Junjie Li
Industrial Design University of Technology Eindhoven
Personal Development Plan Bachelor 2.2 My Identity What does good design mean to me? I placed the user experience as the premier of my design philosophy. I want my design not only to be used as a functional tool but also can provide pleasant use. I believe a good product should not only satisfy people’s physical needs, but also provide multiple values such as emotional, consuetudinary and personalized needs to the users.
I believe that good interaction can provide a great emotional value to the use of product, realization of new technology can make the ideas into real, and furthermore a good aesthetic form can sell the products and enrich the interaction. How I grow as a designer? As a designer, I tend to think more than do. Because I have a strict mind on designing and I always have high expectation of myself when making design. I’m good at weighing the pros and cons. it helps me to handle difficult situations. I’m also good at self-conducting. It enables me to keep learning myself and avoid making the same mistake again. I’m a designer who grows from the experiences and I think my critical attitude will help me to make better designs.
Junjie Li
j.li@student.tue.nl
+31 641548454
Junjie Li
Industrial Design University of Technology Eindhoven
Long-term Goals - What kind of designer I want to be? I see myself working in a design studio within product industry preferable in the area of design management and concept development. Based on my own interest and skills I think working as an interaction designer would be an ideal choice for me to begin the career. But I won’t limit myself in just one field. After I have several years working experience, I want to reach more design business aspects and set up my own studio in the future. So far I see interaction design is very potential for me because now in China this subject is still very rudimentary and there is a huge market behind it. So for the rest of my bachelor program I will particularly focus on it and the competency areas related to it such as “Idea & Concept”, “Integrating technology” and “User focus”, especially since they are the strong points of this education. Growing as an interaction designer is my short-term goal for this bachelor program.
Short-term Goals - where do I want to get at the end of 2nd semester? At the end of 2nd year I want to see myself start growing as an interaction designer. That means, able to use appropriate technique to inspire ideas, knowing different sensors/actuators well and able to apply them into design, able to build up intelligent control for prototype, experienced with users, able to use a suitable way to get access to users and analyze the result.
Conculsion of last semester It is quite a disappointment for me that I got a Hold verdict for my last semester. Although I worked hard, and have good results from assignments and project,my assessor still expected more. There are of course several factors that I didn’t perform well. Firstly, I wasn’t pro-active enough to present myself although I did a lot. This makes my work in the team not so visible. Secondly, my reflections were not well communicated in my showcase (different expectation from my pervious coach and assessor). Last but not least, that project was not a good learning project and I didn’t like to work as a group in the end. Many factors were there obstructing me from going on the right track. The H-verdict did de-motivate me for a period of time, but now I think it’s time to move on. This semester, I will work even harder and I plan to have a project which I can do a big part individually. In this way, I can show my quality as a B2.2 student and get more grips on my strength and weaknesses and acquire more personal insight of design and process. What’s more, I need to improve myself more and develop decent skills in order to prepare the internship next block. Assessment Feedback
Junjie Li
j.li@student.tue.nl
+31 641548454
Junjie Li
Industrial Design University of Technology Eindhoven
Competency Development Latest semester
(Visualization of my development last semester)
Last semester, I’ve been working hard on balancing my competency areas. I specifically chose assignments in competency 3, 4, 5 and 6 and received satisfactory feedback. Meanwhile I’ve spent a lot of efforts on competency C. I worked on my reflections and received positive feedbacks. But from the remarks of my assessment, I’m lack of the development in competency B and D., and I need to have better grip on the connection between competencies. So these will be my main focus in this semester. Assignments Microcontrollers: Arduino and beyond (DG233) What is it? A Material? (DG623) Modelling Complex Systems (DGD02) Aesthetic of Design (DG304) My expectation of this semester This semester I want to develop further of my competencies in integrating technology and user perspective in order to achieve depth in these two areas. I think this project is an ideal choice for me to develop these two competencies. Besides, I will look at my weaker competencies such as Design process and Descriptive and Mathematical Modeling (I will make goals to improve them). Meanwhile I will keep improving my strength of ideation and form and senses. In addition, my own vision still needs to be shaped. I will pay attention to adapt more of my own identity and my own design approaches into the design process in order to have better understanding of my strength and weakness, and what kind of designer I want to be in the future. As an additional mission, I want to use this half year to carefully evaluate my growth for these two years study and combine all my showcases into one integrated portfolio. I will use abstract thinking to communicate my understanding of each competency.
