As we approach the final days of the Fall 2024 semester, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my experiences in the interaction design course. Before taking this class, I was quite nervous, as I had never engaged in any interaction design work; my projects primarily focused on print design. Additionally, I had heard mixed opinions about using Figma for collaborative work from previous graphic design students.

However, this course served as a perfect introduction to the program. In hindsight, I wish I had taken this class before my internship at Fresh Water System last summer. During that internship, I was introduced to Figma but could have benefited from many of the skills I learned this semester. Nevertheless, I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Professor Meena Khalili and to improve my web design skills.

Although Figma presented its challenges at times, the Airline branding project and the Blue Law ad campaigns offered excellent opportunities to experiment and learn. These projects pushed me to create visual identities quickly and make design decisions with intention. I also challenged myself to add subtle details, such as making my campaign mascot, Tom Turkey, wave at the audience when they hovered their mouse over the image, and allowing users to navigate a clickable Figma prototype for both the mobile app and desktop web design. This makes me wish that my airline app could be a prototype and actually clickable—I might revisit that idea in the future!

The project that truly tested my abilities this semester was the CMA AR scavenger hunt. This project required me to work outside my comfort zone using a program I had no prior experience with. It taught me valuable lessons about collaboration within a large design team and helped me learn to navigate the chaos. Working with my classmates was a wonderful experience, and it was fantastic to get to know everyone better while designing the flow of an entire scavenger hunt, both physically and virtually.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Professor Meena Khalili for fostering such a welcoming environment that encouraged us all to grow and learn from one another. Additionally, I appreciate everyone in the class for contributing to an atmosphere that felt supportive and offered constructive feedback. I am excited to see what the next semester brings, and I look forward to participating in Portfolio Studio, Advanced Illustration, and Process & Systems courses.

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