Björn Rohles rohles.net

A reflection tool for UX professionals Reflection Compass

Last update: Reading time: 1 minute Tags: Reflection, Reflection Compass

The Reflection Compass (presented at Mensch & Computer 2026, paper to follow) is a free tool for systematically carrying out and documenting reflections across four dimensions (before, during and after a situation, as well as on a meta level).

The Reflection Compass with four fields arranged in a circle around a central field for reflection topics. Reflection-before-action at the top, reflection-in-action on the right, reflection-on-action at the bottom, reflection-beyond-action on the left. Arrows connect the fields from 1 to 4 and lead from reflection-beyond-action back to reflection-before-action. Each field contains three prompting questions and open space for writing.
Reflection Compass, available under Creative Commons CC BY (Attribution)

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I would be glad to receive feedback on the Reflection Compass. The form contains six questions and takes about two minutes. Responses are collected and analysed anonymously and may be included in a publication without any reference to individuals. Providing contact details is optional.

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Why the Reflection Compass exists

Reflection is particularly important for UX professionals:

  • Decisions are made within a complex context. Reflection helps to keep everything in view.
  • Reflection is an important tool for identifying personal learning needs.
  • Our own biases can compromise the quality of the data we collect. Reflection can raise awareness of this and thereby contribute to quality assurance.

In practice, however, reflection often takes place only sporadically after a project (Cajander et al., 2022). The Reflection Compass is intended to help make reflection more systematic. It draws on the work of Donald Schön (1983) and Sharon Edwards (2017) as well as on personal experience.

References

  • Cajander, Å., Larusdottir, M., & Geiser, J. L. (2022). UX professionals’ learning and usage of UX methods in agile. Information and Software Technology, 151, 107005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2022.107005
  • Edwards, S. (2017). Reflecting differently. New dimensions: reflection-before-action and reflection-beyond-action. International Practice Development Journal, 7(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.19043/ipdj.71.002
  • Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. Basic Books.