This past week we completed our design and did our presentation.

I am a bit disappointed in how we presented. We are very confident in our design and the rationale behind it. Of course, there is always room for improvement on a design, but I think the idea is interesting and our current iteration does help solve the problem we are addressing.

The flash project embedded in our power point didn’t load, but I don’t think that was such a big deal. Technical issues will arise all the time, and I think we didn’t let it stop us. Mostly, I felt we didn’t give enough time to practice and we didn’t do a strong enough attention getter. Our last presentation we actually did a scenario right at the beginning which drew the audience in. One thing that I know was different was that we were required to present our concept first last time, and doing that automatically puts the excitement right at front. We should have done a similar quick scenario to stage our problem and concept.

Personally, my attention was focused on a different portion of the project. I think that might be an issue with dividing and conquering. We are all so focused on our individual parts that there might not be someone thinking about the project as a whole. I am ok with the end result here. We have a good start and I think we can make something with it apply to CHI.

Its interesting though, I have to present designs all the time at work. While we definitely don’t go into as much detail from an academic research perspective, we do have to provide a rationale for the decisions we make. My colleague might have spent months researching a particular area and my group is responsible for taking her research and building possible concepts on them. In those meetings we are not required to grab people’s attention, because they are getting paid to be there. Yet, we do have times when we present at a user’s conference or a marketing engagement where it is absolutely necessary to draw people in. So there are times when you have to put on a show, and there are times when you just have to be as informative as possible about what the design is trying to accomplish.

All in all, I think I learned a lot this semester. It was a good start to a larger experience. Most of what I learned is about pushing my own limitations and what that does to the people around me. I think experience will definitely help me in gauging what my little circle of the world can handle.

Tuesday’s class was a great reminder. We have inside us all that we need to know at this point to make our design the best that can be. I was in the group that ripped up our design. And following that class, we literally did get rid of our main concept and attempt to solve our problem from a different angle. I think we are keeping the best parts of what we want to accomplish, while doing a better job at really solving the problem of connecting people’s differences.

It was great to have a break from everything. I had a few days off of work as well, so I made it an extra long weekend. It was filled with baking, family, shopping, a blown tire and IDP meetings/design work. This Thanksgiving I was most thankful for my partner in life, Jason, who puts up with me, supports me in my endeavors, and celebrates life with me.

wrt the blown tire – I was driving to an IDP meeting when my tire completely shredded on Hwy 67 South. I am extremely thankful for four things.

1. It didn’t blow the evening before when we were driving home from Thanksgiving dinner in the rain with the kids in tow.
2. I didn’t lose control of the vehicle possibly causing personal or vehicular damage.
3. For my husband came immediately to help me change the tire and follow me home to get it replaced.
4. To be blessed enough that I can afford new tires without extreme hardship to my family.

I started this week driving to work with a sense that I was going to be happy regardless of what came my way.

A few times I felt the urge to worry or get bogged down with fear or things that were out of my control. When those thoughts came into my head I actually reminded myself about being happy. It was sort of a …’whoa there – hey now – don’t sweat it’….sort of feeling. It was beautiful.

Other great things that happened this week were:

• Two colleagues I have worked with for almost ten years came to visit from Boston. I can count on my hands the number of times I have spent time with them in person, but I have worked, chatted, lived with them everyday for a long time. It is always refreshing just to be in the same location with them.
• I had a great few days with a colleague that came into town from Minnesota for an important project we are working together. It was enlightening and inspiring.
• We gave our presentation on Wednesday. I was really glad to get the critique, and think that the highlights of where we need to strengthen our design were spot on. I am excited to see where we can take it.
• We had our post mortem and grading. I am happy with how we did. I really liked that scoring technique, and I really appreciate our mentor’s (and all of the others) guidance.
• We have a huge amount of work to do for Project 5. I am anxious to get started.

Listening to: You’ve got the love – Florence + the Machine

Sing a song.
Hope a hope.
Dream a dream.
Listen to advice (but only when it feels right.)
SMILE. Laugh. Be Joyful….
And then keep forever in your Heart
what it is that makes you so happy.

I started and re-started this reflection a few times. There are many trade-offs in life. You have to figure out what is most important and make sure that it is given the emphasis in your life that corresponds with how important it is.

I am not going to say that this time is easy. I have many things that are very important to me. And, even if something (ie my family) is more important to me than something else (ie work or class) that doesn’t mean that the thing of lesser importance is unimportant.

I am doing the best that I can with the resources I have available. And somewhere in it all I am trying to enjoy myself too.

