This blogpost is a reflection over the first half of the module. Click here for a reflection on the final stages of RI1.
So far the masters has been going well in general but there have definitely been some challenges to overcome and adapt to as well. I wanted to take some time to reflect on them which is what this blogpost is about. I have followed the GIBBS reflective model which you can read more about here.
In the first week of the course I decided to write out a project backlog for this first module without being sure of what the syllabus had in store. Below is a table with the backlog item as well as how I feel I am progressing against them.
| Project backlog | Progress against it |
|---|---|
| I can use UX software like Figma and Adobe XD confidently | Week 3 challenge as well as RI1 have made me comfortable in these softwares, even though there is still much to learn in them I feel like I have the basics down. |
| I can create and manage a UX project from start to finish | RI1 and RI2 are good tasters of this. I haven’t focused on trying to manage an entire UX project but definitely believe that have worked on ideation, prototyping, time management and specifically in RI2 on collaboration as I am teaming up with Hannah for it. All of these are elements of a project, though not the totality of what goes into one. |
| I can ask my users the right questions | This area hasn’t been touched yet but I know that the week 8 content includes user research which I hope will begin this journey. |
| I can ask myself the right questions | Through this CRJ and the RIs feel that I am developing this skill. Specifically I feel that I have improved in being able to identify when something is going wrong and then adapting my course of action. |
| I can bring my other interests into UX | My visual design background sits comfortably within the UX ecosystem and I have tried with my research to explore questions I myself would like the answer to. However I have also found that the course helps me keep my personal and professional life more separate by empowering me to pursue my creative practice in my own time with knowledge I am gaining from the masters. I am grateful to this as I always struggled with the boundary between the two before. |
Table. 1: Sarah Gomes Munro 2023. Check against backlog.
There were some bumps with regards to research: how much of it I should be doing and how to factor it into my week. I knew that at masters level we were expected to step up our research game and I definitely found that the first few weeks I was more focused on this before relaxing into a more natural rhythm as the weeks wore on. I do want to keep developing these skills but I am also very aware that my career aspirations fall outside of research and academic practice so I feel justified in taking my foot off that specific pedal a little bit.
I also encountered a few bumps with time management. In the past I have been able to work continuously and just move through the work until I get stuff done, however in my life I have also been ill a fair few times with exhaustion so I know this is not sustainable. As such, the last few weeks I have been working on my time and energy management, by setting SMART objectives and project plans so that I know that I am doing the work that needs to be done. I also had a reminder that life can be unpredictable recently with my father going in for emergency surgery and being involved in his care post-op. This was obviously unplanned but it also put even more pressure on my time and energy management because I had to ensure I met the deadline.
The part time nature of this course is a balance I am still trying to figure out and sometimes I overcommitted in my life outside of my course and other times I didn’t know how to step away from the course even though the work was probably done.
Running the CRJ has also been a curveball I wasn’t expecting as this level of reflection and the work required to make it digestible for an outside pair of eyes is new to me. Whilst I have managed to complete the weekly challenges every week on time, I have definitely found that the writing plays a bit of catch up and can drag over into following weeks. I am learning that I cannot do lots of reflective writing in a row as well as making my personal reflection make sense for other people to read is a muscle I really don’t like exercising. This also comes up when I’m struggling with time management but as the course goes on and I try different new time management approaches it does seem to be improving.
On a personal note I see that this masters has helped me compartmentalise all the things I want to be doing by helping me be clearer between my career and my personal creative practice. This course gives me skills that directly benefit my personal practice while giving me a space in which I can exercise my professional muscles. I feel that by having my private space in which to be as fine-arty as I want I can then focus better on my professional side, and the reflection and technical skills I am learning on the course I take over to my personal practice. It’s an important symbiosis that needs both elements to flourish.