There Is No Such Thing as a Regret-Free Project
25 NOV 2025
- Reframed the work as anti-ergonomics, designing discomfort to signal misbehaviour.
- Reflected that the outcomes stayed a bit “polite,” and that co-making and broader ideation could push the weirdness further.
- Key learnings: rapid making, balancing divergence/convergence, and fast skill pickup.
Making It Uncomfortable
Designing a tangible product allowed me to consider many industrial design perspectives more deeply. One piece of feedback that proved especially valuable was the suggestion to incorporate ergonomic analysis. If anything, this design leans toward a kind of “anti-ergonomics.” Certain elements are intentionally crafted so that the wearer feels discomfort by design. Because of this, even if the form does not explicitly reference it, the device carries an echo of medieval punitive objects, which similarly restricted specific actions or the range of movement. I am left wondering how the project might have evolved had I applied this lens earlier.
Pushing Ideas Further
Most devices were conceptualised with the assumption that they would be worn while seated. Taking cues from familiar mechanisms such as seat belts or amusement-park safety bars, I developed a top-down circular frame that is placed over the user. The choice of materials also came from fabrics commonly found in the setting where the device would be used.
Still, the final outcome felt somewhat “polite.” Throughout the FMP, I repeatedly heard the advice to go weirder, bolder, rougher, and I kept questioning what might have emerged had I pushed that extremity even further. The current prototype represents the strangest idea I was able to realise within the given time, but it made me reflect on what kind of process is needed to generate ideas that are truly more unconventional.
Approaches I tested briefly—such as referencing other people’s sketches or running a co-making workshop with people who had experienced the scenario—could be key to achieving this. Maintaining the core concept while inviting more participants into the ideation may lead to much richer possibilities.
What I Learned
This Final Major Project, which began in the summer and ended in the winter, taught me a great deal. In essence, I learned the value of rapid execution, the balance between divergence and convergence, and the agility of picking up new skills.
First, I felt the necessity of acting quickly. Because this was the longest and final project of the course, I faced immense pressure in the early stages. The desire to create something “significant” often stalled my progress. Paradoxically, good ideas surfaced once I let go of that weight. Rapid sketches and prototypes were extremely helpful for communicating concepts and moving forward.
I also realised how crucial it is to recognise when to expand ideas and when to narrow them. The end of the project became difficult precisely because I wanted to pursue too many directions at once. Expansion is productive, but expansion without closure can be harmful. Especially in a solo design project, it is essential to clearly define what to include and what to exclude. Postponing those decisions left me feeling overwhelmed toward the end.
Finally, I learned that new skills can be acquired much faster than expected. Many techniques used in this project—laser cutting, acrylic bending, and 3D modelling—were learned in a single day and applied immediately. Experiencing this kind of accelerated learning has reduced my fear of attempting new tools and will undoubtedly help in future work.
Although I hoped to complete this once-in-a-lifetime FMP without regrets, some remain. Perhaps a project without any regret simply does not exist. The unfinished parts will continue to guide my learning and exploration. Above all, I am deeply grateful to the friends and tutors who supported me whenever I lacked certainty.
Reference
- Costanza-Chock, S. 2020, Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12255.001.0001
- Dunne, A. & Raby, F. 2013, Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
- Griffin, D. 1994, Satire: A Critical Reintroduction, University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Winner, L. 1980, ‘Do artifacts have politics?’, Daedalus, vol. 109, no. 1, pp. 121–136. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20024652
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