Design Research Methodology / Task 4

 April 24, 2025 - June 24, 2025

21.04.2025 - 24.07.2025 / Week 1 – Week14

Ryoma Kato / 0365874

Design Research Methodology / Bachelor of design (Honours) in Creative Media

MIB

TASK 4 DOCUMENT

PRESENTATION VIDEO

WEEKLY FEEDBACK

Week 1: 

Since it was just an introductory explanation at the beginning of the class, no feedback was given.

Week 2:

Since the group assignments were completed and the full lectures only began this week, there was no specific feedback.

Week 3:

I was unable to attend the class due to feeling unwell, so I couldn't receive any feedback.

Week 4:

I received feedback that more literature should be included and the research problem and problem statement need further elaboration. There was also a concern about whether the chosen research topic is appropriate, particularly because the purpose or application of the research results is unclear.

Week 5:

The lecturer instructed that the project title should be changed to: "Character Expression and Emotional Impact through Hair Movement in 3D Animation."

He also advised that the current Research Objective 1 (RO1) should be renumbered to RO2, and a new RO1 added to identify types of hair movement in animation.

Furthermore, the lecturer reminded that if there are two research objectives, there must be two corresponding research questions. This has been emphasized repeatedly throughout the semester.

Week 6:

Only briefing about task 3. No feed back.

Week 7: 

The lecturer informed me that the format of Task 1 and 2 was different, so I was instructed to refer to other students’ submissions and revise the format according to the specified guidelines.

Week 8:

No class week.

Week 9:

I was not feeling well so I didnt show anything. No feed back.

Week 10:

I was instructed to clearly specify the five answer options used in my Likert scale questions for the survey.

Week 11:

No Feed Backs.

Week 12:

I was advised that I need to provide a detailed analysis of each question posed in the survey.

Week 13:

No Feed Back.

Week 14: 

I was told that Task 4 meets all the required elements, so it is acceptable as it is.

REFLECTION

In the Design Research methodology class, I worked on a research project on the topic of “How

hair movement in 3D animation affects emotional expression and storytelling”. Through this

research, I learned that there are many people other than myself who think that animation of

“hair movement” plays a fairly important role, and that through Task 1 (research proposal), Task

2 (literature review), and Task 3 (collection and analysis of primary data), I learned not only how

to conduct research but also a lot about myself. I learned a lot about myself as well as how to

conduct research.

In Task 1, we first decided on a research topic and wrote a research proposal. It's difficult for me

to choose a meaningful yet feasible topic, but in the end I decided to focus on hair movement in

3D animation because I thought hair movement in 3D animation looks unnatural compared to

2D. In writing the research question, I was able to better clarify my topic and learned the

importance of narrowing down the problem. I also gained the ability to clarify my purpose and

explain why it is worth researching.

For Task 2, we read three references and reviewed their content on hair modeling and

emotional expression. It was my first time to do a critical review, so it was difficult, but it helped

me develop a perspective to evaluate papers from both technical and emotional perspectives,

and I realized that there are many different perspectives behind animation, such as the

technology to realistically reproduce hair movement using AI and the relationship between the

depiction of black people's hair and their identities.

Task 3 was the most practical: we created a survey using Google Forms and collected 82

responses. We learned how to create questions using the Likert scale and how to analyze the

data. I found that many people said that hair movement was important in emotional scenes and

that they felt that 2D was a better way to convey emotion. This matched my own expectations

and gave me confidence. I also learned that many viewers pay attention to small elements such

as hair when watching animations.

Through this project, I gained not only research skills but also observational skills. At the

beginning of the project, I had almost no experience reading English academic texts in my

life, so it was extremely difficult and stressful for me. However, as I read more and

practiced, I gradually became more confident and comfortable with understanding

academic literature in English. When watching animation, I also began to pay more

attention to how hair moves and how it affects the mood of a scene. One of the most

important discoveries I made is that even a small element like hair can be a powerful

storytelling tool, depending on how it is used by animators and directors. Details truly

matter in visual storytelling.

In the future, I would like to use this experience to pay more attention to the use of hair

movement to express emotion in my own animation work. Overall, this class has helped me

grow as a researcher, designer, and observer.