All courses
Yonsei 2026-Fall | Bokyung Lee Upcoming

CDM2008: Design Research

Design research turns questions about people, contexts, and experiences into evidence that can guide responsible design decisions. This course introduces a systematic process for framing research, selecting qualitative methods, conducting fieldwork, synthesizing findings, and communicating actionable insights.

Class time
Friday(s), time to be announced
Location
VeritasB 206 (DFK Idea shop)
Instructor
Prof. Bokyung Lee
Language
English

The 16-week course meets on Fridays from September 4 through December 18, 2026. The topic sequence below is a working plan; detailed readings, exercises, and deadlines will be confirmed in the official syllabus.

Extended mode includes paper progress, in-class activities, and after-class preparation.

Week 00Before Sep. 04
Lecture

**Preparation**

In Class
  • No class
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch <What Is Design Research?> Due: Sep. 04
  • Prep Review the course hub. Due: Sep. 04
Paper
Learning journey Course Preparation Getting ready for the first class Week 0
Week 01Sep. 04
Lecture

**Course Introduction.** Design Research as a Scientific Discipline

In Class
  • Course Description
  • Design project vs. design research
  • Semester process: **RQ → Stimuli → Study → Evidence → Paper**
  • Course expectations, assessment, and Q&A
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch <*Research Question Framing: From Idea to Research Questions>.* Due: Sep. 11
  • Prep Bring one “design topic” that interests you. · No submission required
Paper
Learning journey Stage 1: Research Framing Research question, gap, and scope Weeks 1–4
Week 02Sep. 11
Lecture

**Research Question Framing. ** From Imagination to Researchable Design Hypothesis

In Class
  • Share individual contexts and speculative design ideas
  • Form project groups based on shared interests
  • Distinguish topic, design idea, design hypothesis, and research question
  • Develop and narrow provisional research questions
  • Peer critique using the RQ checklist
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch <Finding a Research Gap.> Due: Sep. 18
  • ✏️ Assignment Revise the working RQ and identify the phenomenon of interest, target context or users, design condition, expected experience or behavior, and implied comparison.
PaperIntroduction
Week 03Sep. 18
Lecture

**Research Question Verification. **Related Work & Research Gap

In Class
  • Related-work mapping workshop
  • Compare what previous studies examined, designed, and measured
  • Identify unresolved questions
  • Research gap and contribution statement critique
After Class
PaperRelated Work
Week 04Sep. 25Chuseok Holiday
Lecture

**Design Variables for Research **Translating RQ into Designable Factors

In Class
  • Async feedback: Research Question Check-up
  • Instructor feedback on Deliverable #1: RQ, gap, and scope
  • No offline class
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Experiment Logic: Building Fair Comparison Conditions.’ Due: Oct. 02
  • ✏️ Assignment Complete the variable-mapping worksheet: independent/design variable, dependent outcomes, controlled factors, and possible confounds.
PaperIntroduction + Related Work: Provisional draft
Week 05Oct. 02
Lecture

**Experiment Logic. **Designing Comparable Conditions

In Class
  • Review Deliverable #1 and common framing problems
  • Develop A/B or A/B/C comparison conditions
  • Identify the baseline condition
  • Fair-comparison and confound-checking worksheet
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Stimuli Development: Making Testable Design Stimuli.’ Due: Oct. 09
  • ✏️ Assignment Create a condition comparison table and initial sketches, storyboards, wireframes, or prototype plans for each condition. No submission required.
PaperDesign Rationale: Variables, hypotheses, comparison logic
Learning journey Stage 2: Planning & Stimuli Conditions, stimuli, and research proposal Weeks 5–8
Week 06Oct. 09Hangeul Day
Lecture

**Stimuli Design Workshop.** Prototyping Design Options as Research Instruments

In Class
  • Async feedback: Stimuli and condition review
  • Instructor feedback on whether stimuli isolate the intended design variable
  • No offline class
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Research Logic Check: Aligning the Full Proposal.’ Due: Oct. 16
  • ✏️ Assignment Experimental Conditions & Design Stimuli Package: submit the design conditions and stimuli for focused Week 7 feedback. Due: Oct. 15
PaperDesign Stimuli: Condition descriptions and prototype rationale
Week 07Oct. 16
Lecture

**Research Proposal Integration.** Aligning RQ, Variables, Conditions, Stimuli, and Expected Study Plan

In Class
  • Focused feedback on experimental conditions and design stimuli
  • Full research-logic alignment worksheet
  • Traceability check: RQ → variable → condition → expected evidence
  • Presentation rehearsal and instructor feedback
After Class
PaperResearch Proposal Draft: Introduction, gap, RQ, rationale, stimuli
Week 08Oct. 23
Lecture

