Markets, Innovation & Design - Spring 2020

Habits Reflection-Faith

by Leave a Comment

As I reflect on MIDE 300 and this semester the first word that pops into my head is growth. Although this is not a word that we really focused on, I think it symbolizes the general theme that I would use to describe my experience. I have always been able to see a design or a painting and recreate it pretty well with free hand, and my artistic abilities are pretty good. I used to think that artistic ability/skill was the same as creativity, but throughout this class I have learned that they are not. 

I have learned that creativity is something you can be born with, but also something that takes a lot of time and work to develop if you are not as naturally inclined. Before this class I would tell myself that I wasn’t creative, and I would just copy other inspiring artists, or ideas, but after this class I have really begun to follow my own path. Failing forward has always been something that has come pretty naturally for me. I think that my failing forward stems from my desire to be successful and self drive. Especially being an athlete, it was very important to always fail forward and continue improving so I think that has stuck with me ever since and I am not afraid of a challenge (ambiguity). 

On the other hand, my creative confidence as I stated before is a weakness, as well as my child’s eye. Throughout this course, I realized that all of these habits are able to be improved through practice and learning. I learned that I am able to be creative and see things differently than the “mainstream” idea and continue to create. This will allow me to have a lot of different paths in life. I think that I worked on my child’s eye and creative confidence the most throughout this class, and I definitely see a difference. I do not worry or get nervous before posting my work, and I do not rely on other classmates’ ideas for inspiration. The inspiration posts that we did in the middle of the course were really beneficial because they helped me pinpoint my inspiration and what was most effective.

I will continue to use all of these skills throughout the rest of my time at Bucknell and in my life. I already incorporated some of these ideas into my LinkedIn bio “I am majoring in Markets, Innovation, and Design. This will help me further my ability to use both left and right brain skills to understand strategy, develop creativity, and feel comfortable with ambiguity”. I want to pursue a career in sales and trading or wealth management, and although this might not sound like a normal MIDE job, I know that MIDE will help make me an asset to any team through my different perspectives and skills.

Test and Iterate- Faith

by Leave a Comment

These past few weeks have felt very long. Each day feels like it either flies by before I can complete my list, or it feels so long and I find myself getting side tracked. I have been pretty constant with keeping up with my list and completing it before I go to bed. Although, I have not made that much progress with my guitar, I think that my expectations were too high. Considering that I am not learning with in person lessons it is more difficult than I expected to make progress.

The list has definitely helped me stay on track and be productive during quarantine. If I didn’t number my list it would have been very hard for me to complete everything before I went to sleep. My list is pretty much memorized at this point, and I find myself not looking at it throughout the day. This has been both good and bad because most things have become apart of my daily routine, but it also makes it easier to skip the things that I don’t like because I don’t read them from the list. I think that something that I could do to even further improve my list would be to screenshot it and put it as the background of my phone so that every time I check my phone I see the list and it reminds me what I still need to complete. This whole project has taught me that structure and goals are very important to stay on track and productive.

Test & Iterate

by Leave a Comment

My prototype worked well for me, and I think that my productivity definitely improved which was my main goal. The first day I found myself using it but it still being something that I had to heavily rely on. Although after a few days I found myself following my “to do” list with more ease as it became apart of my routine with memorization. I think that as I continue to use my prototype I will eventually not even need it anymore and it will all blend with my schedule and become second nature. At first, I thought that it was a bit disappointing that my prototype would eventually not be used, but then I realized that means it really served its purpose. My ultimate goal would be to create something that instills positive life long skills or habits.

After talking with Professors Smith and Allen I agree that I think the next step of my “No Excuses” Quarantine list is making it available for people who have different goals and lists. I would make it into a document that I could email to people that was editable. I have added what I would send below.

