The fifth activity of the project introduced us to some interesting tools and techniques that will help us face roadblocks in our work life with more ease.
Assumption: It is something that we assume to be the case, even without proof. For example, people might make the assumption that someone is a nerd if he/she wears glasses, even though that's not true.
Challenging Assumptions is a sense-making technique designed to break apart a statement and discover where assumptions may be limiting our options.
For example The startup of Chaayos, the first start-up that started experimenting with tea.
Most of the people in our country love home made tea because it is made according to their taste and flavor. Therefore, everyone assumed that the best chai is only made at home. But somebody challenged that assumption and thought of making customized tea in a shop according to our taste and preferences.
The second assumption that most of us make is that tea is supposed to be served hot and immediately. But again, Chaayos challenged this assumption and started home delivery of tea.
Therefore, in today’s activity, we had to challenge assumptions along with enhancing the user experience. We need to reduce as must steps as possible for a customer.
Main Activity
We had to work collaboratively in a group of 4 members. One food product was assigned to each group.
Firstly, we had to create our step by step plan for doing the activity.
We had to write the assumptions of our assigned food items. Afterward, we had to challenge some of the assumptions.
Last but not the least, to propose a creative/innovative experience of eating a given popular food item. We had to create promotional material to communicate our concept.
Along with this, we were also asked to make a 3D Model (paper) of the proposed food.
The presentation of our work was the most important part. We had to put together everything in a presentation and then, upload it on google slides. Each group got 5 minutes to present their work and share their experiences with the larger group.
Our food product was parathas:
My group members were Adrisha, Harshita, and Aarushi.
Revised: After receiving feedback
We challenged the assumptions that
1. Hands get oily whenever we eat a paratha.
2. There can only be one kind of stuffing in a paratha.
3. Parathas are always served flat on a plate.
We came up with our own food product which we named as PARATHAWAYY.
It is completely different from a usual paratha because firstly, the outer layer of the paratha is a bit hard shell, a U-shaped version. Secondly, it has 3 different layers of stuffing. Lastly, since it is a bit soft, we planned to serve it with a knife and fork so that anyone can work while eating a paratha.
This was the 3D model that we made.
We have used a corrugated sheet as our outer covering because it slightly resembles the color of a paratha. Along with that, it is a bit stronger but easily foldable. We have used different kinds of paper for making the stuffing.
Group Achievements
DISCUSSION: Our group devoted at least 30 mins just for discussion. It was really helpful because we came across a lot of new ideas. We were able to modify them and select the most appropriate ideas.
DISTRIBUTION OF WORK: In the first few minutes of the activity, we divided our work according to our skills and preferences. Because of this, we were able to manage the time and work effectively.
Reflection
Today, we got an insight into working as a group of designers within a deadline. We had to plan and manage our time ourselves. While working on this activity, I have noticed various changes within me.
I have learned the importance of group management. From the beginning of this project, we divided our work systematically. This time I have actually learned to accept other group members' ideas even though they were really different but we tried to improvise it and balance them with everyone else's ideas. The second change I noticed while doing this activity was that I was able to relate and enhance my initial ideas with the help of the previous think lab ideas and other projects. For example, I have tried to use expressive typography (activity 4) in my poster design. Also, I tried to balance the colors which I learned in one of my projects. I can see a slight improvement in me.
Last but not the least, this time I got to know a lot about my faculty members. The food just happens to bring out emotions and feelings within us. During our group discussions, everyone shared their unique and exciting experiences with food. Everyone shared their favorite places and dishes. Along with that ma'am also shared some of the skills that as a designer we should always work upon. For example: The way of presenting your work The importance of reading books The importance of having new experiences Overall, it was a great experience and learning day for me. I enjoyed every minute of today's activity.
LEARNING MANTRA
Effective communication is really important.