DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION / DRAFT DISSERTATION

on

 25.4.25 - 6.6.25 (Week 1 - Week 7)

Chin Jia Wei (0379807)

Design Research Dissertation / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor University

Draft Dissertation



List 


2. Task 1

INSTRUCTIONS




Task 1 - Draft Dissertation

Link to Final Submission


25/4/2025  (Week 01)

In this assignment, we were required to write a 7000 words dissertation based on the findings and research data collected in Design Research Methodology module which was done in semester one. Throughout the process, I received feedback from Dr. Wong and amended along the way. The final project and the feedback are attached below.


6/6/2025  (Week 07)

On Friday, I submitted it to Turnitin to check it was within the acceptable similarity range, and then submitted my draft dissertation PDF and e-blog link on Google Classroom.

Below is the Turnitin report of my draft dissertation.



Final Submission

Draft Dissertation PDF


FEEDBACK


25/4/2025  (Week 01)
Specific Feedback
  • Use past tense and third-person point of view all the time.
  • Research questions should be written first before research objectives.
  • The title must remain neutral (no bias on any side) such as avoid mentioning specific platforms like Lazada or Shopee.
  • The first research question should focus on something basic such as "general user experiences" rather than something specific like “what is the challenge”.

2/5/2025  (Week 02)
Specific Feedback
  • The abstract should be between 200–250 words.
  • Do not begin paragraphs with words like “Unfortunately.”
  • In the research objectives, replace “Navigation” with “Information Architecture.”
  • Avoid overusing connectors such as “However,” “Not only that,” and “Additionally.”
  • Use terms like “This study” or “This research” instead of “This dissertation.”
  • There is no need for a separate picture credits section, as credits are provided below each image.

9/5/2025 (Week 03)
Specific Feedback
  • The Abstract should consist of only one paragraph.
  • The Literature Review must be directly linked to the research title and include more than three sources.
  • No need a section for "Picture Credits" as the picture credits is already listed under image.

16/5/2025 (Week 04)
Specific Feedback
  • Numbers like “2” should be written as “two” or “two(2).”
  • Replace unclear references like “in this country” with “Malaysia.”
  • In the Literature Review, identify keywords from the title and expand them further for deeper analysis.
  • Ensure text in the reference list follows the correct formatting, with titles italicized and arranged in alphabetical (A–Z) order.

23/5/2025 (Week 05)
Specific Feedback
  • Change “Research Conceptual Framework Diagram” to just “Research Conceptual Framework.”
  • Do not use screenshots of survey charts. Instead, create proper charts showing percentages and sample size (e.g., n=). Place an accompanying table beside the chart.
  • Include a statement of the research problem and participant background in the Abstract.
  • Add the word “Research” in front of the “Rationale” section title.
  • Combine the “Measure” and “Survey Instrument” sections if possible.

30/5/2025 (Week 06)
Specific Feedback
  • In the research objectives, change “Information Architecture” back to “Navigation”.
  • Bar charts do not require a table beside them.
  • In the “Participant” section, focus on describing the criteria or requirements for participants rather than writing percentages of the demographics data.
  • In the “Measure” section, explain what measure was used to collect data and include examples from survey.
6/6/2025 (Week 07)
Specific Feedback
  • For the Result/Finding section, just choose 1 word will do.
  • The Conceptual Framework needs to relate to the research title. The Navigation Structure should be separated into two parts: Gamification and Navigation Structure.
  • Add a short introduction before presenting the Conceptual Framework diagram, followed by a brief explanation to help readers understand the framework.
  • Make sure that the Analysis and Discussion section directly addresses the Research Objective.
  • Add a Limitation section in the Conclusion section as 6.1.
  • Change naming for 7.0 Project Recommendation and Future Research to Recommendation for Future Research


REFLECTION

Experience
Thanks to Dr. Wong’s guidance, I was able to learn more and refine my mistakes, such as grammar issues and word choices like avoiding phrases like “however,” “unfortunately,” and “not only that” in order to sound more professional in academic writing. Although there were many rounds of changes and revisions, I think it was worth it, as my research article turned out much better in the end. I truly appreciate Dr. Wong patience and effort for us, as she had to check the work of many students, yet she still took the time to give individual feedback, review our documents, and patiently answer our questions to clear our doubts. Her dedication made a big difference in helping us improve.

Observation
In the beginning, even with the templates guide, I was still clueless about what to write without being too draggy, while still meeting the 7,000-word requirement. After reading many research articles written by other researchers, I started to notice they tend to have similar formats and structures. The review sessions with other students were also very helpful too. I get to learn a lot from the feedback they received, which helped me avoid similar mistakes. I’m glad we had the opportunity to learn from one and another.  

Finding
This assignment taught me how to write a complete research article, from data collection, analysis, to produce a full dissertation. While I had read some research papers last semester for a critical review in the Research Methodology module, writing a full dissertation felt completely different. It’s easy to make mistakes without notice when writing one ourself. Overall, I found this assignment is very interesting and helpful because it allowed me to dive deep into a specific topic and analyze the data I collected.

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