My experience with my design was interesting as I had many different ideas but felt as though this one allowed me to incorporate my three main goals for quarantine. This 100 percent changed my quarantine experience because it forced me to think more critically about what I want to accomplish these next few weeks and set goals for myself. Even if I didn’t create a prototype, the brainstorming and design process transformed my mindset. It allowed me to realize that everything can be improved and looked at in many different ways.

Overall, I learned so much from the design process that I will carry throughout various aspects of my life even after this class. Prior to MIDE 300, I did not realize the amount of time and steps that went into creating a prototype or even a good idea. I definitely was one who went immediately to the idea that I had in my head and assumed that it was the best/right solution to a problem or goal. Although, now I really appreciate the process that goes into creating and editing the object.

Prototype

by Leave a Comment

For my prototype I had a bunch of different ideas for using one of my themes or “goals” for my quarantine, but I realized that it was hard to pick a prototype that just used one of them. I wanted to make a prototype that incorporated all of my goals and themes in order to make sure I was being productive.

Therefore I made a “No excuses” list. This phrase has been written on my family whiteboard in my kitchen for years, and every time I see it, it motivates me. I would like to call it my “quote” or “slogan” for this quarantine. When quarantine first began a few weeks ago, I was so upset and in a really bad mood all the time focusing on the things that I couldn’t do. When I finally realized that I needed to change my mindset, it gave me a whole new perspective. Instead of complaining that my gym is closed and that I don’t have the exact same equipment, I now go outside and use objects in my yard like stairs, my hill or chairs to run and do bodyweight exercises. Anytime that I find myself thinking negatively, I think about “No excuses” and it really helps

So on the top of my prototype I put “No excuses” and numbers my activities broken down into three columns. I cannot move onto the next task until I complete the one before. This will keep me regimented and force me to complete everything before I go to bed. My guitar section will be completed based on however long it takes me to learn the correct chords for each song. So I don’t expect to complete everyone of my numbers for the guitar section everyday. Each guitar number might take me a few days, but the point is as I move from one number to the next, the song and chords will get more challenging.

The screen time section is also very important and took some brainstorming because I have found myself using my phone way too much during quarantine. My screen time has gone up a lot since being home, and part of my productivity problem is my phone. I hate pushups so I gave myself the penalty of 1 pushup per minute that I go over my limit.

3 Sketches- Faith

by Leave a Comment

I enjoyed doing this exercise because it helped me further plan out my activities and visualize my goals during quarantine.

My first sketch was of my list of daily activities that I have to complete by the time I wake up to when I go to bed. I originally created a list that I would try to complete before I went to bed. Although I would find myself skipping things I didn’t want to do. I would then get to around 10 at night and realize I didn’t have enough time or energy to complete my activities. Therefore, this helped me realize that I should number the list that way I could not move onto the next until I finished them in order. This held me more accountable for my actions and helped me with time management. This relates to Stage four of Exploration/Refinement because this helped me with the observing and testing part of my exploration. If I had not done this, I probably would not have come to the conclusion that I needed to number my activities and use sticky notes to peel away the activities as I complete them.


This second sketch is of my phone screen time since being in quarantine. I am really upset that I have let my phone consume this many hours of my life. At school, my screen time was about 2 hours a day, and I felt like that was still a lot. I spend the most amount of my time on social media and communication applications. I find myself getting stuck in an endless loop of TikToks and Instagram Live feeds and not even realizing that I have been on my phone for 30 minutes. I am going to download an app that my brother told me about that locks you out of certain apps once you hit a certain time limit. I know that this will be difficult at first, but will help me be much more productive during these less scheduled times. I will put more time into myself, my family, and building new skills. This relates to my Hierarchy of Needs because I need to make sure that I am focusing more on my Self Actualization, Self Esteem, and Safety.

