2.7 Feedback and Key Findings 

Based on the above interview questions, ten participants from five groups offered important feedback, as is shown below. Figure 2.6.1 – Figure 2.6.4 shows screenshots from these interviews.

Figure 2.6.1 – 2.6.4

  Interview Images.  

Key Feedback from Group 1 based on Interviews

Maggie believed that this fashion website could help her learn professional model shooting skills. In the comment session, Maggie learned some skills to control the body and make the camera pose more natural, coordinating in the picture with Ji. But Maggie believed that the model shooting skills she had acquired through this online fashion website had not been sufficient to find a professional model job. She now wants to pursue professional model training at an institution to learn how to be a professional model in the future. Regarding her future career direction, Maggie thought chatting with others had reduced a lot of the pressure she had previously felt.

Key Feedback from Group 2 based on Interviews

Chai felt the biggest skill she had gained was the ability to communicate, and Ru felt that she had gained communication skills through the later comment session. They both felt that just doing now cannot make them associate the acquisition of skills. They will need more practice to give me a full answer, however. Both of them realised that communication skills were essential for future career hunting and are now looking for suitable ways to improve their communication skills. Chai reported that this fashion website had taught her that teamwork skills are more complex than she had previously imagined, and that she had acquired these skills through communication on this online fashion website. Teamwork skills should take more time to practice, and by doing so, she will positively impact upon her future career.

Key Feedback from Group 3 based on Interviews

Overall, the participants from Group 3 stated that they had felt able to learn photography skills, whilst also improving their skills in retouching, beautifying pictures, and using retouching software. They felt it would be helpful in the early stages of job hunting, but that it could only be an additional auxiliary skill. Nai felt that she had been a skilled transmitter in this fashion website event, having taught the other two participants the techniques of taking and beautifying pictures. Yuki and Molly had also taught her many photography skills that she hadn’t known before. Yet the tremendous pressure she now faces is in finding a job. In that matter, this fashion website has not been an optimal experience for her. However, in the commenting processes, she has been able to get psychological comfort from other participants about her future employment direction. Yet in order to help participants with their future employment, this fashion website still needs to develop in the long term and accumulate more participants.  

Key Feedback from Group 4 based on Interviews

Dongshan and Sky found this website to be a great platform to interact with people in the fashion field and to learn professional skills. Dongshan said she had felt seriously exhausted during her collaboration with Sky. Because Sky needed to gain certain skills when taking photos, she felt that Yuki had helped her a lot in commenting. Dongshan learned the craft of retouching image details. She felt that this transferable skill could be used again in the future, and that both her work and life could benefit from this transferable skill. Sky also said he had learned photography skills that he had yet to realise were specialist areas. He reported being happy to have learned the basics of photography. They felt the transferred skills they had gained would help them in their future careers.

Key Feedback from Group 5 based on Interviews

Ji was pleased with the photos he had taken from street shoots and claimed he would like to learn more about shooting techniques and photo retouching with Hichen. The following week he used the outfit to meet many people at a number of social events, who gave him positive feedback on his outfit and said it made him look more confident. The early career help could be a benefit for his work and made a good impression.               

Summary for the Interview

For future careers, it appears possible to gain transferable skills from interacting with this website, such as matching clothes, taking fashion photos, communication skills, organising clothes, graphic design, making websites, etc. The respondents all said that they felt able to strengthen their transferable skills with practice and learning over time. More observations and experiments can be made later on through memory curves. It is helpful for everyone who needs clarification about their future career to know people in a familiar situation with whom to share their confusion about work at this exchange event.

2.8 Reflections and Learnings from First Intervention 

I firstly learned the basic skills of how one might create a website. When creating this fashion designer website, I began with a needs analysis of a fashion website. I performed a needs analysis and designed the site with the actual needs and features of a fashion website in mind, making it more conducive to the exchange of skills among fashion designers.

Secondly, I have also been inspired by the fashion website Farfetch, using Farfetch as a learning direction (see Figure 2.7.1). For website planning, in terms of content and layout, it must be built to serve the consumer’s functions and to land these specific needs on the website. This requires a wealth of expertise both in website design and in the browsing habits of Internet users. I also learned business skills by researching Farfetch’s business model, and have learned and paid attention to the legal issues related to domain name copyright in the process of creating this website.

Lastly, I wish to discuss my own learning experience and the transferring skills I have learned based on the first intervention. Indeed, transferred skills gained through the online website can allow users to communicate online, creating an atmosphere suitable for learning professional skills. The exchange of transferrable skills is about more than just exchanging skills but also about sharing skills as well. In today’s increasingly fast-paced world, it is challenging to stand out with just one or two skills. Currently, many young people learn new skills by attending specific training institutions, which can be relatively costly in terms of both time and money. Furthermore, certain operational skills are difficult to learn through online social networking, and there are some security issues involved with proceeding from the Internet to reality. In addition, the two exchanging parties must first build trust, which requires more effort from the user. As such, a standardised assessment and operational model are needed to determine the effectiveness of the exchange in terms of gaining transferring skills through the online fashion website.

Figure 2.7.1