This part of the reading reminded me of the different times when I had to write out and explain stories that I experienced. One of those moments was when I was writing out my personal statement. I always found it challenging not to make assumptions, as the audience only knows what I tell them. They don't automatically know what I was feeling or thinking in those moments, so I kept having to include more details so that the audience could experience a simulation of the story that I was trying to explain. This helped me understand that this is an important element of storytelling that I feel helps captivate the audience and helps them envision themselves in those situations, and maybe even what they would do in those situations.

I find this to be one of the most important issues relating to machine learning and algorithms. This is an issue that is also being discussed in one of my other classes, as many algorithms have shown bias in the past, like the facial analysis tool mentioned in this article, and Amazon's job recruiting too, from a couple of years ago. That is why I think there should be more emphasis on analyzing the training data used to develop these algorithms, as these algorithms inherit the same types of patterns and bias as the training data. Not doing this properly leads to users being treated unfairly and can impact the lives of many users. Transparency is also a key element that companies should aim for, but it is difficult as many are trying to maintain trade secrets from their competitors to have an advantage within the market.

This is an important element of design, as users can feel frustrated if they feel like they don't understand how a product works. Making things as simple as possible is essential for users to feel satisfied and for them to be able to meet their needs. This concept also reminds me of learning about conventions in other INFO classes, as there are established ways of completing certain tasks, and users become accustomed to them and begin to expect certain behaviors. For example, when people go up to a sink, there is an expectation that turning it to the left produces hot water and turning it to the right produces cold water.

It is interesting to read about people being aware of the pressure that comes with asking strangers to participate and help you out with your design. Depending on the designer, this can sometimes be the hardest part of the process, as they would rather do everything else than find participants. Most people turn to emailing people, but I don't find that to be a reliable and efficient method, as some people don't check their emails or might not reply. Having a whole team to go out and find participants really shows how difficult that process can be.

This is an extremely important topic as data privacy continues to be a major issue in the tech world. With any website or app we use, some form of our data is being collected and we usually don't know how that data is being used and who has access to it. This highlights the importance of transparency from companies that actively collect data from users. I believe that these companies must ask if they can collect and access the data of their users and constantly notify users when it happens. However, some companies hide their ask for permission in large blocks of text that can easily be overlooked and causes people to agree to something they might not even be aware of so it's important that the ask for permission is easy to read and clear.

This is an intriguing technique that I have never heard of before. There are many ideas we can come up with but we might not have to the resources that we need to implement those ideas so the Wizard of Oz technique can be extremely helpful. I think it will become more and more useful as designers try to create designs to get ahead. I feel like since technology is developing at such a fast rate, designers are looking for unique things that they can create that have never been done before, and it will require functionality that may not exist yet.

I feel like this is an essential element of not only surveys but also interviews. When writing down questions for the class project interviews, I found myself trying to get a lot of information and details in the smallest number of questions. possible. This would lead to me having double-barreled questions, and I would have to break them up and add follow-up questions. I think it is important to view the survey/interview from the other perspective to see if the questions are overwhelming or if you feel like you can answer them. You may be biased, so doing a quick run-through of the survey/interview with someone else and getting feedback can be extremely helpful to avoid this.

I think this is one of the most important elements that designers have to consider when making a product. There are different options out there, and some designers take ideas from existing solutions, but if you take too many, then what is the point of the user switching to your design, since it would be so similar? That's why it is important to include unique and innovative ideas that will help the design stand out and give users a reason to prefer it over the competitors. It's also interesting that designers think about how they want users to feel when using the product, as some may immediately think they would obviously want the user to feel happy, but there might be different emotions that they would prefer, like a sense of trust, comfort, curiosity.

I agree with this part because having a "good" design is hard to judge and can vary from person to person. Some people may believe that a good design is one that is able to generate a lot of profits and help make an organization successful financially. Others may think that a good design has to be unique, creative, and stand out from competitors. I think that those are some elements that designers may think about when creating designs, but I think it all comes back to user research and understanding their needs. I view a good design as one that meets the needs of the users and is accessible to everyone. However, this is still an unclear definition because it is difficult to know which user needs to be prioritized and which is why design can be so complex.

This part of the reading stood out to me as it shows the importance of user research. When coming up with a design, it is up to the designers to consider the wants and needs of the users and determine what makes the most sense for the organization/company. I think being able to work alongside stakeholders will allow them to get valuable insights and it also brings new ideas to the table which is why I believe it is one of the most valuable aspects of design. It can also be very challenging as designers may want to satisfy all the wants and needs of the users but it might not make sense for the company.

I think finding patterns in how people describe their problems is a unique process that has different methods. One method of finding patterns that I recently learned about is thematic coding in INFO300. Thematic coding allows you to do qualitative data analysis and find themes in text like transcripts. This is something that I would have never thought of before the class but now that I think about it, can be one of the most effective ways of collecting data and conducting research. I believe finding patterns through qualitative data like surveys is useful for large amounts of data but doesn't provide a lot of in-depth insight. I prefer qualitative data due to the insight you can get from the common themes mentioned in different interview transcripts and other forms of text that can tell you more about the stakeholders.

This is an important statement that stands out to me. It connects to what I learned in INFO380 where we discussed how when companies are making designs and adding features, they have to consider which ones are the most beneficial and desirable. I think that this shows the importance of designers doing research and learning more about the stakeholders involved to help them make these decisions. If research isn't done properly, the company may waste a lot of resources and time. I also think it is important to consider underrepresented demographics that may be users of the product and see how they can possibly be considered in these decision-making processes. This makes me appreciate designers even more as this process is not easy and can be difficult having to make decisions that don't please some users but this might be something they learn as they develop their skills since you can't please everyone.

This is an important statement that I believe is one of, if not, the most important part of design. When designers are going through the process, they have to view each step from the perspective of the user which can be a challenge. It's not easy to ignore your own thoughts and preferences as designers have to remember that they are not designing for themselves. I think this also goes to show the importance of research and getting information from the users through surveys and interviews to better understand how users view and interact with certain things. Then, the designers can really understand why they interact with the product like that and how they can improve the experience.

It is interesting to read about the different focuses design scholars have as it has a major impact on what they consider when creating designs. Human values is a weird one for me because I believe that focusing on the values of those using the app can make the process more complicated as it can be difficult trying to pinpoint the shared values amongst the users. I also think this can increase the chance of the designer(s) unconsciously incorporating their own preferences and designing for themselves as they may start thinking about what their own values are and using those to make decisions, which is not what they want to be doing.