On the commute to work this morning I had a moment of piece and enlightenment that came upon me. I decided that I am just going to be happy. I can only control so much. After that I will let things fall where they may and enjoy the ride.

The quote above was from a card given to me by someone who had a great impact on my life. She was an amazing chorale director and professor at my undergraduate college. I visited there this weekend for a special occasion. She passed away a few years ago from pancreatic cancer. I miss her when I go there, but I am so grateful for the lessons she taught me.

Have a good week, and do whatever it is that makes you so happy.

Here are a few things that make me so happy:

A list for the week:

• Expanding and Contracting sort of feels like a manic-depressive episode to me….we get on fire about something – move forward and contract – then expand all over again and the chaos begins….I know (or at least trust my teacher and mentors) it is necessary. I know (or trust) it works. I think we are still learning how to do it, so it will probably become comfortable and less like going from a raging party to a quiet coffee bar and then back to the party again eventually (maybe?)….
• I missed the music composition comparison class due to a sick child. I hated to miss it, but I needed to be elsewhere. I hate it when little people are sick. They can’t tell you their tummy hurts. Snuggling makes it better.
• My team was able to meet with me via web conferencing. I think it went really well as a first try. We are still honing in on our core. We are closer, but not complete. We are better off today than we were Thursday. And Thursday we were better off than Tuesday, etc. Wednesday night therapy was really helpful. We pulled back and re-focused on our people and problem space rather than being all over the place as we were before.
• My son turned six months old. He is long and skinny and extremely adorable. He also enjoys playing the push button xylophone. He is getting his fourth tooth, and also needs snuggling at various points in time. I suppose I would too if I had teeth pressing their way through my gum.
• As a facilitator, I am finding it interesting learning more about what each of our team members needs in order to feel like we are on track or that they understand what our next steps are or what we should do. I don’t mean that I am setting those things at all, but I am always the kind of person that wants to make sure we are on the same page. (My in depth Meyers-Briggs Analysis says that I lead through a mothering/emotional core.) We want to make sure everyone can contribute what they do best to the project because it will make the design the best it can be. How can we each serve the design? How can we do the best that we can with the resources we have available?

Out is Through – Alanis Morrisette

“Every time I’m confused
I think there must be easier ways
Every time our horns are locked on towel throwing
Every time we’re at a loss, we’ve bolted from difficulty
Anytime we’re in stalemate, a final bowing

My tendency to want to hide away feels easier and
The immediacy is picturing another place comforting to go

The only way out is through
The faster we’re in the better
The only way out is through ultimately”

I lost my wedding band this weekend. I had (carelessly) put it in my pocket because I was taking them to finally get them fixed. I haven’t been wearing them since the summer because the prongs need adjusted or the stone be lost.

It is just a symbol. I know that. Yet, it has emotional significance to me. It was slipped on my finger the day that my husband and I promised to take care of each other, for better or worse. When I realized it was gone there was a tangible feeling of loss and insecurity to me.

I love my family, and the years of growing and changing together with my husband I can honestly say have been totally worth all of the years before that I spent learning about different things and wondering what my life would be like ‘when I grew up.’

Oh, I have my days. Being a grown up is a bitch. When I was little I mostly thought that growing up meant I could decide my own bedtime. Now I know it is all about responsiblity. If I could stay up late all the time, that would be awesome, but now I am usually looking forward to sleeping. Being a responsible adult feels like weaving through some scavenger hunt that takes you through tax collectors, insurance companies, washers that break down, finding and maintaining healthy relationships with your family – co-workers – daycare providers – neighbors- etc and trying not to mess up too much.

It is learning to be a juggling act and making sure you don’t drop the ball too many times. Or at least being careful enough to know that the balls that drop aren’t eggs that will break.

It isn’t all bad. Zoe’s new favorite word is Mommy. I love the feel of her little arms wrapped around my neck, knowing that we have a connection that will only grow. Tonight I started teaching her solfège (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do). She is picking up letters and numbers so quickly that I know she will love learning about music.

So I lost my ring. And then I needed to run an errand, so I drove to a place that I thought it might be. I parked in the store parking lot near where I was before. I walked around scouring the area.

I don’t think it was time for that ring to be gone from my finger. I found it on the ground where it had fallen. Now it is safe and secure on my hand and I have a greater sense of hope.

Here are my salient design points about this post:

• Isn’t it funny how emotional connections make objects much more significant to you than their actual value? No replacement would have meant the same for my wedding band.
• I can’t believe how many processes need to be made better through computer imagination – even in this day and age. Being an ‘adult’ would be less stressful (maybe?) if there were better tools. I want to help design them!

