This week, our lecture was filled with valuable insights. We began with a critique of our second project, the SDGs, which helped clarify what’s working for me and what can be strengthened. We also heard from guest speakers at Google and ESO, which provided another valuable placement opportunity, offering real-world industry insights. Kyle also introduced us to the brief for our final project, which is a UX Audit, giving us a clear direction for what comes next and proving to be a productive and motivating week.
For our final project, Kyle introduced a UX Audit that focuses on critically evaluating a chosen digital product, such as a website or app, to identify real usability issues and propose practical, evidence-based improvements. The project challenges us to apply UX principles and heuristics to ensure that problems are clearly justified and solutions are both creative and feasible. Alongside problem-solving, there is a strong emphasis on communication, requiring us to present our findings clearly through a well-structured report, strong visuals, and a professional presentation. Overall, this brief brings together research, analysis, and design thinking, allowing us to demonstrate our ability to evaluate products thoughtfully and communicate UX decisions with confidence.
We had a talk with a senior developer, David Wilson, at Google, who shared his design journey and career progression. He studied digital communication and gained experience working at companies like the BBC, developing digital products and learning how to turn ideas into usable designs. Eventually, his experience led to an opportunity at Google, where he explored the role of design alongside AI. He spoke about lessons learned, reasons to be excited for the future, and how designers can adapt in an evolving industry. It was inspiring to hear his personal development and design approach over the years and even gave me inspiration towards
This week, we took part in a critique focused on our current progress with the SDG project. Similar to my previous project presentations, I put together a short set of slides to introduce my concept, communicate my brand identity, and showcase the key screens I had designed so far. I was overall happy with what I presented, as it clearly expressed the direction of my project, but I was also keen to receive feedback. The critique gave me a valuable opportunity to reflect on my work, identify areas for improvement, and understand how the project could be refined further moving forward.
Upon reviewing my Sustainable Development Goals project with the class and Kyle during the critique, I felt that the session went really well, even though I didn’t have as much content prepared as I would have liked. Compared to previous critiques, I received a lot more feedback, which I found really encouraging at this stage of development. The feedback was largely positive and helped reinforce that I am moving in the right direction with the project. Overall, the critique gave me clearer direction on how to build and refine my ideas further, while also boosting my confidence in the design decisions I’ve made so far.
Towards the end of today’s class, we had a placement talk from ESO, led by Andy McClelland, a Senior Designer, and Dani McCutcheon, a Product Designer. They gave an overview of ESO as a company, explained their design process, and shared insights into their design journeys, as well as what the Belfast office and team culture are like. The talk also included an interactive live poll, which made the session more engaging and helped clarify what ESO looks for in placement students. Overall, it was an informative and approachable talk that gave a clear insight into both the company and the placement opportunity.
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This week’s lecture was both productive and motivating, offering a mix of reflection and forward planning. We began with a critique of our SDG project, which helped me understand what is working well in my design and where there is room to refine and strengthen it. Hearing different perspectives was especially useful at this stage of development. We also gained valuable industry insight through guest talks from Google and ESO, which gave a clearer picture of real-world design roles and potential placement opportunities. To finish, Kyle introduced the brief for our final project, a UX Audit, which provided clear direction and set expectations for the weeks ahead. Moving forward, I feel focused and confident, with a stronger understanding of how to apply what we’ve learned to both my current and upcoming projects.
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