Re-iteration of DD I.

Term 2: Week 1

In Design Dialogues, I tackled a project delving into mental health and Data Humanism. I really enjoyed exploring this aspect because it allowed me to express the everyday and essentially turn our lives into data. Digging into the mental health dynamics for others and society was also intriguing. However, the experience made me realize that while I’m genuinely interested in mental health, when I shared it with others, they came to me with their problems, putting me in an uncomfortable designer-as-a-helper position. I thought I’d prefer contributing more externally and subjectively—providing tools rather than being the guiding voice.

Design Dialogues made me recognize that while these themes are my main focus, my approach needs a shift. What sticks with me from the quarter is my eagerness to explore with electronics. Additionally, delving into self-investigation was enlightening, allowing me to understand firsthand the issues with my designs. Looking forward, I’m keen on exploring the inevitable path of technology becoming a part of us humans.

So, what I take away from the first quarter is the desire to make mental health and identity integral to my narrative. Yet, what intrigues me even more is exploring electronics to create machines that ensure humans don’t lose their humanity. I want people to realize that as machines become more prevalent in our daily lives, it can impact us in ways we might not anticipate. What happens to us when we have direct access to something doing our work for us? How will our physicality change? What about our bodies and brains? What defines us at an identity level? What makes us free and happy? If I can create a machine synthetically generating happiness, is it truly experiencing joy?