bit obsessed with bookbinding. I found myself staying in the lab late into the night making spiral bound notebooks. I came up with a whole business model to sell notebooks, determining ideal sizing and materials. I also made personalized notebooks for each of my family members as Chanukah presents, which was a really good exercise in reading people and thinking about how they will interact with an object.

Whether positively, negatively or neutrally, how has your life outside of school impacted your school work?
I have no life outside of school and that’s a problem. In the past, I’ve done a better job of balancing work and play. This semester, I’ve let work take over completely and I can feel the toll it has played on me. I’m trying to figure out whether or not this is just what life is nw, or if I really am working too much. I’m taking fewer hours next semester (still more than recommended) so hopefully that will help.

What does the most ideal classroom environment look/feel like to you? What does it mean to be part of a class? This semester, what was your part/role/contribution to this ideal vision?

I thrive in a design working environment. I’ve found myself spending more and more time in the lab, even when I’m working on assignments that aren’t design related or that I could be doing from home. I like being in a creative space to work. I think the most straightforward example of this was when I was working on my decisions map and I was in the lab and I turned to Alex to ask her to look at my work. Work cannot be done in a vacuum, we rely on each other (rightly so) for feedback. Our work should not be static and I am happy to be a part of an environment that allows for dynamic work to be created.