To begin with, having been in the Spanish National Table tennis team and competed at a worldwide level the mental classes that we took usually talked a lot about fear and anxiety. Every time I worked with pressure, my coach always said, “Pressure is a privilege,” and I agree with him 100%. “Anxiety focuses your mind, reducing distractions,” is a very powerful remark from the writing that resonates with my experiences. True, paralysis and fear can result from excessive anxiety. Although anxiety is sometimes misinterpreted negatively, when it is present in the right levels, it encourages self-improvement, ambition, survival, and guard against overconfidence. The key is to manage our anxiety such that it doesn’t become an impediment and improves our performance. While difficult to master, striking this balance is essential for successful performance.
Secondly, the piece clarified something I had not realized before: our emotional condition affects how much bad design we can tolerate. Everyday annoyances like traffic lights and slow computer loads can cause anger when under pressure or strain. On the other hand, when we’re at ease, we’re more understanding of these shortcomings. This finding makes me wonder how our emotional states affect how good a design seems to us. It emphasizes the subjectivity of experiences, which is in line with a current perspective on user experience. Even in situations that are objectively pleasant, a person’s mood can have a significant impact on how they interpret an experience. This thought connects with the reading we read a few weeks ago. This realization highlights the value of designing with empathy by recognizing that users’ emotional states at any one time can have a big impact on how they interact with and feel about a design. Designers may build more robust, user-centered solutions that accommodate a greater range of emotional states and events by taking into account the user’s emotional context.
A question that I wonder is the following: What effects does the design of commonplace technology take from the idea that “attractive things work better”? How does this affect the user experience?
When we consider Margaret Hamilton’s tale, we see not just the incredible achievements of women in STEM fields, but also the significance of these stories in empowering young girls. It is imperative that girls hear stories like this in order for them to understand that they, too, can be excellent in industries that have historically been controlled by males. By introducing them to the accomplishments of trailblazers such as Hamilton, we can spark an interest in science and technology and contribute to closing the gender gap in these sectors. These tales act as historical lessons as well as hope-filled reminders of possibilities for the coming generation.
Which approaches can mentors and educators use to make sure that curricula honor and appreciate the accomplishments of women in science and technology, like Hamilton?