My name is Rine and I am an international student from Norway. I am in my third year of a Bachelor of Information Technology currently majoring in Software Design. I have completed most of the courses for the UX major prior to enrolling in this course with the exception of DECO3500 - Social and Mobile Computing. I am hoping to pursue two single majors if possible - Software Design and User Experience, as I am very interested in both of these areas. Throughout my studies I have enjoyed engaging in user-centred design, hence I am looking forward to further work on this in the following semester.

Starting the course I feel confident in my graphic design skills, and somewhat confident in my programming skills. I have worked with Adobe applications in completed courses and I am looking forward to further improve and use my gained skills in this course. In terms of programming I am confident in my Python and Java skills, however I am slightly less familiar with coding for Arduino or hardware in general. In DECO2300 I got partly familiar with Arduino, and so I feel like I have a good starting point. In relation to this, I do not have much experience with assembling physical components or general construction. This is something I have been keen to work on, and I am beyond excited to be exposed to new construction techniques such as woodworking, laser cutting and soldering. Overall, I think this course will be an exciting opportunity to expand on my current skills and gain new skills.

My expectations for the course is to learn a lot through hard work and dedication. I have heard from other students that there is a lot of effort required and expected when enrolled in the course. The same students said the effort put in reflected their final project and paid off. The effort required is something I am prepared to put in, as I want to have a good experience of the course as well as be proud of the work produced at the end of the semester. For me, I think a highlight of the course will be to learn new ideation techniques, physical construction and novel interaction modes. Although the course will be challenging, I think it will be a great learning experience and a useful course for my future studies and career.