Module 4
Pre-Reflection: Powers of Ten
Before watching the Powers of Ten video, my understanding of scale and perspective connects to what we learned earlier about stakeholders. I have realized that every project involves many different people and roles, and each of them sees the problem from a unique point of view. By looking through their lenses, we can catch issues early that might cause problems or even failure later.
For example, regulations, end users, and business priorities do not always align, so it is important to balance those perspectives. I think listing all stakeholders, understanding their interests, and seeing how much influence each one has helps us stay organized and make better decisions. By comparing their level of interest and impact, we can decide who needs close engagement and who just needs to be monitored.
To me, the Powers of Ten concept probably builds on this idea - by zooming in and out, we can see not only the individuals but the entire system around them. Changing scale could help us understand how small design details connect to bigger social, technical, or environmental outcomes.
Post-Reflection: My New Understanding of the Powers of Ten
After watching the Powers of Ten video, I now see it as a systematic approach or even an algorithm for how to look at a new design project. It teaches me how to zoom in and zoom out in my thinking - almost like a mental checklist that helps me identify different stakeholders and their levels of influence. When I picture that movie, it reminds me to step back and see the big picture, and then zoom in again to notice the smaller details that might be missed otherwise. This technique gives me a structured way to connect stakeholders to each other and to the project, and it also helps me think about how each one can impact the outcome in different ways. Overall, it has expanded my perspective and helps me see my projects in a more organized, complete, and interconnected way.
Method Cards - Stakeholder Maps
Question 1 - How might the placement of stakeholders on the map shift over time, and what factors could drive those changes?
From my point of view, stakeholder positions on the map are never fixed. As the project moves forward, everything changes - new information comes in, our understanding grows, and we start to see things differently. The same stakeholders that seemed low in interest or influence at the beginning might become more important later, or the other way around. Also, as stakeholders learn more about the project, their own interest or attitude may change - they might become more supportive, or in some cases, start to push back. At the same time, our ability to evaluate them also improves as we gain more knowledge and experience through the project. So it is not only the stakeholders that evolve, but our understanding of them too. That is why updating the stakeholder map regularly is so important.
Question 2 - What challenges might arise when trying to accurately assess a stakeholder's true level of interest or influence during a project?
It is actually very hard to judge a stakeholder's real level of interest or influence, because at the end of the day, even when we talk about companies or organizations, it is still people making the decisions. And predicting how people will behave or what they really think is not simple. Sometimes even they do not fully know how interested or committed they are until the project develops further. Emotions, personal goals, or changes in leadership can all affect their engagement. Some might appear interested just for visibility, while others might hold quiet influence behind the scenes. So assessing these things is never exact - it is more about staying alert, observing behavior over time, and being ready to adjust as people and conditions change.