Reblogged from dmxatixd:
As I head into week 3 of my second year, I must admit, I already feel stressed about thesis. After having some initial ideas and doing some brainstorming activities, I knew that I hadn’t hit on anything that was meaningful to me, but I wasn’t sure what to do about it. This week, our homework for Thesis II was to get feedback from a classmate about our brainstorming activity and our initial ideas. I worked with Rachel and she articulated exactly what I had been thinking, but couldn’t quite put my finger on.
Overall, Rachel’s feedback was about my need to take a macro approach, instead of trying to think of actual products or projects. She asked about my design ethos and why I got into design, and while I wholeheartedly know that I chose design because I enjoy solving problems and simplifying things for other people, I haven’t yet figured out how I can do these things in a way that is both meaningful to me and the people I am designing for.
Many people have mentioned the value of ruling out things that I don’t want to work on and after having this conversation with Rachel, I know I don’t want to make a product or service just for the sake of doing so. I’m not interested in making the next “Yo” or “Uber for X” app. I want to create something that resonates with me and the users I decide to design for. I plan to spend the next few days focusing on the macro picture, and come away with some perspective about what my thesis will bring that no one else can bring. Last semester during Thesis I, I recall someone saying that they received advice that “your thesis should be something that only you could make” (rough paraphrasing here), and I want to take that approach. I want to build something that represents me and my experiences, and the only way to do so is to explore my voice and the macro picture of who I am.
