I found the first assignment quite a challenge, as there was so much possibility in what I could look for, and so many chances to go off-topic. This is my list of 5 lessons I have learned from the experience.
I found that I started the last assignment sort of stabbing aimlessly in the dark, waiting for something to catch my eye. This did mean that I spent a large amount of time researching for topics that I wouldn’t use (as interesting as I found this) and wasted a lot of time.
Lesson – I need to find my topic before I start researching it in order to make the best use of my time.
I found whilst researching for the last assignment that the topic of Interaction Design can be vast if you follow certain paths. I spent much of my time following a path and finding the next thing, and the next thing, and the next, then forgetting what it was I started with, and having to backtrack, losing a lot of valuable information I may have discovered in between.
Lesson – I need to stay more on topic, and take better notes of what I am researching so it is easier to return back to something I found earlier.
As I spent a lot of time looking at lots of very interesting (but mildly off topic) subjects, I didn’t think to take a note of a lot of the web addresses, and therefore haven’t got a good record of where I have been for future reference.
Lesson – Next time I really need to take a note of the sources, web addresses, video links, and book references so that I can refer back to them without trawling through the internet to find where I was.
Although defined as ‘interested/specialist’ it was fairly difficult to decide how formal I should write, as I have not got much experience in this writing style. In the end I opted for my own natural style.
Lesson – Find some examples of written work in the same field of work and mimic their styles, then learn to differentiate it into your own unique but recognisable style.
Writing conclusions used to be something I could do quite well. However, in terms of this assignment I found it quite difficult to wrap it up, as so much more could have been developed. Adding my own view at the end of a piece is something I will need to work at, as my view will become more important as the course progresses.
Lesson – Think about the structure beforehand, and tailor the main text towards the outcome you are writing for.