LAST BLOG :O

1. What seminar readings, exercises, or assignments were most challenging, interesting, or rewarding for you? Why?

The most challenging exercise for me was the discussions. Sometimes I felt like I had something I wanted to say, but the topic had already passed and I didn't want to hold up the discussion and return to it. Also in discussions like that I find it hard for me to jump in, when we are leading it as a class. I feel like sometimes people cut each other off, and also that type of setting isn't the most comfortable for me. However, I feel like I got more vocally involved as the class progressed. I also felt more comfortable because of the atmosphere we created as a class. Everyone was more receptive to others thoughts and our conversations flowed more and seemed more natural.

The most rewarding assignment was the Wikipedia assignment. To have written THE Wikipedia article on something is an accomplishment, and I am pretty proud. I wrote about the tiny town of Kilauea where my large family lives. I was surprised at the amount of information I found about such a small town. When I told my family that I had written the Wikipedia article on their town they were really excited. I liked the assignment also because it forced me to be concise and unbiased. I hadn't really done an exercise like this before. I didn't receive the grade I wanted on my initial paper, but I worked hard on the revisions and was very satisfied with my revision grade. I went through several drafts on this paper, something I also hadn't done much of in high school. The writing center was very helpful, and I definitely plan on using it as a resource in the future.

The most interesting part of this course was learning about the psychological aspect of design. This included the readings on store design and the readings about how designers manipulate customers. The layout of stores, towns, and products are strategic.

2. What are the most important things you learned in this seminar?

The relationship between a product and the user. The mapping, affordances and other aspects of a product that should be made clear to the user to eliminate frustration. I learned about the psychological aspect of design and how strategic designs are in manipulating customers. I learned how to be a part of a discussion that is lead by the class without one moderator. I learned the steps of making a good presentation. I have made many many power point presentations in my lifetime, but never with much structure. I learned how to make it visually effective, that I should outline my presentation before I actually make it, how to keep it concise, and how to make it relatable to my audience.


3. How might you use this learning in the future?
I'm thinking about going into advertising or web designing. If I do so, I can definitely use what I have learned in this seminar class. When I get a job, no matter what it is, it is most likely that we will have meetings and discussions where my colleagues and I will conduct the discussion ourselves. Through seminar I have had good practice with this. I now know how to make concise and effective presentations that are to the point. I will definitely have more of these in the future.