Week Twelve: Confidence
Hannah Hiles | 8 April 2016 | Durham NC
One thing I can say, absolutely, without a doubt, that I have gotten from this practicum is more confidence. Always a good thing. I have become more confident in my inter-office communications, I have become more confident in my abilities as a researcher, and I have become more confident in how I see myself as a team partner.
Which brings me to the really big and exciting news for this week – fellow field experience student Hannah P. and I got to do something which no other field experience students have ever gotten to do before.
We got to pilot our own usability test. Without supervision. Without an official Duke staff or faculty member assisting us. We got to design the test, the script, and the logistical aspects.
We got to do all that – and we completely rocked it. It was great to get to do something like that by ourselves. I think both of us felt comfortable managing the study, as well as working together to modify it as we went through each respondent. It was very cool to complete our testing knowing that we were part of a department that saw enough competence in us to complete formal usability testing on our own – something that I didn't expect to have happen when I walked into this practicum.
To top off my week of confidence boosting, I had an interview with Wake County on Monday for an internship on a digitization project they're currently working on. The existing team seems great, the heads of the department seem great, and they wanted my availability before I left. All good things!
HRHILES 