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Showing posts from October, 2019

Theoretical Issues and Debates

It is important to look into the theoretical issues and debates as my project decisions should be informed by research and contextualised by relevant debates and issues. Therefore, I began researching into these issues and debates for my project.  Gender inequality  Gender inequality acknowledges that men and women are not equal, and that gender affects a person's living experience. Following on from the previous blog post of my earlier research on the gender gap it is evident that there is gender inequality in the workplace. "Men and women must receive equal treatment. This includes equal pay and benefits, equal consideration of needs and equal opportunities for progress and promotion" (Bright HR, 2019). This could be a factor of why there are so few women in tech. Furthermore, there are laws that protect gender equality in the UK the primary one being the  Equality Act 2010 (section 13). Gender equality laws in the UK also include the Sex Discrimination Act of

Project Planning

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Gantt Chart  A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that was developed by Henry Gantt in the 1910s that illustrates a project schedule.  “Gantt charts have seen a revival in their popularity. They provide a quick and easily understood means for describing project activities and this attraction has stimulated their use in microcomputer-based project management packages” (Wilson, 2003, p.435).   Gantt charts allow to track the progress of your project and are flexible and responsive tot eh changes in your project. Also, they can produce reports such as budgets and prevent conflicts that are easy to overlook. On the other hand, they are time-consuming to create and can become overly complex. They require constant updating and the software may not be appealing to creatives. For my project, I am going to use ProjectLibre which is a free and open-source project management software system that intends to be a standalone replacement for Microsoft Project.  Project Libre Logo Asana 

SWOT of 3 Competitors

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A SWOT analysis is a technique used to determine and define your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats this can be applied to individual projects, organisations, and departments. I began searching different App Stores to see what is already available on the market. I downloaded each of the apps in order to explore them and see the similarities and differences between each one.  1. SoloLearn SoloLearn is an app best for those who have no proper coding knowledge and want to start from the basics. Each section is broken up by chapters to break down the learning and at the end of each chapter, you are quizzed on your knowledge and must receive a passing score to move onto the next chapter. There are hundreds of different quizzes and activities on the 'code playground' section.  They state you can "learn on the web and on the go, always pick up where you left off and it is more simple and enjoyable than ever" (SoloLearn, 2019).  SoloLearn Logo Stre

Generating Ideas

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Generating the best idea for a project can sometimes be challenging. A person could have too many ideas that are broad and need to be more focused. They could be fixed on one idea and therefore afraid to try new ideas and develop the complexity. This can restrict creativity therefore I took to some further reading and research of idea-generating methods. I then applied this to my research project. The Kickstart Catalogue and Osborn's Checklist  Have a clear goal in sight – always remind yourself or your team of the goal. One question at a time and exhaust the question and pitch ideas to yourself/a group.  The morphological matrix is a technique for organised thinking - this will be useful when designing the logo for my project.  This Kickstart Catalogue and Osborn’s checklist (Pricken and Whittall, 2008) is something I have learnt through my time at university that I refer back to whenever at the idea generation stage for a project.  The KickStart Catalogue

My Initial Idea

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An organisation called "Women in Tech" surveyed over 1,000 women in September 2019 who work in the technology sector about their opinions and thoughts on the gender gap, "82% believe there are more males in tech than females" (Women in Tech, 2019). For me personally, starting out as a Junior Develop this summer I felt this too. I attended an assessment centre with 8 candidates 6 were boys and there was only 1 other girl besides myself.  "Innovation is about seeing the world not as it is, but as it could be" (Design Innovation, 2018) this quote is something I took away from the lecture in week one. We need to see an increase of women in the tech industry and girls coding from a younger age as it is shouldn't just be seen as a boys club. To initiate my project analysis, I found a website called "Women in Tech" which is a site dedicated to women who are already in or looking to join the tech sector. The site provides career advice, jobs, a lis