My final sketch is my guitar that I just recieved today from Amazon. Although I had written that I wanted to reteach myself the piano, I decided that a guitar is more practical and the guitar is more mobile than a piano (I can take my guitar more places). I devoted about 2 hours to my guitar today with youtube tutorials and practice. I have to admit that the guitar is much more difficult than I remember. One of my flaws is that I tend to get frustrated when I am not naturally great at something. Although I do not usually give up, I really enjoy things more when I am really good at them. I am devoting myself one month to the guitar and if I am still really struggling then I might give it a break and try another skill. I am setting this goal for myself because I know that it will help me keep good morale and focus. This relates to both pyramids because it involves both my self-esteem and my creativity. I hope that I can make progress and stick with it! I am currently working on learning Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson.

Concept Board- Faith

by Leave a Comment

When I first started brainstorming what I would like to do for the next 6-12 weeks of social distancing, I began thinking of things that I enjoyed doing in HS or middle school. Since I have lived in the same town my whole life, I realized that although I am limited with what I can do, I did not have my driver’s license or cell phone when I was younger and still had a great time. I used to enjoy baking, board games, being outside, going to my Beach house and playing the piano. I almost forgot that I took guitar and piano lessons in middle school until I did brainstorming. I am very happy that I brainstormed that I enjoyed playing with musical instruments because I actually have a grand piano in a room in my house that I rarely use (so it was easily forgotten about). I really want to take these next few weeks to learn how to play the piano again through youtube videos and practice.

Furthermore, I have really enjoyed cooking my family meals and I want to continue improving my skills. I also love music, and that has been very therapeutic for me throughout social distancing. Something that is very important to me is the environment, and I have loved reading articles about the earth’s response to social distancing and the Coronavirus. Water sources in towns are clear, animals are thriving, and landscapes are positively changing due to less carbon footprint.  I am also enjoying sitting and watching the stock market with my dad because I am learning a lot from this interesting time. I am working on creating my own portfolio and watching my own stocks in order to create life skills and in preparation for my internship this summer.

I also want to focus on being in the present and not worrying about the future. I want to enjoy nature, work on putting my phone down and being with my family. Although this virus is a terrible thing, it also places us in a unique opportunity that will most likely not occur for a long time. In relation to cooking healthy meals for my family, I want to continue to workout and maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

Here is what I brainstormed:

  1. The environment around the world
    1. Articles about touristy places like Venice, Italy having clean water and more animals
    2. People enjoying nature more
    3. Less carbon footprint with less use of transportation
  2. Personal Health and Self Care
    1. Listening to music
    2. Hanging with family
    3. Being with my dog and cat
    4. Working out at home and outside
    5. Eating healthy to maintain a good immune system
  3. Technology
    1. Zoom
    2. Facetime with friends
    3. Screen Time has gone up a lot- trying to limit it
    4. The stock market- using this time to focus on teaching myself for my internship this summer
  4. What I used to enjoy
    1. Cooking
    2. Instruments- Piano, Guitar
    3. Going outside
    4. Lacrosse

After doing this activity, I am excited to use these next few weeks to work on myself, the environment and my relationships.

Constraint Map- Faith

by Leave a Comment

Creating my constraint map was very therapeutic for me because it helped me see the full effects of the CoronaVirus and the ways that it has affected the world. I have been in quarantine for 11 days after coming home from my spring break trip to Florida. I feel as though I cannot get out of the discussion of the virus and it is creating an environment for even more anxiety and stress. I know that many of my friends feel that way as well, and with social distancing, it is hard to get away from the effects of the virus. Especially with the flexible schedule and more time in my day without my daily routine, it is easy to lose purpose and motivation.

One thing that has helped me is the numerous celebrities and fitness instructors who are offering fitness classes and workouts from home that requires no gear or equipment. Since the YMCA in my town closed, I was very upset knowing that I would have a difficult time staying healthy for the next few months. Therefore, I have the online stuff effective in restoring my energy and motivation to get things accomplished. Furthermore, many DJs and artists are hosting Instagram Live videos and doing live concerts or “parties” online which is a fun way to utilize technology to take people’s minds off of the negatives caused by the virus.

