Design Research Dissertation/DIS60304

20/04/2026 - 20/07/2026 / (Week 1 - Week 14)

Liu Cheng  Rui 0370930

Design Research Dissertation/Bachelor of Design/ (Honours) in Creative Media/DIS60304

FINAL COMPILATION & REFLECTION

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Assignment 1 - Draft Dissertation

Assignment 2 - Visual Design Publication

Visual Design Publication Flipbook 

Assignment 3 - Final Dissertation

Assignment 4 - Research for Article Publication

Weekly Progress Sheet

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FEEDBACK

week1

1.Restructure the objective by removing how, because how should in your research question

2.'Study' - change this objective to verb that can be measure and have output for example 'identify' the games character design?

3.Also 'prevent' is not measurable verb - what is the output? should to 'evaluate' the perspective - relate back with your problem.

week2

1.Add more content, from general to specific research problem, to show the gap of study and the importance of your study, with citations and references.

2.Here your improvement objectives:

To identify key elements of Chinese traditional culture relevant to character image design in action games through literature review and visual content analysis.

To examine the influence of Chinese traditional cultural elements on users’ perception and preference of character image design through user survey and evaluation.

To develop design guidelines for integrating Chinese traditional cultural elements into character image design in action games based on empirical findings.

3.write in paragraph form. add all limit of your research, with justification and citation/references.

week3

1.In conclusion chapter, cannot have any citation. This should from you based on findings.

2.Add discussion and support from previous studies.

3.Use figure/chart. Do for all.

week4

1.How about sampling - how many data you plan and what technique used?

2.How you come out with the questions? adapt/adopt from anyone? if manay sources, you can use table form.

3.You can use flowchart to explain the process in details

4.Use flowchart to explain the interview - is it interview only for phase 2? because above you mention both, so visualize it.

5.Make sure all figures and tables must have caption and mention in paragraph. The number follow the chapter, example Figure 4.1, 4.2....continue.

week5

1.If all 3 phases using same instrument - you can explain one times in 'Data Collection' section only, so that reader will not confuse. Redo this chapter:

3.1 Overview

3.2 Research Design

3.3 Data Collection

3.3.1 Participants

3.3.2 Instrument

[Break the question based on phase]

3.3.3 Procedure

[use flowchart to visualize the process, which include phase 1,2 and 3]

3.4 Data Analysis

3.5 Summary

week6

1.Should your design guideline. Show here with short explain, followed by who will benefit from it.

2.Use chart to visualize the result, followed by explain the implicit and explicit of the findings. redo:

4.1 Overview

4.2 Results

4.3 Demographic 

4.4 General Awareness (this for what?)

4.5 Objective 1: Key Culture Elements

4.6 Objective 2: The Influence

4.7 Objective 3: Design Guideline (you can use table or figure to visualize how your design guideline looks like)

4.8 Summary

week7

Dr. NOORHAYATI SAAD and Dr. Aslina gave us a detailed explanation of the requirements for the assignment 2 and 3.

week8

1.Strengthen the academic tone of the cover design, as the current retro gaming aesthetic may overshadow the seriousness of the research topic.

2.Improve typography consistency and readability by reducing the number of font styles and enhancing the visual hierarchy between the title, subtitle, and author information.

3.Create a clearer visual connection between the game-related imagery and the concept of Chinese traditional culture to better communicate the research focus at first glance.

4.Refine the layout balance, as the large USB graphics dominate the composition and compete with the title for attention.

week9

1.Enhance the integration of visual elements by ensuring that decorative graphics support the research narrative rather than functioning primarily as standalone illustrations.

2.Consider incorporating more culturally representative motifs, symbols, patterns, or artistic elements from Chinese traditional culture to strengthen the conceptual depth and authenticity of the design.

3.Improve spacing and alignment among text and graphic components to achieve a cleaner, more professional, and visually cohesive presentation.

4.Reduce visual clutter caused by multiple competing focal points and establish a stronger central focus that directs attention to the dissertation title.

week10

1.The teacher's suggestion is to enhance the consistency of the layout, improve the readability and academic professionalism, optimize the layout, leave sufficient white space, integrate graphics and text, and present charts in a way that makes the overall design more unified, clear and easy to read.

week11

1.It is suggested to enhance the academic feel of the cover, optimize the font hierarchy and layout, strengthen the integration of game elements with Chinese traditional culture, highlight the title of the paper, and improve the overall visual balance and professionalism.

week12

Dr. NOORHAYATI SAAD and Dr. Aslina gave us a detailed explanation of the requirements for the assignment 4.

week13

1.Redo the Abstract: - start with short intro about your research, followed by highlight problem, next solution, which is the study aim or objectives. Next, method use, and finally the results and findings, followed by hope or future works from the findings.

2.List 4 to 5 frequent words in this paper except title.

3.Caption for table should above, also must mention in text - go through all.

week14

1.Always start new section with text first - so move figure after text - go through all.

2.No need Appendix, unless the set of questionnaire or if you have tables that explain in document which you do not want count the words.

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REFLECTION

Experience

In this course, I completed the draft of my thesis, the final thesis, the electronic publication, and the research paper. From determining the research objective to achieving the final outcome, I underwent multiple revisions and improvements. The teacher would provide specific suggestions every week regarding the thesis structure, research methods, data analysis, and layout design. I also adjusted the content based on the feedback, such as redefining the research objective, optimizing the research methods, adding flowcharts and diagrams, and improving the overall design of the electronic publication. Although the entire process was challenging, each revision helped me better understand the norms of academic research and gradually developed the habit of carefully checking and continuously improving my work.

Observation

Through this course, I discovered that academic research and design practice are mutually reinforcing. The thesis not only requires comprehensive research content, but also needs clear logic and sufficient data support. At the same time, when designing electronic publications, I also realized that visual effects should not merely focus on aesthetics, but should highlight the research theme, maintaining academicity and professionalism. The suggestions given by the teacher regarding cover design, layout, and font hierarchy made me pay more attention to the balance between visual communication and content, and also helped me understand the importance of details for the overall work.

Findings

After completing the entire project, my greatest achievement was mastering the complete design research process and learning how to use the research results to support design decisions. I also discovered that an excellent thesis and design work are not completed in one go, but gradually improved through continuous feedback, repeated revisions, and continuous optimization. This course not only enhanced my abilities in thesis writing, data analysis, and layout design, but also cultivated a more rigorous research attitude and problem-solving skills, laying a solid foundation for my future design studies and career development.