Design Research Methodology - Proposal

Seoh Yi Zhen (0328497)
Design Research Methodology
Continuous Assessment - Proposal

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INSTRUCTIONS

Proposal Brief

The proposal outlines your research topic and area, setting a stage for further development in the research process in this module.

Requirements

Students are to select a topic, within the realms of multimedia, art and design, and visual culture, in which they are interested to study, by focusing in a specific area in that topic. The selection should be based not only on interest but also on adequate and substantial research from reading of relevant academic sources.

They are to:

1. Identify a research problem within a topic of research

2. Write a problem statement pertaining to the research problem

3. Identify relevant research objective(s)

4. Formulate a research question pertaining to the research objective During weekly tutorials, students must present their progress through PowerPoint. An individual tutorial feedback form will be filled by the lecturer and students to record the students’ learning progress.

Duration

Briefing: Week 1; Deadline: Week 4.

Submission Format

Digital submission in e-portfolio blog, CONVERTED TO PDF.

Assignment Goals

1. Students to locate an area of research within a topic.

2. Students to apply research skills.

3. Students to synthesize design and research.

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PROPOSAL

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FEEDBACK

Week 1

The second topic about Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be more relevant and could possibly add something new to the body of knowledge for designers. However, focus the study more on the implications of AI in the art field.

Week 2

Focus on a specific area in the design field as the field itself is rather wide.

Week 3
A well written, clear problem statement, supported by relevant citations. Do, however, make sure that the implications clearly state that you will be focusing on quality of design work, and not about socio-economic issues such as job opportunities. For RQ1, since you are studying the positive and negative impact of AI on graphic design, it would be more suitable if it sounds something like, "What are the similarities and differences between AI-generated and human-generated designs?". Slightly reword your RQ2 to indicate your study's focus as well.

Week 4
Rather than limiting yourself to just the quality of design work, reword RQ2 so that it sounds more open for exploration. Add more description to the last sentence of the problem statement so that the focus becomes even clearer.

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REFLECTION

Experience

It was really challenging at the start of this project, as I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do. Because of that, my mind kept wandering everywhere and the more I read, the harder it became to narrow down my research topic. It was also difficult to express what I wanted to say in just words, which caused a bit of confusion and misunderstandings at certain times.

Observation

I noticed that sometimes it's better to not overthink and over-complicate things. Rather than sitting there for hours trying to decide on which topic is better, making a decisive decision is better because then I'd have time to focus on my other modules as well.

Findings

As I continued to read more about studies on design, I found that design is more than just coming up with something that is aesthetically pleasing. There is a lot of science and theories of psychology that influences the design choices we make in order to attract consumers.