Experiments in Reflection: How to See the Present, Reconsider the Past, and Shape the Future (Stanford d.school Library)

I was not prepared for how drastically the tools in this book would impact my life. As a busy person with seemingly endless to-do lists, I struggle to prioritize reflection. I decided to purchase the book, plan a trip where I could disconnect from my normal obligations, and dive into the content without the constraints of my typical schedule. I anticipated that I would be reflecting on my past experiences, but I did not anticipate how much I would be reflecting forward and considering how I want to intentionally design my life and future. Reading through the book and utilizing the methods in each section was a deeply transformative experience.Although I don’t typically think a single book is for everyone, I believe every person who reads this book will greatly benefit from the wisdom and tools it contains. As I find myself actively reflecting in real-time, I see the tools I learned in the book significantly influencing my thoughts and behaviors. I find myself being more intentional, bold, and even confident because I feel that I have a clearer vision of what I want my future to look like.This is a book I will continually pull off the shelf for guidance. In addition to day-to-day use, I highly recommend stepping away from your existing responsibilities for a few days to read the book and work through its methods. I had some life-changing insights as I read the book and I think taking time to disconnect contributed greatly to the quality and quantity of my reflections. The book said it best: “When you move fast to get to where you need to go, you miss opportunities to discover what the path has to offer. If you slow down, you may discover an entirely different destination worth visiting.” This book certainly did that for me. I give it my highest recommendation.

If you are looking for a personal guru to help you through your work/personal journey, this is the book for you! The author does not become your guru, instead she guides you through fun experiments that help you uncover the guru that you’ve had within yourself all along. The experiments are brilliantly constructed so that you start with what seems like a simple prompt or question that takes you to deep explorations of who you are and what you can become. These experiments led me to several “Aha!” moments full of insights that were as profound as those that I have experienced after talking with a coach or therapist. The best part is that doing these experiments was 1000 times cheaper! The author also pushes you to expand what you think is possible, like setting goals that would take at least one hundred years to complete. It was a wonderful treat getting to know myself on a deeper level while doing engaging games and experiments. The book itself is full of fun pictures, and I absolutely love the creative design!

As a design educator, a lot of my work is rooted in self reflection. It is the foundation that starts off any design project, no matter what we are working on. Getting the young students I work with to understand that is critical (and at times difficult).Rarely however, do I actually sit down and intentionally reflect. Yes... I spend a decent amount of time thinking about my life, what I'm doing, etc... but not in the way that this book encourages you to do. It's highly engaging, impactful, and the content is thought provoking. My roommates even asked if they could sit down and go through the experiments with me... Note - I'm not even fully done with the book... so more comments to come. I can't wait to share this with family, friends, and use some of these experiments with my students.Leticia is a brilliant educator, and I'm so glad that she has put this out into the world.

"Experiments in Reflection," by Leticia Cavagnaro, is another incredible book in the d.School guidebook series. This guide helps you discover yourself through reflection and future vision. It's not a book you sit down and read through. It is interactive, and each activity takes you down a deep individual exploration and reflection path.Cavagnaro's background as an educator and a scientist is leveraged in this book, combining a methodical approach to each experiment and with it, a clear, careful explanation.While it is a concise read, it is jammed packed with activities that take time to experiment, think about, and solve through. It creates clarity in the reader's reflections and challenges the reader to look at those reflections differently. I cannot highly recoomend this book enough. Regardless of where you are in life, you're bound to gain immense value from it.

I am a huge fan of the d.school and the series of guidebooks the team has been releasing over the last few years. 'Experiments In Reflection' is another excellent addition to the set. The chapters are structured as experiments, starting with a hypothesis, followed by a method, and concluding with an assessment of results. This format provides an effective way to practice what you are learning. Reflection prompts are interspersed throughout, making the reading experience a delightful dance of learning about design, building skills, and reflecting on what has been learned and experienced. It is an excellent way to strengthen your abilities as a designer while also developing awareness and reflection skills, which are invaluable both personally and professionally.I highly recommend this book and am excited to continue adding to my d.school design guide set.