Where do I go? – Reflecting on Radio Redux.
I haven’t written anything lengthy in awhile on my blog, so now is the time. This post is about my radio project at university and has been written over a period of time hence making some areas more detailed than others. I really want to use this blog as a way of expressing my views of the radio project.
As I have said it has been awhile since my last post. I have been pondering on what to write, and how to write my review. I think I just needed a few weeks (now months) to relax, sit back and reflect on what I had endured (yes tough word) over the past months at university.
‘Radio Redux’ was the name of the brief and was set to us in September last year. The brief outlined we were to design and make a radio, adding value in the process.
“We want you to challenge the conventions of traditional radio design: reconsider, rethink,
Redesign and remake a low cost radio in order to add value. In doing so we want you to consider
And challenge what ‘value’ means in this context” DOJ
At the start we were asked to make a pair of character cards. Character cards for those who don’t know are a way of thinking up a user group and researching them; finding insight into their lives, and from how we as designers can solve their ‘problems’. I started with quite clear thoughts on who I wanted to design for namely the elderly. I felt that if i catered toward this market then I would have a lot of ideas considering their age group grew up with wireless. But the nagging thing in my mind was I felt that a large proportion of the class were thinking the same, great minds and all, but I knew that I wanted to have more of a challenge, catering to a more ‘unique’ audience let’s say.
I finally decided on my audience .I was aware I was being quite optimist and brave, this audience would need a lot more research and insights than other because I didn’t know much about them but I was up for the challenge. My character card was someone who was disabled more specifically a paraplegic. Let the fun commence! …
Our next assignment was to come up with 10 insights and one hundred ideas. When told about this I instantly thought wow! How will I achieved this number with such a specific target market. I began to doubt my choice. However once I got pen to paper and started thinking up ideas I believe the choice worked in my favour. So I began my 100 ideas, I think the best ideas came at the start of my 100 and then some dotted about randomly. I had to really think about my user, how the product would adapt to their bodies, understanding ergonomics. What really helped me with my ideas was reading blogs by paraplegics, some were like diaries, they were the best insights and helped me to not only design the product but to be sensitive and cater to their needs. For instance dealing with depression, and trying to maintain their independence. You have to put yourself in their shoes. Asking yourself, ‘How would I cope with being paralysed and how might I want my technology to be made, how does it feel? Why would I use it?’
Reaching 100 was quite tough from 75 upwards, mainly because I did not feel all of my insights were as strong as the rest and I seemed to be focusing on one design and that seemed to be drawn every time my pen touched the paper. Reflecting I would say the 100 ideas was quite a good way of helping me to explore areas I would not normally have went with and using my target audience allowed me to be playful coming up with unusual designs
After our deadline of 100 ideas we were asked to whittle down our ideas to 20 through little illustrations then down to only 5. This was quite difficult only allowing a select few in under half an hour. I felt I could have really thought more about my project and where it was planned to go if I had had more time to decide. After selecting my five and receiving feedback from my peers one design stood out, that was a radio with wheels, paraplegics being my target audience the design seemed to fit well and gave me scope to play with. Wacky ideas in my 100 included a radio switched on by biting into it, a memory foam radio and a radio on wheels…
I then got down to the concepts stage. (I’m struggling to remember my process but I know that there were a lot of pens and paper bought!) I was aware that paraplegics often use designs that are ergonomically sound but lack any style. I knew I wanted not only to make a practical design but a stylish one.
*(I am unsure where I lost the project; it may be at this stage or at another stage.)*
At this stage in my project I was quite happy with my previous feedback and presumed I was on the right track. Oh boy I was wrong! My project was slowing veering away from me, every week I seemed to be stressing about the different designs and looks of my designs starting with removing the wheels form my original idea, deciding to take away my target audience, and deciding on extremely different ideas. The project was developing but as for my project I think at about the collapsible radio idea just a couple of weeks after ditching the wheels idea was where I stopped feeling upbeat about the project and started to lose interest.
I think this is largely due to the fact I was changing my designs to please my lecture. What I thought was a good idea was thrown back at me. Working on ideas all week to be told in a 5 minute interview to scrap the work and start something new. I would sit all day in the studio watching others around me who seemed to have a straight clear road where they were taking their projects. I felt I was the slow one having to take direction off my tutor just to move forward. My opinion made little difference. I know I was given some good advice that I will take with me onto other projects but I can’t help but hate the teaching style. I had to make the decision of either taking no heed of the lecturer believing in my designs or agreeing with my lecturer as they have the power of marker, I regretfully chose the latter. I also can’t help thinking if I had believed in myself a bit more I would have had a completely different radio, but then would I have gained the same knowledge through my lengthy process.

So just when I finally thought I had the main idea, I receive one last knocks. I’m told I can only use the material if I change my design. At this stage there was only one Monday session left before the hand in day. Where would I get the time to finish my model let alone boards?! Panic and frustration were my main feelings mixed in with slight anger. Then feelings that all my work were being knocked back again and again, I don’t mean to go into detail and sound so depressed but I had never been made to feel so useless like that before. Never have I felt the need to cry in public and at that moment I had to hold back the tears, with the lecture glaring at me. His words ‘’am I being unbelievably harsh’’ showed he did have some feelings. After a brief chat with him asking if I was enjoying the project or if I couldn’t be bothered anymore. I kind of surprised myself with the answer, I am normally quite positive about projects and try and give my best but at that moment I answered ‘couldn’t be bothered.’ I felt I wasn’t good enough for not only the project but for the course. Although I do feel I have a love hate relationship with my course in the sense that sometimes I love it other times I hate it.
On top of this my ordering on radios did not go to plan. The radios arrived on hand in day. After being told that the prototype technical wouldn’t matter too much because the radios were bad quality, I made the decision of trying connecting my radio as it should be made, but was aware that I didn’t want to make the parts permanent because I wanted to make the radio properly when my radios came though. Due to receiving them late I was unable to do a proper working prototype!
So at the handing stage for my model I had a design that I didn’t really feel was completely mind, or the design I wanted to do and also had an unmade radio. FML
Then another part of hand in was the boards and the essay.
On viewing the boards I feel they look very rushed which is true. My rationale board really let me down; although I wasn’t picked up for it I really dislike it. I wasted lots of time deciding which drawing to use; I think I should maybe in future let my drawing side come out instead of conforming to the normal marker classic product design style I am not used to doing. I am not faulting that method just think I should go with my strengths more. My user insight required lots of layering over photos in Photoshop but that was fine and probably my favourite out of the three. Then there was the technical drawing which was harder to draw to scale that I expected but with some helped from a good friend I manage to get it finished
Final reflection- good project? I wouldn’t say. It did teach me to step up a gear into 2nd year, made me teach myself model making skills. However I think the negative out way the positives. There was too much contradiction, no consideration for the time for my final idea to the hand in and little teaching of design software like Photoshop.
Just my views, apologies for boring you