In the early stages of my design education, my development was shaped by foundational courses that introduced me to design thinking, collaboration, and visual communication. In From Idea to Design, I learned how to structure a design process through brainstorming, iteration, and team-based concept development. This course shaped my tendency to approach design as an iterative and collaborative process, where ideas evolve through discussion and visual exploration.
Courses such as Exploratory Sketching strengthened my ability to use drawing as both a thinking and communication tool. This shaped how I approach ambiguity in design situations: by quickly externalizing ideas to make them discussable and testable rather than keeping them abstract.
As my studies progressed, I moved into more interdisciplinary and technical contexts. In Engineering Design, Creative Electronics and Making Sense of Sensors I was introduced to physical computing and prototype development. These courses shaped my understanding of design as something that is not only conceptual, but also material and system-based. This requires translation between physical components and user interaction.
In Creative Programming and Data Analytics I gained initial experience with coding and data-driven systems. These courses contributed to how I approach systems thinking in design, helping me understand how data and logic can influence interaction behavior and design outcomes.
A key moment in my development was my exchange period, where I worked in a different academic and cultural environment. This shaped my independence as a designer and strengthened my ability to adapt design approaches to unfamiliar contexts. It also influenced how I collaborate, making me more aware of different perspectives and ways of working. The courses during this semester contributed to my technical abilities through code/interface developing focused courses. But additonally it contributed to my visualization abilities through a portfolio based course.
Courses such as User-Centered Design, Aesthethics of Interaction, Design<>Research and Design for Games and Play shaped how I approach design from a human perspective. Emphasizing research, interpretation and understanding user needs in context.
Design Management and other (innovative) business courses shaped my awareness of design as part of larger systems, where ideas must be positioned within organizational, strategic and value-driven contexts. Overall, these experiences gradually shaped me from a visually oriented beginner into a designer who connects visual thinking, user understanding, technical exploration, and system awareness.
All my learning activities can be found here.