Week 2 - Reflective Practice

What does Reflective Practice mean to me?

In my practice as a designer I'm very used to self reflection (normally the harshest criticism) and group critiques of my work, working collaboratively with the design team and the client to come to a solution. I'm so used to working as part of a team and bouncing ideas around, so that at the end of the project no one person can say "I did all this". The reflective practice within this type of project is a constant thing – not saved for once the work is finished, though we do try to always have a "wash up" session at the end with all involved to talk about what went well, what didn't, and what we could do differently next time. 

In my dealings with students and recent graduates, my experience of self reflection is quite structured. When an intern is in the studio I would have a weekly interview with them on a Friday to find out how their week had been, what they had learnt, enjoyed, and not enjoyed. I would ask for input from a selection of people who they had worked with for input too. This obviously really helps the interns feel heard and valued and makes it possible to make their experience better, but it also helps me work out how I (and the rest of the team) can best support them, both individual cases but interns in general. These catch ups have really helped us offer a better experience for the interns.