Overview

This is a research-literate and practice-based unit executed to a professional industry standard. This unit, attached to Studio 7: Major Project, is the culmination of the Masters’ course, generating research-informed design outcomes. The project will typically mature a previous design challenge or topic investigated in the course in substantially more depth. The topic of investigation will likely be connected to an emerging, current or prospective societal challenge. Students will conduct research under supervision, investigate creative design solutions via prototyping and testing, and will produce a professional quality design proposal. This proposal will be further developed to a design outcome in Studio 7: Major Project.

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Investigate, assess and compare design-focused opportunities with a review of literature and artefacts.
  • Generate strategies for solving a well-defined problem by producing a self-directed design brief and project plan.
  • Investigate the relationship between design research and its effects on the wider community using relevant research principles and techniques.
  • Develop design solutions that provide value to specific users in response to a project brief.
  • Critically evaluate a design proposition through testing and evaluation and provide recommendations for further development in a professional-level presentation.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Tutorial
6.00 12 weeks 72
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Various
10.00 12 weeks 120
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Individual Study
9.00 12 weeks 108
TOTAL300

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Design ProjectIndividual/Group 40% 
Project ProposalIndividual/Group 20% 1,2,3 
Project ReportIndividual/Group 40% 

Content

  • Research and analysis of current trends and future scenarios
  • Strategic and service design skills
  • Interview and data recording techniques
  • Innovation, creativity, visualisation, and/or construction of concepts
  • Design research through iterative design exploration and experimentation
  • Human-centred design and user needs
  • Design research conducted through literature and artefact review to support a design proposal
  • Report writing
  • Use a range of analytical and research skills to facilitate the articulation of a design project
  • Evaluation through consultation, mock-ups and practical testing
     

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.