Junjie Li
j.li@student.tue.nl
+31 641548454
Junjie Li
Industrial Design University of Technology Eindhoven
Smart Goals INTERACTION DESIGN Specific Interaction design is one of my core identities. During this semester I want to develop this identity further and get more experience out of it. I will focus on the interaction of my concept in the project. Moreover, I found an interaction design booklet from website: http://webzone.k3.mah. se/k3jolo/idBookshelf/index.htm and I will carefully select some books to read, and practice the knowledge during my project. Measurable I will write summaries of the book about what I learned and see how this knowledge will contribute to my project. Apparent Realistic I will read those books at home in the evening, so it is realistic. For the project there is barely enough time for this an ambitious goal, so as long as I pay attention to the schedule, this goal should be realistic. Time-related Both will be finished by the day the project ends. DESCRIPTIVE AND MATHEMATICAL MODELLING Specific In order to get progress in this competency, in this semester I chose the assignment “DGD02 Modeling Complex Systems”. Meanwhile, I will pay attention to my development in this competency during the project. Measurable I will complete the assignment and I will try to make models to analyze complexity during the project and reflected afterwards. Apparent Realistic This is a realistic goal. Time-related It will be end when project and assignment are completed. DESIGN AND RESEARCH PROCESSES Specific I want to develop my ability on scientific researches and design processes. In order to do that I will analyze and visualize the processes by using the education model. In addition, I will look at several books about design processes in order to have better grip on process since I’m now doing an individual project. Junjie Li
j.li@student.tue.nl
+31 641548454
Junjie Li
Industrial Design University of Technology Eindhoven
Measurable I will communicate my design process both on my project report and showcase. Apparent Realistic It’s realistic. Time-related It will go on till the semester ends. ENGLISH SKILL Specific To improve my English skill is a long term goal throughout my whole study here. I think I have made a good progress during the past and this semester I will keep improving myself. Except by reading more books, I’ve joint a class (9ST13 English skills 2) specific in developing my writing skills. Besides, I will ask feed¬backs from students who are good at English afterwards and improve the report. Measurable I will complete at least three books before the end of this semester and I will try my best to write the reports for assignments and project. Apparent Realistic I expect this semester a very busy semester, however, I think I will always have time to read some pages before go to bed, so this is a realistic goal. Time-related I take this as a long term goal, so after this semester I will keep working on it till the day I am satisfied. But I know this is still a long way to go.
Junjie Li
j.li@student.tue.nl
+31 641548454
Junjie Li
Industrial Design University of Technology Eindhoven
SWOT Analysis Strength
Within ID faculty I found my design communication skill (Sketching, 3D visualization) is high. So is my graphic design skill. I am good at visualizing due to my own interest and pervious study in China. From studying here I built up my strength in technology, design process, research and team building. I have good attitude and motivation. Multi-culture background can also be seen as one of my strengths.
Weakness
I still have to improve my English, especially English writing skill. And in a team I can be more outspoken, to give my opinions more. I can see my development in competency 2, B and D is below the average. Due to the long term goals I set for myself, I have been working on my identity. HowÂŹever, this semester I decided to focus on the developments of my weak competencies and my identity as the same time. I have chosen two assignments which will help me to improve in the competency 2 and D meanwhile the project makes it a perfect opportunity to carry my identity further.
Opportunity
Because I have experienced both Asian and Western cultures, this makes a potential for designing for international market, especially I knew Chinese culture well and learned western design approach. Besides learning interaction design in western country is very suitable for my personal development as a designer.
Threaten When working as a team, I have to be more outspoken to give my opinions and present myself. And I have to keep the pro-active attitude to work on my weaknesses.
Junjie Li
j.li@student.tue.nl
+31 641548454