CRITICAL REFLECTION

In my undergraduate period, I majored in 3D computer animation, a field where I accumulated the foundation of visual aesthetics and creative expression. However, when I decided to pursue a master's degree, my goal was to deepen my design thinking and design philosophy and enhance my aesthetic ability for interface and page design to better adapt to and cope with diverse design challenges. In the first semester of my master's program, I took IDEA9106 Design Thinking, which completely changed my understanding of design. I realised that design is a visual aesthetic tool for solving problems. Through teamwork, we learned to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create and test innovative solutions. We also discovered the critical role of teamwork in the design process. In addition, the IDEA9105 Interface Design course helped me master design tools such as Figma.

Further, it honed my grasp of interface aesthetics by presenting design projects on multiple platforms, such as mobile, VR and PC applications for the Brisbane 2028 Olympics. During the master's program, I learned three core practical skills: user testing, prototype, and interview. In three projects, the Eeye Smart Glasses website design, the Lake Macquarie Community Project, and the ABC Digital Radio design, I applied these skills extensively to optimize the design and understand user needs. User testing helped me capture real user feedback. Still, I realized that the test environment may not fully reflect real usage situations, especially in the case of multiple user groups, and a single test may not reflect all potential needs. Prototyping allows the design concept to be visualized and the design intent visually demonstrated to users and stakeholders. However, too early a detail can limit the flexibility of a project, especially one like Lake Macquarie, which requires openness and adaptability.

Interviews have helped me to obtain a wealth of qualitative data. Still, there are also problems of respondent bias and sample limitation, reminding me that I need to integrate multiple data sources to obtain more comprehensive insights. Regarding theoretical concepts, Wicked Problems, Speculative Design, and Emotional Design are the three core ideas I have explored in depth during my master's study. The evil problem helped me understand the uncertainty and contradictions in design, as well as projects like ABC Digital Radio and Lake Macquarie; the complexity and variability of these projects required me to accept the openness of the solution. The critical design has inspired me to explore future scenarios in my design, particularly in the Eeye smart Glasses project, to stimulate innovation by assuming a future remote work environment.

However, the forward-looking needs of speculative design are balanced with realistic needs. Emotional design reminds me to pay attention to the user's emotional experience in the design, which is particularly critical in the ABC digital radio project. However, I also recognise that emotional design can manipulate users to a degree that makes them dependent on the product. Therefore, while improving the user experience, designers should respect the user's self-control and freedom of choice. Throughout my MIDEA master's study journey, reflecting on my growth and harvest, I realized that design is a visual innovation and a process of understanding and coping with complex problems. My undergraduate background gave me a keen sense of vision, while during my master's, I learned to look at design work more critically by acquiring practical skills and theoretical knowledge.

For me, this learning journey is not only the improvement of design ability but also the transformation of design thinking and methods, which enables me to learn to remain open, flexible and critical in the face of complex and changing design challenges. These gains will become an essential cornerstone of my future design road.