Example reflection – Visualization

Challenge & Selection

the Visualization tool was the one I first used. Thanks to it I was able to translate and

explain my ideas to various people who either did not depend on technical terms or simply did not

see the big picture I had in mind. I was able to explain the problem through Visual thinking and

explain the solution to the latter problem in simple word since using the Visualization tool simplify

the process of explanation. This approach can be used by anyone and does not require any

prerequisite or others. I remember using this approach often when I had a group project in college.

I worked with different types of people, those who got it easily and those who needed time to

understand. In the "Good Kitchen" video, they mentioned how the visualization was about making

it tangible and concrete. An idea could seem well off, but if we make it as concrete as possible, we

could then move on to the next step which is the implementation and discussion of all possible

routes o success. There was this project where we had to design a fire alarm from scratch. The

fellow students that were with me had no experience in doing anything from scratch. Since I

already had some experience, I took the initiative to explain the process in doing it from A to Z.

of course engineering does require some planning, so talking was not enough for them. And the

process seemed very long. Therefore, I decided to visualize the process instead of writing it down.

Honestly, it brightened up the mood in my group as the students were already exhausted.

Application

As I remember one of the videos about "the Good Kitchen", it said at some point that visualization

was the "what wows?". We need to make it tangible and concrete for others to grab our big picture

step by step. So, I mapped out the process from A to Z, starting from the brainstorming of ideas,

selecting the best design, discussing the possible downsides of it, discussing the materials to be

used to construct the design, and so on. Of course, the whole process was tiring for some time, but

in the end, it was worth it.

Some steps were taking more time to achieve than others. For instance, getting the materials was

a complex task as we had to get them delivered from another city way far from where our college

was located. But in case some of those materials were delivered broken or non-working, we had

to take them back and wait again for the next delivery. Sometimes, we had to map out other

alternatives to those materials that took time to be delivered. Visualization is about being realistic,

and so we had to be realistic about the project and the deadline. We then, went on site to search

for that equipment and visualize how the alternatives could replace the one we already agreed on.

When everything was there for us to start constructing the prototype, we had to draw the design

again as some tools were changed for others (alternatives). I suggested to my teammates to get rid

of the old design as it was not relevant anymore. And to be true, I was right. We had to do the

process again from scratch. It took some time but, in the end, everyone grabbed the whole picture,

and finally, we could start creating our very first prototype.

Insight & Approach

What I have learned from conducting this exercise with several groups is that they need to

comprehend the problem we are trying to solve and getting their insights is a primordial point to

solve the issue in exchanging ideas. When we gather all together, we get to know more about each

other and how we view the problem and the solution. The mapping has helped us in defining what

has been done yet and what is left to be done. It has also helped us create more alternatives and

add more approaches that some of us have found in the way of discussion. The design phase was

the stage of our work that had the most modifications. Pretty much all the group members have

put up their idea at least once on that graph and of course, no judgments have been shown when

the insights were discussed. Through these meeting sessions, we were able to identify what was

missing in our design, what was additional, and so on. And eventually, we each gained additional

insights on our project and a new vision of how to complete it. Moreover, I discovered that the

most valuable aspect is the shared insights and learning that each one of us contributes to the work.

Next time, the visualization tool would be a prominent tool for me to us accomplish my work.

