Aparna, my facilitator for "From Craftsmanship to Mastery" and "Wearables as Knowable," made a profound impact on my learning journey.

In "From Craftsmanship to Mastery" Aparna introduced us to the 'flow state' and organised enlightening masterclasses with experts from diverse fields, including a neurosurgeon and a former cricketer turned fitness coach. Her interdisciplinary approach broadened our perspectives and deepened our understanding of creativity, and the process of creating, by the end of this course all of us came up with ideas for products that dealt with play and learning made fun. 

In "Wearables as Knowables," Aparna guided us through the concept of microwords and how personal experiences shape our interactions with products. This introspective journey reshaped my perception of design, emphasising the importance of understanding the 'what, why, and how' behind our creations.

Both of her classes consistently emphasised the importance of understanding the bigger picture before diving into the creation of any intervention or artefact. While this might be alluring for design students keen on building a portfolio, it's become clear to me that exceptional designers distinguish themselves by their deep understanding of situations and the people they're designing for. It's not just about creating something functional or visually appealing.

I have always valued Aparna's course structures the most.

They have always been filled with aha moments for me because of her amazing ability to articulate and connect the most seemingly unrelatable contexts with one another to help me widen my perspective and guide my thinking. This has time and again helped give shape to my otherwise very scattered process. It is with her that my idea of the "Design Process" or my idea of "this is the right way" was completely redefined because she forced the process to be broken down and taken right to the basics - to get us to learn how to learn about a context first and only then begin researching and designing for it. By encouraging more and more experimentation and detailed reflections at each step, I have been able to articulate my learnings to make them actionable pieces with her.

I had the privilege of being in Aparna's classes, where I learned many valuable lessons that have stayed with me. One standout memory is from the "Objects We Think With" studio, where we explored our relationships with personal objects using poetry, illustration and virtual reality elements. Aparna's teaching style always encouraged diverse ideas and mediums.

Aparna's classes were not only engaging but also enriched by her personal anecdotes from solo travels. She provided a wide range of learning materials - books, art, music, catering to various interests. Today, I apply the tools learned in her facilitation course while working at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, using techniques like differential instruction and elements from "Change my View" to connect with students, headmasters, and teachers in the Organisation's WildShaale program - a creative education program run for rural kids across India.

The class I had taken with Aparna was called Wearables as Knowable. The brief was open-ended, allowing greater explorations in interventions. We had to select a 'learning area' where a wearable could elevate the users' experience. The class helped streamline the user research process and assimilate the insights into the design output.
Aparna is a focused guide who provided structure to the entire design process, making it easier to identify key pain points and ideation milestones. Her facilitation of research was organised, yet it fostered creative freedom, allowing the output to be unique. She had also conducted individual feedback sessions where concerns regarding presentation, ideation, and weak points in the design solution were addressed, propelling my overall progression.
Most importantly, Aparna is a friendly facilitator, which enabled me to communicate my concerns and therefore, improve my learning.

Everytime I have attended Aparna Vinod's sessions on design and education, I have left wishing I could've heard her speak when I was a student. She'd have made the long, lonely road that Indian schools often are less tedious and more play. She makes learning fun, and every effort made towards learning, no matter how small, worthwhile. As an educator, I find immense value in the way Aparna approaches teaching. Her engagement with design leans towards the experiential, not only the technical. This lends itself effectively into an inclusive classroom where even a student who hasn't had prior access to technical knowledge, skill, or English is made to see herself as knowledgeable. Memory and experience both become as important as expertise in knowledge-building.

Working with Prof. Aparna on my courses was the best experience I've had in a course so far. She always made the environment comfortable and made it feel like a safe space for us, at the same time she pushed and encouraged me to work and produce work in my style through constructive criticism at all times.
Her method of teaching us also was the best- we had outdoor classes, could work from anywhere and would arrive at information at our own pace, allowing us to draw many sources of facts and opinions which we used to then discuss at the end of each class. Overall the best energy i had that guided me in my one year of university.