I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.
I really love to watch them roll.
No longer riding on the merry-go-round.
I just had to let it go.

- John Lennon

I think Marty was right about getting into a rhythm of sorts in the semester. And definitely right about needing a LOT of zen in this class. At first it was like I was on a merry go round, and I was getting dizzy. I think I would have gotten ill from motion sickness if I couldn’t just let go, hence my homage to Mr. Lennon.

While the previous we have had some ups and downs in our home, this weekend and last week seemed smooth and god forbid, actually fun. Well besides the worry that my kidlet is going to stick a pea in her ear.

One reflection from Project 3 that I wanted to share. I felt that our team worked great when we were all face to face. We did well at reasoning out situations and treating each other with respect and really working together. But one thing I have noticed on these projects on the whole is the lack of consistent communication and teamwork outside of the group meeting scenario. I don’t mean that we are working against each other at all, but it seems like a lot of people need someone in their face to be able to critique and provide feedback on work.

In my experience, the virtual environment is becoming the status quo. Most of the work you do for clients ends up being explained and modified via web meetings and conference calls. Money for travel and face to face meetings is kept to a minimal. For these reasons, it is important to be able communicate via emails or documents. Critiquing and providing feedback via email or tracking changes as necessary.

Even in this class it is important to me, because when I take a particular part of the project to do grunt work I would never want to assume that I am then completely responsible for that work – I am merely pulling it together and asking people to take it, change it and make it better. When I have done those exercises so far, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of feedback until we meet face to face. With such little time for these projects that is really a waste of group time, since we should be ready to make decisions about the pieces and move on to the next phase.

Maybe other groups haven’t had this problem, but I thought I would just throw it out there.

I am excited to move on to the next project. This class has been refreshing in the mere fact that I get to work on things out side of my normal scope of travel technology. It is a welcome change.

‘Buildings and bridges are made to bend in the wind,
to withstand the world that’s what it takes,
All that steel and stone is no match for the air, my friend
what doesn’t bend breaks
what doesn’t bend breaks’

-Ani Difranco

There is a lot of talk about this program breaking us. It sort of reminds me of soldiers going to bootcamp. I hope that it breaks me of some things…opens me up to opportunities of more thoughtful and creative ways of doing things.

Still, there are some parts of my life that pretty much can’t break. My kids need me. I have to keep my job. My husband is my partner, not my assistant…etc etc

The class has been great so far, but it is REALLY hard to manage the meetings and the class and the work with my family and job. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I was taking more than one class. I am doing the best that I can to make sure this class doesn’t break the people around me.

This weekend was an almost break. I’ll just call it a bend. We bounce back – but damn, it is hard sometimes.

After spending 20 out of the last 29 months housing a human inside my body, I guess it is only natural that I relate the design process to the act of creating a new person.

I won’t go into the whole analogy, but right now for project 3 I definitely feel like we are in the first trimester. When you are in the early stages of pregnancy you don’t know quite what to expect. Also, although you don’t have much to do to keep it going, on the inside  your body is massively changing, growing new organs, both for yourself  and the baby. All this work is exhausting! Every child is different, and how your body reacts to the growing fetus is different too.

So it is that Project 2 is different than Project three. I didn’t get as much morning sickness with the first baby, but the second made me ill all the time. The meeting we had this weekend for Project 3 definitely made me a little queasy. Uncertain of where we are going and whether we will be able to get through everything we need to in time.

Once we get through these initial phases the second trimester of creation and iteration and testing and more iteration will fly by. You’ll barely have enough time to stock up the nursery (or create a presentation and design rationale). And you will wonder how you got it all done.

Eventually we will reach the end of the third trimester – and a bright new design will appear in the world. Of course, that is only when the next phase begins – think of actually producing your design and continuing to iterate and manage the product. It is sort of like staying up at all hours making bottles, changing diapers and soothing the teething child.

The process is amazing and exhausting and completely worth it in the end. You have much to show for it…..

Charlie and Zoe at the Pumpkin Patch

After helping to get our Project 2 done early last week, I have to say that watching the presentations in class and not getting Project 3 assigned until later was a nice reprieve.

Outside of class I took part in off-site meetings regarding 2011 strategic product planning for my full time job. The meetings were mentally exhausting, but I am excited about the outcome and the interesting projects I can look forward to next year.

We had a great time tailgating and watching the Hoosiers this weekend, but now it is on to Project 3. I am anxious to get started into more details on the assignment. I look forward to working with my team members again. I can’t wait to see all of their ideas.

Week 6 will be over before we know it. This class really does go fast.