Design Research Methodology: Research Proposal
Week 01 - Week 04 (31/03/2022 - 24/04/2022)
Adeline Wong Chyn Nee (0344017) / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Design Research Methodology
Research Proposal
Lecture
Week 01- What is Research?
From week 1 lecture slides, I know that research is the systematic and creative investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
What does research do?
Research increases the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture, and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.–research is the pursuit of knowledge.
Why should I do research as a student?
– Research expands our understanding and knowledge of our academic field.
– It defines our academic, career, and personal interests.
– We establish valuable connections with faculty.
– We gain academic experiences that help expand our resume, such as presenting at research conferences, publishing, and working with a research team.
– We develop critical thinking, leadership, time management, and communication skills.
– We get to explore research techniques.
Knowing that, how should I start? (6 steps)
(1) We first have to identify our field of interest by picking a topic related to our course, current events, or by reflecting on things that appeal to us. (2) Next, reading up writings in some current design magazines should get us started on our research direction. (3) After a field of interest/topic is selected, we are to delve into further research about it to establish an area such as a research problem where we are interested to conduct research. We then now write a bit more extensively about the research problem in the form of a statement and formulate a research question that is derived from the research problem. (4) From there, identify the research objective(s) that we would like to achieve from conducting this research. (5) Lastly, we have to confirm our field of interest to provide a rationale with around 200-300 words, with research evidence. (6) Lastly, we can establish a research problem that we are interested in to conduct research.
Week 02 - Problem statement, Research question, and Research objective
What is a Problem Statement?
A problem statement is a concise description of an issue to be addressed or a condition to be improved upon. It identifies the gap between the current state which is the problem and desired state which is the goal of a process or product. A problem statement ultimately paves the way for the reader to understand the research problem.
Fig. 1.1 Example #1 of a problem statement (taken from week 2 slides)
Fig. 1.2 Example #2 of a problem statement (taken from week 2 slides)
What is a Research Question?
A research question is an answerable inquiry into a specific concern or issue. It is the first step in a research project. A research question is the ground of the foundation of our research. It is what everything in a research project is built on. Without a question, we can't have research and discussion.
The basic process of writing a research question
Firstly, we have to specify our specific concern or issue and then decide what we want to know about the specific concern or issue. Next, turn what we want to know and the specific concern into a question, and ensure that the question is answerable. Lastly, check to make sure the question is not too broad or too narrow.
What is a Research Objective?
In general, research objectives describe what we expect to achieve by the end of a project. It may be linked with a hypothesis or used as a statement of purpose in a study that does not have a hypothesis. A statement of research objectives can serve to guide the activities of research.
What is a Hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables. It is a specific, testable prediction about what we expect to happen in a study. A hypothesis does not have to be correct. While the hypothesis predicts what the researchers expect to see, the goal of the research is to determine whether this guess is right or wrong.
What is a Variable?
A variable is something that can be changed or varied, such as a characteristic or value. Variables are generally used in psychology experiments to determine if changes to one thing result in changes to another.
By systematically varying some variables and measuring the effects on other variables, researchers can determine if changes to one thing result in changes in something else.
Week 03- Research, Research Questions, and Research Objectives
What is a Research?
An organized and systematic study of a problem where the researcher attempts to address or find a solution to the problem. In order to properly address the problem, specific questions and clearly defined objectives are important.
What is a Research Question?
An answerable inquiry into a specific concern or issue. It is the initial step in a research project, derived from the problem statement or research objectives, and it influences the strategy that is employed in order to either provide answers to the questions or verify/falsify hypotheses.
What is a Research Objective?
It is what a researcher expects to accomplish by the end of a research project. It is derived from problem statements or research questions. Without objectives, a researcher is aimless and directionless in conducting the study.
Using S.M.A.R.T to form a good objective
What is the S.M.A.R.T method?
S -Specific M -Measurable A -Attainable R -Realistic T -Time-bound
A well-written objective has all the qualities in the S.M.A.R.T method and also includes relevant, feasible, and unambiguous.
When writing research, do we put Research Questions or Research Objective first?
