This page is the weekly reflection of week 1 of this module. I have followed the GIBBS methodology to write this blogpost which can be found here.
I looked at the assignment briefs and paired up with Hannah for the weekly challenge of redesigning a desk. A walkthrough and self reflection of that exercise can be found in the link at the top of this page. The topics themselves are content that I already knew from previous UX experience but a refresher is always welcome. The start of the module was a little turbulent as the assignments did not match up with what we were expecting (two assignments instead of one as had been previously communicated) and it was also a few days before we got our welcome email and information around our webinar which in turn perturbed how much uni work I managed to get done.
The first week of a new module is always a bit of a shock for me and I found it difficult to get going on the uni work. Events in my personal life prevented me from focusing as much as I would’ve liked which I found frustrating. That being said, I am excited to start this module as it is the one I was most looking forward to when I first applied to the masters and I also pushed through and completed all the work that I could this week and of that I am proud.
I wasn’t very inspired by the assignments and the confusion with the start of the module not matching up to what I was expecting (two assignments instead of one) as well as not knowing when our first webinar was going to be also kept me a bit in a limbo state and unsure on whether the assignment briefs were to be trusted and followed. It has meant that work that could’ve been started this week around looking at the assignments and deciding a direction for the project will roll over to next week which I already know will make for a tiring week 2.
The negative points of the week were that my focus and concentration were not on my side so all the work took longer to complete than they would’ve done if I had been feeling in top form. The confusion around the assignments and webinar days also affected my ability to move forwards in that department.
Positives are that the work that could get done, did get done and I pushed through the mental block.
Dispersed focus was in part due to me not setting myself up for success with pulls from my personal life interrupting me more than I could’ve avoided and also with the start of the module feeling a little turbulent and not wanting to spend energy on work that I would then have to undo if it turned out that the assignments were not to be followed.
What went well did so because I have spent much of my life practicing my work ethic and making sure that even if I do not feel my best that the work gets completed. I cannot abide work remaining unfinished, even if it is done slowly and finished later than I would like.