These are my user videos from my A-level product design course, a-level was a very structured course and we had aims/goals we had to reach to get the mark...
Over my time at university this mind frame of having to tick a box is getting less and less, the thing I love about the MA is you do tasks which best fits your creative practice and get the best outcome for our individual projects which are so different and varied.
I was developing a shoe rack to create a better and more versatile piece of furniture. This was very much designing for a brief. My practice was informed by research 'for' and 'through' creative practice and the work was all about the doing, the materials and the working methods of design. I quickly realised this creative practice was not for me and the precision and patience of making this work of art was not for me. My brain is way too chaotic and I need lots of tasks on at one time to ensure my brain and thinking is occupied.
However there was one section of the brief which I loved and have kind of brought forward into my university life but until this moment have forgotten how effective these videos were and how helpful they are to help create the best possible outcome. I filmed my users at various point during the design process to film them using existing products and i could see the issues they faced with my own eyes and also went back a few times to show product development and see what would and wouldn't work for them, conducting interviews and listening to users is so important and having a resource to always look back on was so beneficial when I was experiencing creative block and wasn't sure where to go .
Initial video exploring the issues my users faced when storing shoes and what could potentially make their lives easier.
A video of them running out the door in the morning to show a real representation of them using their current product.
Midway design interview, talking about plans and seeing what changes may work best for further improvements
Final interview on reflecting on their new product and how it will improve their lives
A video showing how much smoother and easier there lives are now with the new product helping there morning routine
Co-creation is so important to me and think I forgot about it at point during my undergrad. The MA has shown and reminded that I need to co-create more effectively and this reflection has been extremely effective and the videos and constant communication with users will definitely something I will be bringing back this year.
Tx
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