Reflections on the First Semester of Information Services Design

The First Semester: Expectations vs. Reality

I entered the Information Services Design program at Masaryk University with a clear goal: to deepen my knowledge in product design, with a focus on mentoring a team of product designers and product managers. I aimed to effectively apply design thinking methods to improve the quality of delivered products and customer services. Within just the first few weeks, it became evident that this program is unique in both its structure and its approach to students.

Evaluation of Individual Courses

Introduction to Design Thinking

This course was largely a review for me, as I have been applying design thinking methods in practice for several years. Nonetheless, I encountered new concepts such as wicked problems and tacit problems, which helped me understand when to say "enough" in problem analysis and dive into the work. I also learned about approaches like transitive and speculative design, as well as various critiques of design thinking.

Practice I

As part of this course, I developed a case study focused on onboarding new clients into George Business and participated in a hackathon aimed at creating a housing guide for foreigners in the Czech Republic. The hackathon was an incredible experience—from applying design thinking methods to the final presentation, even including a night spent in the faculty library.

The Role of the Designer in Organizations

For me, the most valuable part of this course was gaining hands-on experience in conducting interviews. I started by practicing with fellow students and then moved on to "real" interviews with researcher Petr Špringr. I discovered just how challenging it is to craft a high-quality interview—not only in terms of asking the right questions but also in processing the resulting material. Tools like automatic transcription in MS Teams and ChatGPT proved to be invaluable helpers.

Fundamentals of Psychology for Designers

This course provided me with perhaps the most practical knowledge. Active listening, conflict resolution, constructive feedback, and, most importantly, non-violent communication have all proven essential in my everyday interactions with people.

Sensitivity to Today's Critical Issues

The concepts of leverage points and systems thinking truly resonated with me, though I feel I need to dedicate even more time to these topics. This highly practical course took us through, for example, the theory of change—a foundation that ultimately led to our hackathon challenge.

Introduction to Information Science

High expectations were met with high fulfillment in this course. Led by Josef Šlerka—a collaborator from my days at GE Money Bank—his lectures were densely packed with information, so much so that I found myself re-watching some of them from the recordings. The sessions on AI and the workings of large language models were particularly practical, offering useful tips on prompt engineering.

Virtual Reality: Theory and Practice

This course was a challenge for me, as I had previously tended to avoid VR. Consequently, I treated myself to a Meta Quest 3s, even though the university provided a loan option. I was most struck by the application We Live Here, which captivated me with its narrative style—a combination of film and gameplay that evoked deep empathy. On the downside, I also experienced motion sickness in other VR applications when moving through virtual spaces, and that was far from pleasant.

Edventure Canvas: Achieving My Goals

My original goal—to broaden my knowledge in information services design—was fully realized. I learned to work with new tools and techniques, successfully built my portfolio, and even enhanced my skills in mentoring a team.

Conclusion: What's Next?

This program "forced" me to create a portfolio, which was a bit outside of my comfort zone, but it's something I'm excited to continue developing. If I successfully progress into the next semester, I plan to focus further on topics that will help me better mentor my teams in product design.

Author: Tomáš Kamenec