Week 1: **Course Introduction.** Design Research as a Scientific Discipline
Opening Questions
- What makes design research different from simply proposing a design?
- How can a designed artifact help us make a credible claim?
- What makes a research process trustworthy, even when the expected result is not found?
Learning Goal
Understand how design research uses designed artifacts, comparative studies, and evidence to develop credible new knowledge.
Lecture Materials
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In-class Activity
- Course Description
- Design project vs. design research
- Semester process: **RQ → Stimuli → Study → Evidence → Paper**
- Course expectations, assessment, and Q&A
Assignments
- 🎬 FC Watch “*Research Question Framing: From Idea to Research Questions”.* Due: Sep. 11
- Prep Bring one design context or experience that interests you and 2–3 speculative ideas. · **No submission required**
Key Takeaways
- Design research aims to produce credible knowledge, not only a design proposal.
- Designed artifacts can function as research instruments.
- A trustworthy research process matters more than obtaining positive or significant results.
- Each team will complete a mini design research paper during the semester.
Related Readings
- TwistLens project or paper · Optional
- PONIFY project or paper · Optional
Next Week Preparation
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