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| END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION |
| NAME | Polly Williams | BLOG. ADDRESS |
http://pa-williams0912.blogspot.com/
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
Not so much in the 'What if..' brief, but in the 'Collection 100' brief I have experimented with Illustrator and Photoshop considerably more so than I did in previous projects. I have also experimented with InDesign which is a program which I am not really familiar with. I have learnt a variety of simple bookbinding techniques which I would very much like to take on further. I also think my research skills have improved in terms of categorizing and finding truly relevant research. In the group project I think that I really improved my communication and diplomacy skills. I think it may have helped being the only girl, as I felt I really had to make them listen and stand my ground! Although I didn't have much to show in terms of practical design of the final products, most of my ideas were used either completely or partly, and I think they really worked.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I think that my methods of collecting primary research have improved, mainly because of what I decided to do, I required a lot of primary research, and needed it to continue with my final piece in the Collection brief. I found the group crits useful ways of generating new and more relevant paths of research. The more I was encouraged to look at, the more ideas I was able to generate in terms of the solution.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I was especially pleased with the quality of my final piece for the Collection project, in terms of craftsmanship... I really thought there was a high chance of something going seriously wrong, as there weren't many opportunities to practice the book binding techniques. What allowed everything to run smoothly was my time management; something I usually struggle with! This time I really managed to identify the areas which I may struggle with and would possibly need more time than I first thought, and made sure I allowed myself the time to complete the tasks. I think that I was only able to do this because of the longer length of time allowed for the project, but it really worked. I think I now just need to learn to manage my time effectively for a shorter project. I need to find a better balance between good time management, and pushing myself to the absolute maximum. In the What if brief, I think my communication skills improved the most, both within the group, and also standing up and presenting. Even if I wasn't brilliant, I definitely felt far more confident. I think this could have been because I felt I was far more involved with the project, so I really knew what I was talking about. I also think my leadership skills improved, I am by no means a leader, and wasn't our group leader, but I was far more confident in myself with pushing my ideas which I felt would work, and coming up with good compromises.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
For the Collection project, I think the most obvious weakness was the resolution of the pages in the final piece. After spending a lot of my time making each image/message look exactly as I wanted on Photoshop, I made the mistake of resizing them once I had dragged them into the page layouts in InDesign. I have since realized where I went wrong, so I am putting this down to a learning curb! However, had I asked someone, and not been so stubborn in trying to be self-sufficient, I could have found this out sooner! Another weakness I felt was my packaging resolution. I don't think I focused enough research and thought into the packaging, at least not as much as I did for the other elements of my product. I am satisfied with my resolved packaging, but it could certainly be improved if I had a bit more time. In terms of the What if brief, my main weakness was my lack of involvement with the practical design side. I think I wrote it off as something I wouldn't be able to get involved with, as we chose to make a website and a photoshop impression of a lunch box, both things I wouldn't have the first clue how to make! However I admired how Arthur made is own hand rendered versions of the website, which I could easily have thought to do myself, and is an area I would have felt comfortable in. Although we didn't use his website, we ended up choosing his map, so it just shows that I really could have pushed myself into that side of the project, rather than focusing on research and ideas.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
1) Not be afraid to ask more people more questions about software and areas that I am not experienced in: This will allow me to pick things up more quickly and make less avoidable mistakes.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I was especially pleased with the quality of my final piece for the Collection project, in terms of craftsmanship... I really thought there was a high chance of something going seriously wrong, as there weren't many opportunities to practice the book binding techniques. What allowed everything to run smoothly was my time management; something I usually struggle with! This time I really managed to identify the areas which I may struggle with and would possibly need more time than I first thought, and made sure I allowed myself the time to complete the tasks. I think that I was only able to do this because of the longer length of time allowed for the project, but it really worked. I think I now just need to learn to manage my time effectively for a shorter project. I need to find a better balance between good time management, and pushing myself to the absolute maximum. In the What if brief, I think my communication skills improved the most, both within the group, and also standing up and presenting. Even if I wasn't brilliant, I definitely felt far more confident. I think this could have been because I felt I was far more involved with the project, so I really knew what I was talking about. I also think my leadership skills improved, I am by no means a leader, and wasn't our group leader, but I was far more confident in myself with pushing my ideas which I felt would work, and coming up with good compromises.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
For the Collection project, I think the most obvious weakness was the resolution of the pages in the final piece. After spending a lot of my time making each image/message look exactly as I wanted on Photoshop, I made the mistake of resizing them once I had dragged them into the page layouts in InDesign. I have since realized where I went wrong, so I am putting this down to a learning curb! However, had I asked someone, and not been so stubborn in trying to be self-sufficient, I could have found this out sooner! Another weakness I felt was my packaging resolution. I don't think I focused enough research and thought into the packaging, at least not as much as I did for the other elements of my product. I am satisfied with my resolved packaging, but it could certainly be improved if I had a bit more time. In terms of the What if brief, my main weakness was my lack of involvement with the practical design side. I think I wrote it off as something I wouldn't be able to get involved with, as we chose to make a website and a photoshop impression of a lunch box, both things I wouldn't have the first clue how to make! However I admired how Arthur made is own hand rendered versions of the website, which I could easily have thought to do myself, and is an area I would have felt comfortable in. Although we didn't use his website, we ended up choosing his map, so it just shows that I really could have pushed myself into that side of the project, rather than focusing on research and ideas.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
1) Not be afraid to ask more people more questions about software and areas that I am not experienced in: This will allow me to pick things up more quickly and make less avoidable mistakes.
2) Make sure I allow equal time to answer all areas of the brief: This will prevent me from missing out on important areas and marks.
3) Make a prototype: this will allow me to correct unpredictable errors.
4) Improve time management skills: although I thought they were a lot better in this module, I still think that they could be improved upon even more.
5) Try to make use of my design skills, even if its not first clear where they could be used: This will allow me to stretch my imagination and increase my involvement in this area of group work.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
Attendance 4Punctuality 5
Motivation 3
Commitment 4
Quantity of work produced 4
Quality of work produced 3
Contribution to the group 4
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.
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