Reflection – Mind Mapping

Challenge & Selection

The tool that I used was Mind Mapping for understanding my problem better and making my team  members understand it better too. I wanted to do some research project work in my field of mechanical  engineering in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) so I had an idea in mind for the work; I collected  some teammates and stared literature review for my project related to my idea and so did my team  mates which estimated for the first phase of the project “What is?”. The challenge was that everybody  can understand what others have read and can tell other what they have read in minimum time  possible. The only possible solution I could see at that time was Mind Mapping.

Application

I started the process as follows: After the literature review, we sat together in a room and we have to  discuss the papers we all had reviewed in the time provide by me (we were five students). I pulled out a  paper and in the centre drew a circle in which I wrote the topic name and now like a tree, drew some  branches with circles at the end. I wrote everything I studied in my time in short in those circles and  circulated the sheet for everybody, asked them to do the same. I also told them to write their idea for  the project, like how we could approach it and how we can make it exceptional from all those papers we  have read, the new ideas and existing ones are now filtered into concise and to the point format.

Like Mary Santiago told in the Mind Mapping Tool Video of the third week.

Now we have completed the mind mapping of the ideas and studies we all had and so that everybody  could read it, I circulated it once more. There were many patterns that emerged from the mind map and  we were clear about the work we have to do. Now I put it on the board and leave space for more and  ask my teammates to view the board regularly and if they come across any idea ever just clip it there on  the board updating it regularly. They all used to it and every time I looked at the board different themes  for the project were there sticking on the board. We are still working on that project.

Impact & Approach

I learned that the process is efficient and effective. The impact was direct and positive for the project,  we all were now on the same page about the project, the idea sharing and generation is easy. The  project can now be completed with the help of a faculty who has agreed to help us and seeing the ideas  and work we have done he has agreed to provide us with exceptional computational resources which  we badly need right now for the project.

We invited the faculty to have a look at the mind map and pick out the good points that would be  beneficial for the project. We clustered the points that teacher and we all teammates have picked out  and identified the insights that were related to the each one of them while looking for the connections  among them. The insights inferred were then converted to the criteria we needed for the project. This  all happened with the help of the team. I learned that shared insights are the most important aspects  for any design thinking process and approach.


Reflection – Mind Mapping Challenge & Selection The tool that I used was Mind Mapping for understanding my problem better and making my team members understand it better too . I wanted to do some research project work in my field of mechanical engineering in computational fluid dynamics ( CFD ) so I had an idea in mind for the work ; I collected some teammates and stared literature review for my project related to my idea and so did my team mates which estimated for the first phase of the project “ What is ? ” . The challenge was that everybody can understand what others have read and can tell other what they have read in minimum time possible . The only possible solution I could see at that time was Mind Mapping . Application I started the process as follows : After the literature review , we sat together in a room and we have to discuss the papers we all had reviewed in the time provide by me ( we were five students ) . I pulled out a paper and in the centre drew a circle in which I wrote the topic name and now like a tree , drew some branches with circles at the end . I wrote everything I studied in my time in short in those circles and circulated the sheet for everybody , asked them to do the same . I also told them to write their idea for the project , like how we could approach it and how we can make it exceptional from all those papers we have read , the new ideas and existing ones are now filtered into concise and to the point format . Like Mary Santiago told in the Mind Mapping Tool Video of the third week . Now we have completed the mind mapping of the ideas and studies we all had and so that everybody could read it , I circulated it once more . There were many patterns that emerged from the mind map and we were clear about the work we have to do . Now I put it on the board and leave space for more and ask my teammates to view the board regularly and if they come across any idea ever just clip it there on the board updating it regularly . They all used to it and every time I looked at the board different themes for the project were there sticking on the board . We are still working on that project . Impact & Approach I learned that the process is efficient and effective . The impact was direct and positive for the project , we all were now on the same page about the project , the idea sharing and generation is easy . The project can now be completed with the help of a faculty who has agreed to help us and seeing the ideas and work we have done he has agreed to provide us with exceptional computational resources which we badly need right now for the project . We invited the faculty to have a look at the mind map and pick out the good points that would be beneficial for the project . We clustered the points that teacher and we all teammates have picked out and identified the insights that were related to the each one of them while looking for the connections among them . The insights inferred were then converted to the criteria we needed for the project . This all happened with the help of the team . I learned that shared insights are the most important aspects for any design thinking process and approach .