Reflection – Visualization

Challenge

I am an engineering student currently working on my undergraduate thesis. Our thesis is  required to have a prototype and should not only be done for compliance but also for business  opportunities in the future. The first phase of the thesis is the project proposal where we are to  validate the problem, identify the needs and look for market potential for our project. It is very  challenging for our team because in our university specially in engineering, we are taught most  of the time how to solve problems and not looking for a valid problem. To approve our thesis  proposal, we need to convince the panel of judges that the problem we are solving is valid and  has a market. The real challenge for our team is that we have to explain and demonstrate what  we are proposing in a way that the panel will be convinced that the project is useful and has  market potential.

Selection

The team decided that the most suited design thinking tool to be used for us to convince the  panel of judges is the visualization tool because our project has technical concepts that are  hard to understand verbally. We have a limited time to do this project so we have to convince  the panel that we can finish the project in time and show them what the final output would  look like so visualization is very important to let the panel understand what we are doing. As  Angela Myer stated in module 1, “The more you begin to use pictures and create a visual image  for people of how you are thinking, the more likely you are to achieve a sense of agreement  and consensus with people in an environment where your ability to get things done and to  solve problems is dependent on other people being able to understand you and align their  ideas with yours.”  To have an agreement and align our ideas with the panel, we had to rely on  the visualization tool.

Application

On the day of the project proposal, we have presented to the panel a lot of graphical statistics  to let them see the market potential for our project and we also interpreted our surveys using  graphical statistics to validate the problem and convince them that there is a need for our  project. Using pie charts enables us to display the percentage of people that have the same  problem and are willing to use the project we will create. Bar graphs and line graphs enables us  to show how the market for our project increases over time. After we convinced the panel that  there is a need for our project and it has a market potential, we further convince them that we  can finish this project in a limited time using Gantt chart and project milestones. We briefly  discussed the methodology we are to use to achieve our goal using Gantt chart. We also shown

to the panel the 3D model of how the project will look like when it is finished by using  AutoCAD. This gives the panel the idea on what to expect to the project and most specially to  validate if we have successfully achieved our goals and objectives for this thesis project.

Insight

Even though our project proposal was very technical, we are able to convey our ideas and  vision of the project and convinced them that we can achieve it and specially be useful for  other people. The statistical graphs and 3D model of our project really helped a lot in conveying  our ideas to the panel and because of visualization tool, we are able to persuade the panel on  the worthiness of our idea and we are now in the prototyping stage of the project.

Approach

The use of visualization tool does not end here because our team plan to use this tool to pitch it  to other people specially our potential customers. I think that making the potential customers  or investor understand the worthiness and concept of our project will be much easier by using  the visualization tool of the design thinking process.


Reflection – Visualization Challenge I am an engineering student currently working on my undergraduate thesis . Our thesis is required to have a prototype and should not only be done for compliance but also for business opportunities in the future . The first phase of the thesis is the project proposal where we are to validate the problem , identify the needs and look for market potential for our project . It is very challenging for our team because in our university specially in engineering , we are taught most of the time how to solve problems and not looking for a valid problem . To approve our thesis proposal , we need to convince the panel of judges that the problem we are solving is valid and has a market . The real challenge for our team is that we have to explain and demonstrate what we are proposing in a way that the panel will be convinced that the project is useful and has market potential . Selection The team decided that the most suited design thinking tool to be used for us to convince the panel of judges is the visualization tool because our project has technical concepts that are hard to understand verbally . We have a limited time to do this project so we have to convince the panel that we can finish the project in time and show them what the final output would look like so visualization is very important to let the panel understand what we are doing . As Angela Myer stated in module 1 , “ The more you begin to use pictures and create a visual image for people of how you are thinking , the more likely you are to achieve a sense of agreement and consensus with people in an environment where your ability to get things done and to solve problems is dependent on other people being able to understand you and align their ideas with yours . ” To have an agreement and align our ideas with the panel , we had to rely on the visualization tool . Application On the day of the project proposal , we have presented to the panel a lot of graphical statistics to let them see the market potential for our project and we also interpreted our surveys using graphical statistics to validate the problem and convince them that there is a need for our project . Using pie charts enables us to display the percentage of people that have the same problem and are willing to use the project we will create . Bar graphs and line graphs enables us to show how the market for our project increases over time . After we convinced the panel that there is a need for our project and it has a market potential , we further convince them that we can finish this project in a limited time using Gantt chart and project milestones . We briefly discussed the methodology we are to use to achieve our goal using Gantt chart . We also shown to the panel the 3D model of how the project will look like when it is finished by using AutoCAD . This gives the panel the idea on what to expect to the project and most specially to validate if we have successfully achieved our goals and objectives for this thesis project . Insight Even though our project proposal was very technical , we are able to convey our ideas and vision of the project and convinced them that we can achieve it and specially be useful for other people . The statistical graphs and 3D model of our project really helped a lot in conveying our ideas to the panel and because of visualization tool , we are able to persuade the panel on the worthiness of our idea and we are now in the prototyping stage of the project . Approach The use of visualization tool does not end here because our team plan to use this tool to pitch it to other people specially our potential customers . I think that making the potential customers or investor understand the worthiness and concept of our project will be much easier by using the visualization tool of the design thinking process .