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07 · Reflection stage

Reflection

Reflect and evaluate — design does not end when the outcome is finished.

Look at what worked, what impact the design may have, and what you will carry into the next project.

Evaluate · Reflect · Grow

01

Define success

Decide what success actually means.

Do this

Write 3 things that would make this project successful.

Think about what the audience should:

understand · feel · do

Then check the final outcome against them.

WHY IT HELPS

Clear success criteria give you something meaningful to evaluate.

They help you judge the work against its purpose, not simply whether you like how it looks.

Success should connect back to the brief, problem and audience.

Ask:

Did the message become clearer?

Does the outcome work for the intended audience?

Did it achieve what the project needed to do?

What evidence do I have?

If the project does not meet one of your criteria, that is useful information.

Evaluation is not about proving the work is successful. It is about understanding how well it worked and why.

Use this card early to set the criteria. Return to it at the end to evaluate them.

Draw three signs that the project worked:

understand · feel · do.

Looking good is not enough.

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02

Consider responsibility + sustainability

Think beyond the finished design.

Do this

Look at the project and ask:

People — who benefits? Who might be excluded or harmed?

Planet — what does this use, create or leave behind?

Lifespan — what happens during use and after use?

Identify one decision you could change to make the project more responsible.

WHY IT HELPS

Design decisions have consequences.

Considering people, resources and lifespan helps you think beyond the immediate visual outcome.

Responsibility is not something you add at the end of a project.

It can influence decisions from the beginning.

Ask:

Who has been included?

Who might have been overlooked?

Could the design reinforce an assumption or stereotype?

Is the information accessible?

What materials or resources are involved?

Can the outcome be reused, adapted or extended?

What happens when it is no longer needed?

Are there unintended consequences?

Not every project will raise the same issues.

The aim is to develop the habit of asking:

What else does this decision affect?

Draw the project at three moments:

before use → during use → after use.

Add who or what is affected.

What you make can affect people, resources and environments beyond the immediate project.

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03

Reflect on the process

Look at how you worked, not just what you made.

Do this

Complete:

One decision that worked was ______ because ______.

One decision I would change is ______ because ______.

Then identify one moment where your thinking changed during the project.

WHY IT HELPS

Describing what you did is not the same as reflecting on it.

Thinking about why decisions worked or changed helps you understand your own design process.

Your process contains useful information.

Think about:

where you became stuck

what helped you move forward

which feedback changed the work

which idea you let go of

what you tested

what you would do earlier next time

Do not just list the stages you completed.

Ask:

What did I learn from the decisions I made?

That is the difference between documenting a process and reflecting on one.

Draw three moments from the project:

worked · changed · stuck.

Reflection helps turn experience into learning.

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04

Learn + adapt

Carry something useful into the next project.

Do this

Write down:

One thing I will do differently next time.

One method I will use again.

Be specific.

Instead of:

"I will manage my time better."

Try:

"I will generate five directions before opening Illustrator."

WHY IT HELPS

Each project gives you information about how you work.

Turning that learning into a specific action helps you make stronger decisions next time.

Good reflection looks forward as well as backward.

Ask:

What should I repeat?

What should I stop doing?

What should I try earlier?

What skill needs more practice?

Which method helped me think differently?

Keep your answer practical enough that you can actually use it.

Experience becomes useful when it changes the next decision.

Draw two boxes:

KEEP → CHANGE.

Add one thing you will try next time.

Reflection matters when it changes what you do next.

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