Professional Identity
As a designer, I like to think about ways to improve the things around us. I strive to find new solutions to problems because every solution brings up new opportunities. Simultaneously, every single solution also raises some challenges.
In the design process, I mainly take on the role of sketching, lo-fi prototyping, and crafting museum-quality prototypes. This type of manual work fuels my motivation, as I can directly see the progress I have made. It also helps me better express my creative ideas, as I sometimes struggle doing so in group projects.
My perfectionism helps me ensure I deliver high-quality prototypes, but always at the cost of extra time. This is usually a double-edged sword, as I tend to spend more time on certain, less important tasks, such as polishing the prototype and making everything up to a high standard. Although the details are what make the product stand out, I get caught up in the project and sometimes find it difficult to stop and consider the prototype finished.
Strengths and weaknesses
Being intuitive provides me with a lot of creative ideas during the design process. Initially, I found it challenging to express them, especially during the brainstorming phases, but I was able to gradually overcome this, as I worked on more projects and with different people. Now I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts during meetings and asking for clarification when I get lost or behind.
On the other hand, I find this same trait very beneficial in the latter phases, when developing one idea, because I can discover a broader scale of solutions to one problem, which helps me with solving the issue more effectively because I can pick the best solution out of a wider range, rather than relying on a single solution.
I also work better with the visual side of design. One of my biggest strengths is sketching, lo-fi and dirty prototyping, which helps me evaluate my current design and better visualize the final product. This iterative prototyping approach motivates me, as I can directly see my progress throughout the project. This further helps me, especially when working with very creative people, as I can put their ideas into life.
However, I also pay attention to the details of my projects, mainly in the prototyping phase, and when making the final product. This precision and perfectionism sometimes tend to prolong the process, as I get focused on details and sometimes forget about the bigger picture. This happened during one of my deliverables, where I took a lot of time to make a 3D model, which resulted in the model not being printed on time for the demo day.