My MIDEA Journey: Insights & Reflections

Prior to entering the MIDEA Master’s program, my professional background primarily revolved around user experience (UX) design, focusing on optimising digital product interfaces and interactions. While I had accumulated considerable experience in design practice, I realised that to advance further in my career, I needed to enhance my theoretical foundation and design strategy systematically. With this goal in mind, I chose the MIDEA Master’s program, hoping to understand the broader impact of design and to expand my skills through interdisciplinary project practices.

Initial Expectations and Journey Evolution

When I started the MIDEA program, I had three main expectations:

• To enhance my skills in user research and interaction design, particularly in larger and more complex projects.

• To deepen my understanding of design thinking and theory, especially in different cultural and social contexts.

• To grow in agile project management and cross-disciplinary collaboration, enabling me to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and deliver high-quality design outcomes.

As the MIDEA course progressed, I gradually realised that design is not just a tool to solve individual user problems; it is a medium that can shape social and cultural impact. Through a series of interdisciplinary collaborative projects, my perspective on design broadened, evolving from merely improving user experience to a more socially responsible and value-driven design practice.

3 Key Practical Skills Enhanced

User Research and Needs Analysis

• In multiple projects, I applied both qualitative and quantitative research methods, using in-depth interviews, surveys, and data analysis to precisely identify core user needs. For instance, in the Sydney Commute Hub project, the detailed struggles of low-income commuters were identified through direct interviews, where I went further to design realtime information displays and alternative route suggestions. This hands-on experience honed my skills in data collection and analyses; it helped in eliciting actual pain points out of user insight.

Critical Reflection: While the foundation of all design decisions is based on user research, I also realised the diversity and complexity present in the feedback provided by users, mostly related to cultural differences and value perception affecting design. This teaches me that, in future projects, I need to consider in-depth thinking about cultural factors so that design can be all inclusive and accessible.

Prototyping and Interaction Optimisation

• In MIDEA, through lots of projects, systematic training has been done on how to design iteratively develop from low-fidelity prototypes to high-fidelity ones. With Figma, I was able to quickly build prototypes and conduct multiple rounds of user testing. For example, SphereCast VR Headset project requires constant revisions in laying out the interface and interaction logic to enhance immersion and operational convenience for a user in a virtual reality environment. This really upped my skills in user experience optimisation and rapid iteration.

Critical Reflection: Prototyping helped to validate ideas quickly, but I also reflected upon how over-reliance on tools and user testing might limit design creativity. In future practices, I need to balance tool-driven and creativity-driven approaches so that design will be user-friendly and innovative.

Agile Project Management and Team Collaboration

• Each project at MIDEA involved agile development and cross-functional collaboration. In the projects, I did happen to play a few roles: that of a Project Coordinator in a couple of projects, guaranteeing frictionless communication and progress for each iteration cycle. For example, in the ABC Education soft skill expansion project, I managed a few rounds of user testing using agile management methods, integrating feedback for timely design changes. That helped not only in improving project delivery but also in understanding the associated complexities while dealing with project management and team collaborations.

Critical Reflection: Agile project management indeed made the group more effective. At the same time, I did feel that such a speed in iteration may skip deep exploration or refinement in designing. In the next projects, I should learn to balance efficiency by being more detailed and innovative with a practical final design outcome.

3 Key Theoretical Concepts Learned and Applied

Double Diamond Design Model

• I applied the Double Diamond design model to most of the projects during my work at MIDEA, starting from problem research and definition up to solution development and delivery. For example, in the Sydney Commute Hub project, it clearly separated the exploration of the problem from the development of the solution, leading to more logical and goal-oriented design solutions.

Critical Reflection: Double diamond model clearly explained the design path, but very often, I experienced design problems a little more profound than the given framework. For example, diversities and variability in user needs necessitate designers at each stage of design to be flexible and adaptive. In future projects, I will need to adjust the theoretical model according to specific situations to ensure design adaptability and effectiveness.

User-Centred Design (UCD)

• The UCD approach was consistently applied in every MIDEA project. By adopting UCD, I ensured that every design decision was based on users’ needs and behavior patterns. For example, in the ABC Education soft skills expansion project, UCD helped me understand users’ demands for personalised learning paths, leading to a more targeted learning recommendation system.

Critical Reflection: While UCD emphasises prioritising user needs, I also recognised that design should consider broader social values and ethical impacts. In future design practices, I need to balance user needs with social responsibility, ensuring that designs are beneficial to both individuals and society.

Design Thinking

• Design thinking was one of the core theories throughout the MIDEA course. I applied the five stages of design thinking (empathise, define, ideate, prototype, and test) in every project to find innovative solutions to complex problems. For example, in the SphereCast VR Headset project, design thinking helped me redefine the immersive experience in VR from a user’s perspective, resulting in a multi-angle switching design.

Critical Reflection: While the structured process of design thinking helped me identify entry points in complex problems, I also realised that its application is not always linear and may require revisiting and adjusting different stages. In future practices, I will follow the design thinking framework while remaining open and flexible to ensure the innovation and adaptability of the design.

Understanding Ethics and Values

This MIDEA journey has advanced my understanding of the ethical responsibility and value-oriented nature of design. It is not solely that design should solve user problems; design is a force in shaping society, culture, and the environment. So, in each project, I tried to think of what these ethical roles were which design should play, especially with regard to user privacy, data security, and fairness. I came to learn that a true designer needs to be fully equipped not only with technique and creativity but also with important moral judgment and reflection of values that he can give to society.

Conclusion

The MIDEA journey not only further developed my skills in design but gave me an understanding of the value of design to society and its ethical role. I have learned how to keep critical thinking throughout the design process, balance user needs with social responsibility, and adapt design in a fast-moving environment by fostering innovation. In the future, I will be doing further research on how design can drive social change in a desirable way, creating positive impact among users and society.