As a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, it was great to hear that Zach and Julie Ertz, are donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Philadelphia Food Bank (https://clutchpoints.com/eagles-news-zach-ertz-julie-ertz-do-their-part-donating-to-philadelphia-food-bank/). I loved hearing that one of my favorite players was doing his part to help his local community and it inspired me to look up things in my community that I could do. I have been going on walks with my dog, and I have noticed many families doing the same. Therefore, I had to participate when I learned that people in my town were putting teddy bears in the house’s windows so that the kids and families can go on a “bear hunt”. They put together a map for the parents that shows all of the houses participating. I decided to find my teddy bear in my closet and put it in the window. Although this was not even close to the donation that the Ertzs gave, I felt like I had used my resources to try and make a difference. 

Although I realize that I am extremely blessed to have food, shelter, and family/friends to keep me safe, it is easy to get lost in all of the negativity throughout the news and social media. I am lucky that I do not fall under the category of higher-risk individuals who have immunosuppression. I really applaud the companies and grocery stores that are reserving specific hours for the elderly to keep them safer. Some stores are Publix, Trader Joes and Whole Foods (https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/supermarkets-respond-to-pandemic-here-are-updated-schedules-and-hours-for-seniors/2209002/). 

Furthermore, last night in my IP class, Memoirs of Neoliberalism, we spoke about the similarities between the AIDS epidemic and the Coronavirus in the US. At first, I was struggling to see the parallels, but after our discussions, I noticed that the similarities are found in the way that the people reacted to the diseases. Many politicians are calling the CoronaVirus the “Chinese Virus” which creates a stigma and racism towards the Chinese people. Although the virus might have originated in China, this term is not politically correct. Similarly, when the AIDS disease was first discovered in the 80’s it was seen as something that was caused by the LGBTQ+ community. That community was definitely not as socially accepted as it is today, which led to a lot of discrimination towards that community. Although there still isn’t a cure for AIDS there are numerous medicines to prolong someone’s life with the disease. In both cases, there is a group that is being discriminated against due to the virus, which should not be the reaction. People should be helping each other no matter what and trying to stop the virus.

Overall, creating this map allowed me to see the light that is shining through as our country tries to overcome this virus. At first, I found it difficult to circle and highlight the positive aspects of the virus, but as I thought from different perspectives I began circling more and seeing that we have to make the best out of a very bad situation. 

Inspiration Post #4

by Leave a Comment

This week for inspiration I decided to do something different than my past posts. Yesterday around 5:30 I went to sit on the Quad and watch the sunset with my friend while listening to music. We sat on those stone benches above the admissions building. Originally I wanted to people watch and see if that gave me any inspiration, but there weren’t many people outside because of the rain. We sat there for about thirty minutes, but couldn’t see the sunset that well because of the clouds.

I was not very inspired by this because I found myself getting distracted by my friend and talking more about our plans for the week instead of thinking outside the box. It was difficult to stay on track and not just talk about things that we talk about all the time. I would not say that this was a good way for myself to inspire new ideas, but I did enjoy spending the time with my friend and it was helpful to learn what was not conducive to inspiration. Next time I will stick to thinking by myself, but I will continue to try and find new methods of inspiration.

Inspiration Post 3

by Leave a Comment

Note from Dean- Sick

I was sent home on Wednesday morning after going to student health and on my way home my dad drove the car. I slept the entire way home and woke up feeling even worse. Those next few days at home I did nothing besides sleep, eat and watch Netflix. Some might see this as a nice break, but after the first day, I was bored and even found myself missing class. I didn’t realize how much my happiness and excitement relied on my activities and friendships at school. Once I felt better, I decided that I would return to campus on Sunday.

