I joined this class because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and try to develop some new skills during my last semester at the University of Illinois. I knew that there were other options for Information System majors like myself,but these classes seemed a little bit too familiar to me. I felt as though I was going to be repeating similar patterns of curriculum that I had experienced in the Gies College of Business, and I thought maybe trying out more of a STEM focused class would be valuable. The class began by working with FUSION 360 and 3D printing in general. It began with a very broad focus, and I remember learning how applicable 3D printing is in the real world. I am going into my career in healthcare so I was surprised to see how many healthcare products can be designed more efficiently through 3D printing. It also opened my eyes to the idea that 3D printing can be more accessible to people that may not have the financial stability to get what they need from the hospital or physician’s. Next, we began to learn more about the design process, specifically regarding the idea of human centered design. I had had some experience with this concept from BADM 353, but felt as though I understood it more from the actual development perspective, rather than the business perspective. Next, we worked with things like the Arduino Board, breadboards, and laser cutting. While I have had some experience of laser cutting from my role in Enactus, I felt very uncomfortable with the electrical work. I felt as though I did not have the background to properly understand what we were doing, but I tried to talk to my teammates to get the basics down and contribute in any way I could. Finally, we started the project after discussing problems with public transportation on campus. Overall, I liked the project and was proud of it, as I felt that something like it could have a real place on an MTD bus. However, I will say we would do a few things differently in order to get a more effective product at the end.
This class had meaning for me, firstly because of the implications that 3D printing has in healthcare, as I mentioned earlier. In one of the earlier classes we had, we met with a former student of the class who had made a huge difference in her life and others because of the capabilities of 3D printing. She used a wheelchair to move around and had developed a product that made moving easier and more efficient. This kind of change is revolutionary in the healthcare world and it was interesting to see how it had been applied in the real world. I remember the former student mentioning that she had started her own business based on the product and that 3D printing gave her capabilities she wouldn’t have normally had. She was able to build the product quickly and have many iterations that were not costly. This was very much helpful to her because she was still developing and changing her product. As someone that is about to begin my career as a product manager, I know how often medical products need to be changed and adapted, and how expensive these changes can be. The guest speaker made me really think about how using 3D printing at my job could be an innovative idea that I could bring to the table. Secondly, this class had meaning for me because of the things I learned about myself during the project. When we started working on a solution for the transit system, I found myself getting very excited for the brainstorming phase and presenting on our timeline, How Might We questions, and the implementation phase. However, when we started working on the Arduino board and the electrical work that went along with it, I frankly felt very lost. Even when I had put lots of time in outside of class, I felt as though I did not have the resources to even begin to understand where to start. However, from this experience, I learned that I am more passionate about the business side of product development. I know that I am capable of understanding the more technical aspects, but I really seek more joy from the planning process, communicating with users and partners, and implementing the product. I think that it is valuable to know that I made the right choice in my major and I’m glad I did the project because of this!
In terms of what is in store for me in the future, as I mentioned, I have a job as an Associate Product Manager at Medline in the Nutrition and Pharmaceuticals division. Because I work on the nutrition side, I don’t necessarily see a huge way in which 3D Printing or electric work will be a part of my daily life. However, I do think that human centered design and thinking will be a major contribution to my future career. Nutritional products like the ones I have been working on can make or break people’s happiness and ability to get through the day. If a medicine makes their stomach hurt or it costs too much for someone with a low income, then the medicine is not truly helping them improve their lives. I’ve learned from this class that when you are making something, it is often for a real human being with real needs, feelings, and goals. In the future, I’d like to also try to make things on Fusion360 that I am more passionate about. The products that we made in class seem to be on the practical side, but I kind of enjoyed being creative rather than nit-picky. I think there’s a lot of potential for me to explore it outside of class and one of my goals for the future is to do that.
