DG2S004 - Design Research Methods 01 Sep 2023 - 31 Aug 2028 | Version 1
Associated Module Information
| Module Code: | DG2S004 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Title: | Design Research Methods | ||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Business and Creative Industries | ||
| Faculty Group: | Games and Design | ||
| Faculty Sub Group: | Design | ||
| Module Leader: | Rachel Grainger | ||
| Module Team: | Sarah Down, Emma Marshman, Stephen Leadbetter, Ryan Preece | ||
| First Intended Intake: | SEP 2023 | Final Year of Intake: | |
| Date Closed: | |||
| Credit Value: | 20 | Credit Level: | 5 |
| Language: | English | ||
| Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: | 0 | ||
| Equivalent Module: | |||
| HECOS codes: | 100061 - graphic design | ||
| HECOS Code Weighting: | 100 | ||
Document Version Information
| Version | 1 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 01 Sep 2023 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2028 |
Module Aims
Introduce a selection of current and emerging research methods used in design practice and industry with reference to specific case studies.
Give you opportunities to put methods into practice, developing your understanding of how they work.
Build a toolkit of research methods you can select from when needed to support your studies and future career
Content Summary
Great design is not achieved by chance. The world's leading brands, campaigns and digital products are the result of great research, research that aspires to better understand a developing culture of human-being-behaviour and their needs.
Graphic Designers learn to empathise with and understand their audience to problem solve and produce meaningful design, design that is immediately recognisable as a response to a need.
During this module you will learn how to talk to everyday people about their lives and work to recognise and understand the issues they might face daily.
To achieve this, you will develop your core research skills in this module. Therefore, you will build on the research methods and skills that you developed in your first year. You will also be introduced to and learn how to implement essential primary research methods and techniques used in industry, such as observational ethnography, first-person ethnography, netography, interviews, surveys and focus groups. You will have the opportunity to try out these methods and techniques sometimes in groups and on other occasions as an individual. These activities will be based in and outside the classroom. You will also learn how to analyse, interpret the data that you gather and draw conclusions from your findings to help you move forward with producing a meaningful solution to a design problem.
The concepts developed in this module will come in useful throughout the rest of the course by informing how you conduct research in your other modules and throughout your future career in the graphic design industry.
So, this module will help your future self to fully identify and understand problems and it will help you design with confidence in the modules that follow it on your learning journey. It will enable you to discover: what do you need to design? Why do you need to make it? How will it be used? This module will equip you with knowledge, making it easier to create something that the client will value.
Learning and Teaching Methods
| Activity Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 6 |
| Seminar | 24 |
| Tutorial | 4 |
| Independent Study | 100 |
| Directed Study | 64 |
| Formative Assessment - Scheduled | 2 |
| Total Hours Selected | 200 |
Learning Outcomes
| # | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Apply a range of research methods to address straightforward design challenges/problems. |
| LO2 | Analyse and present your findings to others in writing, verbally, and visually. |
Module Requisites
N/A
Assessment Criteria
| Assessment Category | Assessment Type | Description | Duration | Word Count | Weight (%) | Best of? | Pass Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asynchronous Assessment | Report 1 | A written report drawing on knowledge and material from the module | 0 | 2500 | 70 | No | 40 |
| Synchronous Onsite Oral Assessment | Oral Assessment (Internally assessed, Onsite) 1 | A prepared oral presentation by a candidate before internal assessor(s), where knowledge, understanding and ability are examined | 15 | N/A | 30 | No | 40 |
Assessment Matrix
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| LO1 | LO2 | ||
| Report 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Oral Assessment (Internally assessed, Onsite) 1 | ✔ | ✔ | |