Introduction to Blog Posts
For the past couple of days, I have been thinking of the best way to present my thesis. I have been asking myself what the best way might be in which I might be able to apply the concepts of work systemization that I learn from my research, in addition to the way in which I might be able to have a thesis that not only talks about many of these concepts, but also embodies them by being a direct example of the ideas that I am thinking about.
One of the biggest questions in the initial thesis preparation process has been deciding the medium in which my thesis and its information is presented, given that each medium (a website, an essay, a brochure, a booklet) all have different pros and cons that are unique to that specific medium.
The idea for a blog post was something that occurred to me as a way of cataloging my brainstorming periodically. Among the uses of what I believe the blog could have are:
For Brainstorming: I currently write what occurs to me that I believe to be worth writing down in a notebook specifically designated for my thesis. However, given the large amount of text that is sometimes involved, it is more practical to type on a computer.
For Cataloging: In addition to serving the self serving purpose of being used primarily as a way to brainstorm, the blog medium also presents a form in which these initial thoughts can be easily referenced and cataloged for future reference.
For Content Creation: Looking at the points made so far, brainstorming, note taking, and cataloging are all things that could be solved by using a type of note taking software or creating a running word document of ideas. However, an extra component of having blog posts is that in creating blog posts, it is also creating material that can be analyzed for my thesis. By having it be a part of my website, it can be analyzed to see how the ideas and synthesis of ideas come about and develop, and show the most preliminary and stripped down form of concepts before they make their way to being part of the final thesis.
however,
Let's Take a few steps back...
How did the idea of blog posts get started in the first place, and how did I end up here?
As mentioned earlier, I have been looking for a medium that would allow me to collect information on the way in which my own ideas are developed, in addition to a place where I can go to formulate, think about openly, and share my first look at concepts and the way in which these develop through the weeks in which I work on my thesis.
It is worth mentioning that, for the sake of full transparency, and to get a full look into the way in which projects develop, I am choosing to approach brainstorm blog posts and the ideas that I share in a relatively unfiltered way, in order to have as much data as possible on the subject, giving me the opportunity to then later take the time to collect and use the parts that I deem to be relevant and usable for my thesis. For those reasons, it could be that some ideas in my blog posts might not make it to the final thesis in the end. Yet, it is just as important to see how these decisions were made, and the steps that it took to get there than just seeing what the final product is.
What I am choosing to focus my thesis on
A more detailed and refined overview of my thesis topics will be covered in a separate blog post, however, in order to see the role that blogs will have in the overall picture, I will provide a short description.
My thesis will focus on several topics:
Primarily, my thesis is centered on the user experience of end users as they interact with a product, software, or system.
Second, my thesis is focused on understanding the way in which individuals perceive information, and the ways in which data can be presented for greater retention and understanding.
and Third, I am interested in the steps that are taken in order to produce material and content intended for and end user, and the ways in which principles and processes can be used by the creator to aid the creation of material intended for and end user.
Blog posts play a part in the third segment of my thesis, which focuses on obtaining an understanding of what is involved when creating something from scratch, or what it takes to understand the decision making process that is involved when making creative decisions. I believe this is important for two reasons: It creates a framework which makes future products easier to create, in addition to significantly deepening the level of understanding that a creator has for the way in which a product is made. It transforms the action of creating from a completely subconscious action into something that can be revised and improved.
Given the self-referential (meta) nature of these topics, there are challenges that this places on the creation of content that is referring to itself, which makes it critical to be able to present this information in a clear and straight forward manner.
Levels of Understanding
So far, I have been able to recognize that there are levels of understanding for concepts. Addressing yet another self referential concept, my level of understanding for how people understand (phew), as well as the concepts that my thesis will focus on, is still at an intuitive and partly subconscious stage. For me, so far, this means that I am able to know that these connections exist, and can sense them ,and understand that they are there intuitively, yet I am unable to explain to another person exactly what I see.
My aim with blog posts is precisely to see if the progression of understanding can be examined, and what, if any, might be the value to be gained from being able to look back at how ideas come to be developed.
Concluding Thoughts
Directly tied to the subject of Levels of Understanding, I am choosing to start blog posts now in order to see what value this might create in the future, not fully knowing the result to be expected or if it will play a significant role in my thesis.
However, I believe there is value on its own to be gained from experiential learning, and at the very least, it will still satisfy its primary use for a place to Brainstorm at the very least.
Gerardo Chapa
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