Design Research Dissertation / Final Complication

September 25, 2025 - January 4, 2026

25.09.2025 – 04.01.2026 / Week1 – Week15

Ryoma Kato / 0365874

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

MIB

DISSERTATION DRAFT

VISULA DESIGN PUBLICATION

ARTICLE PUBLICATION

COMPLETE DISSERTATION

FEEDBACK FORM

REFLECTION

Experience

This Design Research Dissertation module was extremely difficult and challenging for me. I had never written an academic paper even in my native language, so developing a full dissertation structure and content in English as a second language was particularly demanding. The expected academic standard was also high, which made it difficult to organise my ideas and translate them into a coherent research paper.

In addition to this module, I was taking three other courses while also managing job hunting activities and driving school, making this semester especially busy and stressful. However, through extensive research and repeated revisions under the guidance of my lecturer, I gradually became more familiar with academic writing. As a result, this module became a highly valuable and meaningful learning experience for me.

Observation

Through the process of writing the dissertation, I realised that reading academic research is important not only when writing papers, but also when producing design and animation work. Existing research contains many emerging technologies and forms of knowledge that I was previously unfamiliar with. By engaging with these sources, I found that they could support and strengthen my own ideas, as well as lead me toward deeper and more critical thinking in my creative practice.

Findings

One of the key findings from this experience is that combining creative practice with research can significantly enhance practical creative skills. Previously, I focused mainly on making creative works and avoided reading academic papers, as I was not confident in my reading ability. However, through this module, I learned the value of integrating research-based knowledge into my creative process. Moving forward, I aim to actively incorporate insights from academic research into my own creative work to further develop my creativity and problem-solving abilities.