Personal Development Plan
Charlotte van der Sommen B3.2 coach: Sander Mulder Jan/Jun 2015
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Table of content Introduction Vision Identity Growth Main Goals Sub Goals Planning Future by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Page 2 Page 3 Page 6 Page 7 Page 9 Page 11 Page 13 Page 20
1.
Introduction This Personal Development Plan is for my B3.2 semester at Industrial Design. This is going to be my final Bachelor project. In this report you will read about my Vision on design, My Identity as designer and my plans for development within design, with the purpose of becoming more the designer I want to be. Finally I also explain about my plans for after the bachelor of Industrial Design. My main project this semester will be “Local Em(power)ment”. I choose this project because main goal for this semester is to do a socially focused project with a real client because I want to make the project as realistic and complete as possible. To read more about my goals for this semester, go to “growth”.
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Vision This is the vision I got directly out of my showcase. I plan on improving this vision during this semester. Every culture and every person has its own way of communicating, celebrating and its own traditions and beliefs. For almost every social problem in one society, there is another culture that has found a good solution to that problem. And in some cases the behavior of one culture can immediately impact another culture in a good way, by combining their characteristics strategically. My goal is to embrace the lessons or characteristics of one culture to improve on aspects of another. By listening to people and creating empathy with a culture, I will learn lessons that will help me cope with the design challenges I come across. The fitting design challenges for me would be the ones with a social focus.
3.
In my opinion it is hard to design something valuable for a big group of people. The smaller the group the more specific, life changing and qualitative the design gets for the user. By involving different pieces of a small cultural group into the other, my goal is to create a broader understanding from one cultural group for the other, and to create deeper layers within my products that will really suits a culture. For me it is also very important to provide clients with a product that is not only conceptual but a totally finished and implemented product with a decent business model. An example of a product that corresponds perfectly with my vision is the “Waka Waka Lamp”. This lamp is produced for people that live in third world countries where the electricity network is very insufficient. The lamp is powered by solar energy, user-friendly and very low in costs. But the lamp is also an interesting product for the wealthier parts of the world. The lamp itself is provided in a very high quality packaging where the situations in the third world countries are explained by the help of stories and pictures, and when you buy a “Waka Waka Lamp” in the town of Tilburg the municipality will pay for a “Waka Waka Lamp” in a third world country. The “Waka Wake Lamp” shows that in the third world there is no light at night, and people have no money to buy it. It also shows that in the first world people have enough money to buy a lamp. With the “Waka Waka Lamp” the designer brings the first and the third world closer together. He uses characteristics from both worlds to help both worlds. He helps the third world with light at night, and he helps the first
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
5.
Identity I’m a visionary and I like to dream of the perfect world. A world in which everyone is nice to each other and all cultures are respecting each other. I’m also an optimistic person I tend to see everything from the positive side. Next to that I see myself as a social and empathic person that loves contact with other people and is very interested in their backgrounds. I’m also a great listener, maybe because of my curiosity for what makes people behave like they do. With my open-minded attitude I don’t judge very easily. I’m just very interested in different visions and views on the world. I see myself as a very independent person. I don’t like others to tell me what to do, or how I should behave. I expect others to be openminded as well. I can be very annoyed by people that can’t make their own decisions or who expect me to follow them without questioning. In cooperation with companies I can be very mission focused, and professional. I need structure in my life. It makes things clear for me and I get rest when something is structured in my head. I create my own structures, like the way my computer is organized. When something is structured I work the best of my ability. Within design I’m very critical of my vision, and my concepts. When something is not well thought out or incomplete. I’m not satisfied. Next to that I love to talk to others about design and gain inspiration from their visions, or inspire them with mine. My independent characteristic makes it hard for me to let others help me with my work. With my structure and my professional attitude I will not be distracted form the design process easily. by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
7.
Growth These are my main goals for upcoming semester. After reaching these goals I am ready to finish the bachelor Industrial Design: 1. I’m going to do a social focused project according to my vision. I feel that there are great opportunities to do that in the project “Local Em(power)ment”. 2. I’m going to use all my design skills that I gained over the past years to create a product, service combination. 3. I’m going to work with a real client in order to make my project very realistic, because for me it is important that I deliver something that could be, and preferable will be implemented in the real world. 4. In my feedback my coach and my internship coach mentioned that making skills are very important for a designer, and that I should work on them. So for next semester I plan on putting a lot of time in finishing my prototype in such a way that it looks ready for the market. 5. I will research my job opportunities and the difference between the master in Eindhoven and the Master in Delft. At the end of the semester I will make the decision based on my research and my intuition. This semester my competency focus will be on the competencies: - User Focus & Perspective - Designing Business processes - Form & Senses For a clear overview on my goals for this semester see next page. by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Assignment DG310 “Designing for the User Experience�
1. Social Focused Project Direction within my project Working on my Vision
3. Working with a real client
5. Researching Future Plans Master Events
Main goals 2. Product/Service combination Using/ practicing Design skills
Assignment DG690 “Basic Form Giving Skills�
4. Working on Making skills Adobe Aftereffects workshop
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Sub-goals 1. Social Focused Project • • • •
I will focus this semester on Hidden-Design. I will do two Hidden-Design sessions within the neighborhood. One as journalist and one with a real prototype. I will do the assignment “Designing for the User Experience”, where I will learn how to take into account, the social influence of the user on my product or service. I will read the articles: “The social Network”, by Vera Sacchetti, and “A “Social Model” of Design: Issues of Practice and Research” by Victor and Sylvia Margolin, to learn more about social design.