**Mid-term Presentation**

In Class
  • Offline group presentation
  • Present RQ, research gap, variables, comparison logic, and stimuli
  • Peer and instructor critique
  • Record decisions and required revisions
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Study Protocol Setup: Choosing What to Measure.’ Due: Oct. 30
  • ✏️ Assignment Write a feedback-response memo and revise the RQ, conditions, and stimuli before developing the protocol. No submission required.
PaperProposal Revision
Week 09Oct. 30
Lecture

**Study Protocol Setup #1. **Quantitative Measurements

In Class
  • Measurement–RQ alignment worksheet
  • Select scales, behavioral measures, and manipulation checks
  • Draft participant tasks and study flow
  • Introduce order effects and counterbalancing
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Qualitative Study Questions: Capturing User Reasoning and Experience.’ Due: Nov. 06
  • ✏️ Assignment Draft the study overview, participant criteria, study design, tasks, and quantitative measurement table. Include the source and purpose of each measure. No submission required.
PaperMethod: Study design, tasks, quantitative measures
Learning journey Stage 3: User Study Protocol, pilot, and main study Weeks 9–11
Week 10Nov. 06
Lecture

**Study Protocol Setup #2** Qualitative Research Questionnaires

In Class
  • Develop survey items, open-ended questions, and interview prompts
  • Remove leading, double-barreled, and overly abstract questions
  • Assemble the complete procedure and moderator script
  • Protocol peer review
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Running a Pilot Study.’ Due: Nov. 13
  • ✏️ Assignment Complete the full protocol and recruit pilot participants. Include briefing, consent, tasks, condition order, questionnaires, interview guide, debriefing, and data-recording plan. No submission required.
PaperMethod: Procedure and qualitative data collection
Week 11Nov. 13
Lecture

**Main Study Execution. **Pilot Testing & Protocol Revision

In Class
  • Conduct or report the pilot test
  • Evaluate stimulus clarity, timing, technical stability, and measurement validity
  • Identify participant misunderstandings
  • Revise the stimuli and study protocol
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Data Analysis #1: Finding Patterns in Qualitative Data.’ Due: Nov. 20
  • ✏️ Assignment Finalize the protocol and conduct the main study; organize anonymized consent records, responses, transcripts, observations, and behavioral data. No formal deliverable at this stage.
PaperMethod Finalization: Pilot revisions and final protocol
Week 12Nov. 20
Lecture

**Data Analysis #1.** Qualitative Insights

In Class
  • Data-cleaning and organization check
  • Code qualitative responses and interview excerpts
  • Develop code categories and preliminary themes
  • Map findings to the RQ and comparison conditions
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Data Analysis #2: Comparing Conditions with T-tests and ANOVA.’ Due: Nov. 27
  • ✏️ Assignment Complete the qualitative coding worksheet, prepare a preliminary theme table with supporting evidence, and clean quantitative data for analysis. No submission required.
PaperResults: Qualitative findings
Learning journey Stage 4: Analysis Findings and evidence-based insights Weeks 12–13
Week 13Nov. 27
Lecture

**Data Analysis #2.** Quantitative Insight (T-test and ANOVA Analysis)

In Class
  • Select an analysis based on conditions and study design
  • Calculate descriptive statistics and visualize distributions
  • Conduct basic t-tests or ANOVA
  • Integrate quantitative results with qualitative explanations
After Class
  • 🎬 FC Watch ‘Design Implications: Turning Results into Insights.’ Due: Dec. 04
  • ✏️ Assignment Upload the provisional results, findings, and insight report for feedback before discussion writing. Due: Dec. 03
PaperResults + Preliminary Findings
Week 14Dec. 04
Lecture

**Insights & Design Implications**

In Class
  • Feedback on provisional results and findings
  • Distinguish results, findings, discussion, contribution, and implications
  • Develop evidence-based design implications
  • Final research narrative and paper-structure workshop
After Class
PaperDiscussion: RQ answers, interpretation, implications, limitations
Learning journey Stage 5: Integrating Final presentation and research paper Weeks 14–16
Week 15Dec. 11
Lecture

**Final Presentation**

In Class
  • Final group presentations
  • Present research question, design rationale, method, results, findings, and implications
  • Instructor and peer feedback
  • Individual contribution and reflection check
After Class
  • Prep No new FC lecture. Finalize and revise the report based on presentation feedback; proofread figures, tables, citations, appendices, and contribution statements. Due: Dec. 18
PaperFull Paper Draft