Week 2: **Research Question Framing. ** From Imagination to Researchable Design Hypothesis
Opening Questions
- What makes a design idea researchable?
- What do you want to learn, rather than simply create?
- What could be compared to answer your question?
Learning Goal
Turn a broad design interest into a focused, researchable question by defining the context, design condition, and expected user experience or behavior.
Lecture Materials
Add the LearnUS lecture-material link.
In-class Activity
- 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
Assignments
- 🎬 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.
- [No submission required]
Key Takeaways
- A topic describes an area; an RQ identifies what the team wants to learn.
- A researchable RQ connects a design condition with an observable experience or behavior.
- The RQ should guide what will later be designed, compared, and measured.
- The Week 2 RQ is provisional and will be revised through related work.
Related Readings
- No required reading
- Example design research papers will be provided for topic exploration.
Next Week Preparation
Add anything students should prepare before the next class.