DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION: PROJECT 01

02/09/2022 - 16/10/2022 (Week 01 - Week 07)
ALICIA TENG YI LING / 0345159 / BDCM
DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION
PROJECT 1: Research Implementation - Draft Dissertation

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Project 01: Draft Dissertation

Todo:

• Research skeleton
• Literature matrix
• Draft dissertation
• Acknowledgements
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Problem statement
• Research objectives
• Research questions
• Literature review
• Research methodology
• Results/Findings
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Project design recommendations
• Reference list
• Picture credit list
• Appendices

Process

Week 01

The due date for the literature review is September 11th. In this, I must essentially rephrase what I had written for my critical review in my previous semester during Design Research Methodology and then to add arguments and citations where needed. 

I think it might be quite difficult to paraphrase a lot of my work to reduce plagiarism counts but I will do my best to accomplish that. As allowed by Dr. Hayati, I created a shortcut of my old work in the first folder so I may refer to it easily. 

Week 02

This week, Dr. Hayati looked through our literature reviews and gave feedback and suggestions. I took some notes for general feedback from her review of other students as well some specific ones for myself. She also helped me rewrite my Draft Dissertation title into a more cohesive and clear one as that was something I was struggling with and overcomplicating.

I need to complete my literature review and structure it properly. I was having some trouble with the cover document but was able to resolve it by deleting the column and creating a new one which would allow me to write my information without it becoming a mess. One more note is that I need to remember to structure my research and information chronologically to avoid confusion for myself and readers.

Week 03

This week there was no class as it was a public holiday. So, I decided to work on my methodology based on the files Dr. Hayati uploaded to the Google Classroom.

I need to write more critically and concisely in my writing. After proofreading my section 2 and 3 which is still ongoing, I realised how much repetition there is as well as how unclear the direction and wording of my draft dissertation is so far. All in all, I need to finalise my current sections and make sure it includes all my research and citations.  

Week 04

This week, I will need to revise my work once again to make sure I am being as critical as I can be. I also need to figure out how to differently number the pages on a Google Doc (both Roman numerals and normal numbers) because the formatting is driving me crazy. Additionally, I received the go ahead from Dr. Hayati to include my recent observational study from the summer holiday in my research findings section. I need to compare and contrast the results and comment on the differences [strengths, weaknesses, similarities and differences]. Finally, to enhance my comparative observations, I really need to elaborate effectively on the new findings. 

Week 05

This was by far the most tedious and mind wrecking part to try and accurately display that I understand both the primary and secondary research in order to form a logical and proper response to my research questions in order to achieve my research objectives.

I need to really focus and make sure that my discussion section has no vague and unrelated information and to be specific and descriptive. I also heard that I should use proper connecting words to ease the flow of reading for viewers and Dr. Hayati. I also need to remember to reflect back and try to read it sentence by sentence from a new reader’s point of view and see if it makes sense and is cohesive. Additionally, make sure I have understood everything that the articles have detailed so I may write clearly about what I have interpreted and how it relates to my own conducted studies.  

Week 06

I need to keep in mind that my chosen choice of spelling is British so I have to stick with it and make sure not to accidentally use American words. Next, in order to write up my abstract properly, I must finish the rest of the dissertation sections first. I also must review my abstract one more time before because some parts are a little unclear. 

My literature review seems a little repetitive in some areas so I need to proofread it again to find similar points and group them together for coherent writing rather than repeating them in different sections/subheadings. 

Week 07

I need to remember to create and include the design research conceptual framework into the dissertation! 

I will have to go over and proofread the entire draft dissertation before submitting it. Section one seems to be confusing to readers as stated by Dr. Hayati, my peers that reviewed it agreed as well. Therefore, I need to put myself into the shoes of someone who has never read it before and try to rewrite it in a manner that is easy to understand but also clearly gets my points across. 

Fig 1.1 Literature Matrix Version 1

Fig 1.2 Draft Dissertation Version 1

Final Draft Dissertation Submission

Fig 2.1 Literature Matrix

Fig 2.2 Final Draft Dissertation PDF

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FEEDBACK

Draft Dissertation

Week 02

General Feedback:

Can add similarities and differences of the articles in my literature review matrix to essentially compare and contrast. In-text citation, integrated or parenthetical. Use it correctly. Must include page number in direct quotations. Keep your spelling type consistent. E.g. British or American all the way through.  

Direct Feedback:

Perhaps I don't need 2.4.1 if it's too small and can incorporate it. I must include summary or conclusion for literature review. Update literature review to show Dr. Hayati.

Week 04

General Feedback:

Feel free to add related and appropriate figures into your literature review. Use outside citations to  justify the research methods. Write a preamble of your reasoning as to why you chose your research methods. Make sure not to switch between present and past tense. It is recommended to use past tense as the research has already been conducted. Be critical and be clear in your words. Compare and contrast in terms of strength and weaknesses, similarities and differences. When there is an open-ended question, use a table for displaying answers. 

Week 05

General Feedback:

Clearly state the intentions of the discussion section and explain how it will chronologically be structured. Include research objectives and research questions as subtopics. Add a conclusion of your discussion to each sub section.

 

Direct Feedback:

Try to avoid using incorrect adjectives and instead use proper connecting words. Do not be vague, be specific and descriptive.

Week 06

General Feedback:

Do not mix British and American spellings [consistency is always important for the reader]. Review the provided sources to gain a more in-depth understanding about what must be included in each section. Do not put citations in the abstract. Abstract should be written last as you need a sentence or two from your findings, discussion and conclusion. Do a conceptual framework of the research. Need to reflect what I found in my literature review and in my findings and if there are similar points. Justified or unjustified? Thesis? Check the word count for each section and see if you can analyse and discuss further to make up the required word count.

Week 07

Direct Feedback:

Revisit section 1  [reword some parts because it's confusing to the readers]. I forgot to include the research conceptual framework in section 1

E-publication:

• Incorporate braille elements as part of the design

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REFLECTION

I am still absolutely awful at writing essays especially ones as long as this one but it was easier to finish writing up some sections as I had done the bulk of them during the previous semester but I needed to figure out how to elaborate on certain points to make my discussion and findings more critical. Another issue I had was that I started off writing my draft dissertation in Google Docs but had to copy it over to Microsoft Word for formatting and structure options. This took a lot of time, effort and energy but ended up being pretty clean so I'm happy with that.

I learnt that I have quite a limited vocabulary so in this module, thesauruses became my best friend. It took time to proofread my work and change the words that felt a little too repetitive, and just to make sure the readability in each paragraph was clear and easy to understand. 

Although slightly stressful to manage, the interim deadlines helped with my management of time and sections. Honestly, this is the most challenging module for me this semester. I only hope I can keep up with the following submissions.