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ASSIGNMENT 1:

Create a gift for someone you can't meet in person

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For this project, we were to create a birthday gift for a chosen person based on their personality and likings. 

Week 1: Empathy & Define
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We were assigned to make an e-gift for either a friend/relative whose birthday is coming up. 

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Starting off, I asked multiple questions to my user. I decided to choose my friend who is currently in America under lockdown, in the captivity of her hotel room. She is just the right person to create a gift for as I presume that she feels very lonely as she is not able to socialize often with her friends back in Malaysia, due to the time difference. 

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After acquiring some information, she has confirmed that she feels under-appreciated and homesick. So I decided to make a gift that would lift her spirits up!

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Week 2: Ideation & Prototype
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After some brainstorming, I managed to conjure up 4 different ideas. A song, a dedication video, a snack box photo frame, and a collage of memories. 

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I considered not just the likability of each idea as a gift, but the practicality on how it would benefit my user. 

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And so, I narrowed it down to writing a song for her.

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My "prototype" seen here, showcases the lyrics of the song, the chords, tempo, strumming pattern, and feedback too.

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I obtained my feedback from several people, a few family members and some peers.

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After receiving the feedback, I developed the song by making a few adjustments like changing some of the lyrics here and there, as well as the arrangement.

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PROGRESS

The music score of

"Here For You"

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I decided to convert the song into an MP3 audio file so that she is able to listen to it whenever she wants to. In doing so, I designed an album cover to add a visual touch.

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Week 3: Presentation
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After finally being able to get in touch with her on a FaceTIme(time difference difficulties), my friend was more than happy to hear a song written just for her! Overall I achieved what I planned to and it was a great success!

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The album artwork of

"Here For You"

REFLECTION

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As this was the first assignment of the Critical & Creative Thinking Skills module, it was indeed challenging when it came to following the design process requirements. Of course, it takes time to adapt to the certain concept of making a gift through the five stages: EMPATHY, DEFINE, IDEATION, PROTOTYPE and lastly, PRESENTATION. However, this assignment has taught me all about exploring different ideas and striving through the various difficulties in making a suitable gift for my friend.

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What surprised me was the outcome I managed to produce. At the very start, I did not know where to look for any inspiration whatsoever. The gift-making spectrum was immensely vast, which left me perplexed. I was truly lost. For days, I struggled to think of any ideas, which demotivated me greatly as I felt that I was never going to come up with a gift, let alone a single idea. But suddenly, out of the blue, I conjured up four ideas! Personally, I'd say that the idea stood out the most would be, the 'Snack Box.' However the circumstances of giving the gift defeated its purpose.

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In my pursuit of making the perfect gift in accordance to my friend's preferences, required some hardy brainstorming sessions. during that period, I spent my time considering the factors of what the gift should be like, whether it is virtually accessible, practical to make, durable enough, and most importantly, satisfactory. Hence, I came up with writing a song from scratch just for her! 

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As a musician, songwriting in theory is definitely not one of my greatest strengths. But to my surprise, I was able to write a song with a fixed rhyme scheme that relates to her current experience whilst abiding the rules of musical theory of course! The results were better than I had expected, which definitely gave me a boost of confidence in sharing the gift with her. 

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All in all, the entire experience was a roller-coaster ride. I have learnt that with determination and resilience, I can do anything as I am my own limit. Just like the name of this module, it really refined my 'Critical & Creative Thinking Skills.'

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