In this post, I will explain how I’ve accomplished each of the Learning Outcomes for my MA in Applied Imagination. I’ll also reflect on what could have been improved if I had more time or could start again from the beginning.
Learning Outcome 1: The ability to critique and iterate a research question in response to external feedback and evidence gained from your chosen field of enquiry.
My research question evolved significantly throughout the project. Initially, it was broad, but through interventions, stakeholder conversations, and feedback from experts such as Emilia Márquez, it became more focused . This iterative process led me to refine my terminology, shifting the language to better align with my objectives. If I had started over, I would have explored diverse feedback sources earlier from experts in inclusive desing, ensuring a wider range of perspectives shaped my question. I’ve made another blog named The mutation of a research question where I describe this process with more detail.
Learning Outcome 2: The ability to make critical analysis and synthesis of the current knowledge and your research within your chosen field of enquiry.
I synthesized insights from academic texts (Design Justice, Invisible Women, Feminist Designer, The end of avergae, The Tyranny of Metrics, Anthropometry, etc) and stakeholder discussions to understand the implications of design biases. These insights informed interventions that challenged normalized structures, such as the average body concept. Looking back, I would have like to approach the concept of average even more and make more focused interventions with the latin amercian community.
Learning Outcome 3: The ability to critically evaluate a series of external interventions, reflecting on their results and their implications.
My interventions were designed to provoke dialogue and gather actionable feedback. For example, I have the main key quotes of the feedback I recieved from my main interventions such as FlagTheGap that I then used for the presetation of Unit 3. Also, by reflection I revealed gaps in my design, such as how I’m really approaching inclusitivity (my reliance on visual language) that contradicted my critique of exclusivity in design. If I had more time, I would have iterated further to test alternative approaches to make my interventions experiences that had the possibility of engagement to anyone – an by anyone I mean including aspects with different senses that everyone could relate and engage to.
Learning Outcome 4: The ability to use appropriate formats to communicate your critical position and new knowledge gained to a range of audiences.
Throughout my project, I explored creative ways to communicate my research. The use of participatory interventions, such as workshops and guided activities, allowed audiences to engage directly with the questions I was raising. For example, for my workshop at Latin American House I made people move and asked them to show me with their movements how they felt and with that explain them how posture has effect on our perception of life. For my final exposition, I’m making some poster that will allow people understand the reference of red flags in objets making it visually impactful!
Learning Outcome 5: The ability to take ethical responsibility for evaluating evidence of change within relevant stakeholder communities.
Throughout the interventions and conversations with external experts, participants knew that I was a master’s student and that I was developing a precise research at UAL. They were informed of the intervention or project objective and accepted to be part of it. This is a research that’s not going to be used for any commercial use.