This was my second time experiencing Dr. Luchs’s bootcamp. I noticed that knowing what to expect made things a lot easier. Not having to process my overall task at hand freed up mental space to focus on achieving a successful end goal. In the end, I believe I can sum up my experience in three positive descriptions: surprising, relieving, and compelling.
- Surprising
- As I previously stated, this bootcamp was my second go-around. Before it started, I remember processing negative thoughts like, “oh no…help…not this again…I’m terrible at prototyping…good interviewing is asking for stories but what if I don’t have any good stories to tell…am I creative enough to do this……” Thankfully, and surprisingly, this second bootcamp was much more positive than my first. I credit this ease to me knowing what to expect: because I used less mental energy to processing WHAT the mechanics of the bootcamp were (how to interview properly, or what a “problem statement” entailed), I was able to focus more on HOW to execute each step.
- Relieving
- A bootcamp may not seem like much to most people, but my first one was rough. I didn’t interview right and my partner didn’t open up enough for me to find any unmet needs to innovate from. The entire brainstorming was a mental roadblock. And prototyping was stress I hadn’t dealt with before — who knew it could take so long to draw a phone screen with crayons??? This time around was completely different, in a positive way, so I was very relieved afterwards.
- Compelling
- Prior to this bootcamp, I had some of anxiety lingering from my last experience. But this second experience was much more positive than the first. I discovered enough information to define a big problem. I was able to brainstorm consciously enough that my prototype didn’t need many iterations. My partner was pleased with the outcome, and so was I!! I’m glad to have had such a confidence boost early in the semester. I think it’ll get the ball rolling as we dive deeper into the class!!