2. Product/Service Combination • • •
At the end of the semester I will deliver a product-service combination for my project. I will use the design skills I learned during my internship in my project. Like 3D modeling and Blueprint making. I will do the assignment “Basic Form Giving Skills”, to learn how to make more detailed finished prototypes.
3. Working with a real client •
11.
Within this project I will use my professional attitude to work together with my client, like I would work for him instead of just behaving like a student.
4. Working on Making Skills • • • •
I will do the assignment “Basic Form Giving Skills”, to learn how to make a high quality prototype. I will follow a workshop “Adobe Aftereffects”, to learn to make animation movies. For my project I will make a detailed, foolproof prototype. I will follow a Goldsmithing workshop.
5. Research Future Plans • • • • • •
Every Friday I will do something for my vision, like reading an inspirational article or having an expert meeting. I’m going to do two iterations on my vision this semester. One during the mid-term and one at the end of the semester. I will go to the Master day in Delft. I will participate in master events in Eindhoven. I will search the Internet of other master possibilities. I will get in tough with Marcel van Heist, since he as designer is a big inspiration for me.
Other • •
I will make a totally new website for my showcase, in which I show more visuals instead of texts. During the SDL weeks I will make this website. I will keep op practicing my reflections by making a reflection after every coach meeting and by making an overall reflection three to four times during the semester. While making these reflections I will focus on making them shorter and more to the point.
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Planning Week 12 Client Meeting at Enexis in Arnhem
Project Clear direction and clear concept
Week 13 SG - reading Project Developing the Concept and Prepairing the first Hidden Design session
Week
Project, prep Client meeti
Client meeti Secure the c Mid-term Demo-Day
SG - reading Project
Assignment: “Designing for the User Experience” Vision - Read Booklet of Caroline Hummels
13.
Assignment: “Designing for the User Experience” Future - Research studies abroad Making an Overall Reflection - until now
Doing the fir Design sessi
k 14
Week 15
peration ting
Philips Bootcamp
ting concept Rewriting my vision first of the 2 times
g
Workshop Adobe After Effects
rst Hidden ion
Week 16
SG - reading Working on (Draft) Showcase
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Week 17
Week 18
Week
Project Documentation, all the information until now Master Day Delft
Assignment: “Basic Form Giving Skills”
Assignment: “Basic Form Giving Skills”
Project
Project
Building the final concept
More documentation Adjusting the concept
Final view on adjusting the concept
Assignment: Form Giving
Project Building the concept
Vision/Future - Talking with people about it Making an Overall Reflection - until now
15.
Future - Research last posibilities and choose
Optional - Re steps for my
k 19
Week 20
: “Basic Skills”
Week 21
Workshop: Goldsmiths
Project
Assignment: “Basic Form Giving Skills”
Assignment: “Basic Form Giving Skills”
Making an Overall Reflection - until now
Project
Building the final concept
Preparing a final user-test
final
esearch y vision
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Week 22
Week 23 Assignment: “Basic Form Giving Skills”
Week
Rewriting m second of th
Project Project
Prepaire for the Demo-Days
Doing the final usertest Assignment: “Basic Form Giving Skills”
Final Demo-Days
Making an O Reflection, a over with m order to imp
Making my: Final Report Showcase
Project Proces the information from the user-test Prepaire for the Demo-Days
Project Mar
17.
k 24
Week 25
my vision he 2 times
Making my: Final Report Showcase
Overall and talk it my coach in prove it
: t
Making my: Showcase
rket
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2
Week 26 Making my: Showcase
19.
Future For after my bachelor I’m still torn between three options: - The Industrial Design master in Eindhoven - The master “Strategic Product Design” in Delft or abroad. - Working. For this option the idea is to work for about a year or two and then start a master. I think it can be very valuable to get some work experience. This way I can start a master much better prepared and focused on the real world. On the other hand I’m afraid that I won’t be able to find work in the field I want to work in, which is Social Consultancy as designer. The reason to start a master is to become much better prepared for the business world and to expand my design skills in the fields I still should improve to become the Visionary Social Cultural designer I want to be.
by: Charlotte van der Sommen - B3.2