My dad drove me back to Bucknell, but this time I decided to use my time in the car to think. I slept the first hour of the trip set an alarm so that I would wake up around the time that we would get to the farmlands in Pennsylvania. When I woke up I put in my headphones and listened to music while looking out the window. I felt bad ignoring my dad, but I felt so relaxed. My mind wandered and my eye caught certain things I had not noticed before. I really enjoyed looking at the rolling landscape and the farmlands. I wondered what a simple lifestyle like farming would be like in comparison to my energy-filled college life.

Although I was not very productive during this car ride, I still did find inspiration in taking time to realize that happiness and excitement can come from things that you take for granted and do not notice every day. When I got back to Bucknell I made sure to tell all of my friends how much I missed them.

Inspiration Post #2

by Leave a Comment

When I thought about what I wanted to do for an inspiration post, the first thing that came to mind was either doing yoga, or going for a walk by myself on the rail trail. Although, when I thought about it more I decided that I wanted to do something away from working out because that is what I did for my last post.

When I traveled to Milton to meet with our client for our website, I arrived at the Daycare excited and unsure what to expect. After seeing the kids playing and having fun, I decided that I would do something creative for my inspiration post. I decided to go to 7th street and draw on my new nike sneakers. I enjoyed going to seventh street and just relaxing without any pressures.

At first I felt a bit out of place going to seventh street, and it was weird working alone, but I enjoyed the music that they played. This inspired me to take more time for myself throughout the week and make sure that I am giving myself time to focus on enjoying alone time and focusing on my own happiness. I did not realize how much I enjoyed being creative and how much I missed it. Being around the little kids at the daycare really inspired me to always work on my creativity because it is a great way to escape the pressures of life.

Inspiration Post-Week 1

by Leave a Comment

This past Sunday I went to the gym after doing work in the library for five hours. My whole life I have been an athlete, and I came to Bucknell recruited to play lacrosse. When I had to stop playing this year due to injury I struggled to find something else that gave me as much happiness. I realized that I was much less productive and creative without my sport. Although this might be a weird connection, it is what helps me insprire new ideas. I began running, and going to workout classes offered through the Bucknell Gym. I found my grades were improving and it gave me a way to release my stress and focus on myself. When I’m running my mind wanders and I find myself planning out my schedule, and relaxing. I always feel so acomplished after I workout, and I instantly am energized to complete anything I did not want to before. In the beggining, working out without a reason or coach yelling, was like ripping off a bandaid, but when I realized all of the benefits and opportunity it created, it has become a passion.

Running is related to innovation because it is my way of freeing my mind, and organizing my thoughts. When I dont run for a few days I find myself in a rut and not productive. After working out on Sunday I was so much more productive.

Being Myself

by Leave a Comment

One thing that I definitely notice as a personal norm that holds me back in the classroom environment is peer judgment. I agree as Tim Brown talks about in his Ted Talk that as kids grow up they care more about the judgment of their peers and often apologize for their work. I find myself apologizing for my work, or making excuses for why it isn’t different when I should be proud of it. I will try to focus on creating and doing something for myself and not caring about what others think of my work. This will help me stay true to myself and be even more creative.

MIDE 300 HUMANS

Abby Harris (21), Abby Hislop (21), Alana Bortman (21), Alexander Smith (20), Allie Kotowitz (21), Amisha Chhetri (22), Caitlin Tucker (21), Carly Binday (22), Claudia Glasgow (21), Collin Smith (28), Elana Smith (21), Emily Chopoorian (22), Emily Goldman (23), Erin Mooney (21), Faith Reilly (22), Hannah Moriarty (22), Jabril Mohamed (19), Jane Meng (22), Liam Moriarty (22), Lindsey Knutzen (20), Liza Heyl (21), Lucia Singer (20), Madz Cabico (4), Matt Cervon (19), Meg Coyle (18), Natalie Notz (21), Natalie Ring (23), Nikki Bott (23), Olivia DeNicola (21), Prof. Allen (1), Renne Venico (19), Rowan Beiter (23), Tarrin Earle (20), Zack Yoelson-Angeline (14)