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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), 13:00–16:00
Location
VeritasB 206 (DFK Idea shop)
Instructor
Prof. Bokyung Lee
Language
English
Course roadmap

A learning journey from seeing to integrating

The project develops through five connected stages. Each stage builds one part of the final research paper, moving from research framing and stimulus creation to study execution, analysis, and research communication.

Design Research ProcessStages 1–5
2
Planning and Creating Research StimuliWeeks 4–8

Develop fair comparison conditions, review them through consultation, and create research stimuli.

3
User Study Design & ExecutionWeeks 9–11

Design the study protocol, pilot it, and conduct the main study.

4
Analysis & InterpretationWeeks 12–13

Analyse qualitative and quantitative evidence and develop grounded findings.

5
IntegratingWeeks 14–16

Integrate findings into discussion, final presentation, and research paper.

Project 1

Project 1: Design Research Study

Team · 80%

Each team completes one full design research study throughout the semester. Teams begin with a focused research question, create and compare two or more design conditions, conduct a user study, analyze qualitative and quantitative evidence, and communicate a credible research claim through a final presentation and mini research paper. The designed artifacts function as research stimuli rather than final solutions.

Learning Goals

  • Frame a focused and researchable design question.
  • Translate the research question into fair and comparable design conditions.
  • Design and conduct a systematic comparative user study.
  • Analyze qualitative and quantitative evidence in relation to the research question.
  • Develop credible findings and evidence-based design implications.
  • Communicate the complete study through a presentation and mini research paper.

Project Flow

  1. Homework 1 Research Interest Card
  2. Homework 2 Introduction & Initial RQ Working Draft
  3. Deliverable 1 [Paper Draft] Research Foundation & Initial RQ
  4. Homework 3 Comparison Conditions + Initial Stimuli
  5. Homework 4 Revised Comparison Conditions + Stimuli
  6. Homework 5 Section 3.3 Research Stimuli
  7. Deliverable 2 [Presentation] Mid-term Research Proposal & Stimuli
  8. Homework 6 Post-presentation Sections 1–3.3 Revision
  9. Homework 7 Section 4 Method Draft I
  10. Homework 8 Finalize the Study Materials Pack & Conduct a Pilot
  11. Homework 9 Final Method Section
  12. Homework 10 Sections 5.1 & 5.2 Quantitative Results Working Draft
  13. Homework 11 Complete Section 5 Results Draft
  14. Deliverable 3 [Presentation] Final Design Research Study
  15. Deliverable 4 [Final Paper] Design Research Study

Project unit

Students form project groups in Week 2 and work with the same team throughout the semester. All members are expected to contribute to research framing, stimulus development, study execution, analysis, presentation, and writing. Team deliverables normally receive a shared grade, but individual grades may be adjusted when documented contributions differ substantially.

Related Deliverables

DeliverableFocusWeight
Deliverable #1Research framing, academic positioning, research gap, and provisional research question10%
Deliverable #2Research logic, comparable conditions, and testable research stimuli15%
Deliverable #3Complete research narrative, evidence, findings, and design implications20%
Deliverable #4Complete, coherent, and evidence-based design research paper35%
Total80%