Research questions first > IF we do not have a clue of what we might find by the end of research
Research objectives first > IF we have an idea of what we might find by the end of the research
Inductive & Deductive approaches in a research
1. Inductive Approach
Fig. 1.3 Steps for inductive approach (taken from slides)
2. Deductive Approach
Fig. 1.4 Steps for deductive approach (taken from slides)
INSTRUCTION:
Week 01-Week 02
Proposal
During our class in week 1, we were tasked to prepare our chosen topic, rationale, and research questions. As for my topic, I have chosen "Following Graphic Design Trends Mindlessly", but ended up changing it in the later weeks.
Draft #1:
Fig. 2.1 Proposal Draft #1 (April 7th, 2022)
Draft #2:
Fig. 2.2 Proposal Draft #2 (April 14th, 2022)
During week two's class, we were all corrected on how to write a proper proposal by including the necessary contents such as research theme, research topic, hypothesis, research questions, research objectives, problem statement, and rationale.
Draft #3:
Fig. 2.3 Proposal Draft #3 (April 21st, 2022)
I made some improvements to my proposal after a feedback session.
Proposal Slides:
Fig. 2.4 Proposal Slides in PDF (April 22nd, 2022)
After completing the proposal document, I went to work on my proposal slides for submission. This is my slides in progress.
Final Submission:
1. Final Proposal Slides
Fig. 3.1 Final Proposal Slides in PDF (April 24th, 2022)
2. Final Proposal PDF
Fig. 3.2 Final Proposal PDF (April 24th, 2022)
Feedback:
Week 02
When writing my research topic, I need to narrow it down into one area only, it can not be a research area if not specific enough, so i need to identity where you want to conduct my research. So, I need to refer to week 1 and week 2’s note to know how to write my research problem, you should be able to identify my research problem from the topic by next week.
For research questions, I was advised to should research about topic that raise more questions and have an outcome to it. The idea of design is to communicate, the last part is clear so I have to have a topic that guides it, maybe using GD as a communiation tool, could it be the use of the elements of GD, what are the main element that stands out, like Typography, they're not just words but a a set of design that communicates. Rationale needs to be refined.
Week 03
Typography and social awareness, appropriate application for health awareness purposes. Please site your hypothesis. Research questions and research objectives have to be after the problem statement, and the rationale should be after that. Research problems need to state that typo helps. e.g “I want to explore how a typo can educate the public to be more aware of their own actions.” For example, in Taylor’s, there are signboards reminding people to take preventive measures, it is designed with the brand identity of that particular place. Maybe typo image and color instead of a just typo, some people may notice different things at first glance, and it would be good if u would look at something more local because you would be using these pictures in your data collection, later on, you have to be very careful. It’s more like you are studying the importance of graphic elements in communicating SOP for Covid-19 supported by a hypothesis. Have to use non-research articles from now on.
IDEAL: It should be about how when typography is applied properly can spread awareness
REALITY: It is not suitable, you can start by talking about how design is so important
all these designs are playing a big role because people won't come up to u reminding u to wear your mask.
CONSEQUENCES: The mention why it’s important that good application of graphic elements will help diminish the spread of covid and that is why you’re doing this research for this design.
Reflection:
Going into this module, I was carrying a nervous feeling because writing is not my best strength, so I was worried if I can do well at the beginning. After the first class and getting to know the module as well as the lecturers, Dr. Jinchi and Dr. Hayati, I felt more secure as they were guiding the class well, and they were both sure of what was required of the students in this module. Starting with this project, I really struggled at the beginning because I was unsure of what to write as I had no clear direction for my topic despite having searched the web. I eventually settled down with something related to Graphic design trends, however after a few feedback sessions with Dr. Jinchi, I decided to do something more sustainable, so I chose "Creating SOP awareness and educating the public with impactful visuals in design". I feel that this project has taught me that writing a research paper is a meticulous process and definitely non-linear. We have to go through trials and errors in order to settle on the right proposal paper at the end of the day, so this taught me to be patient and dedicated to the project. Although I have finished my proposal, the thought of critical review scares me and hopefully, I will be mentally and physically prepared for that.
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