Research Proposal & Outputs

Research Proposal – foreground, body, conclusion

Context/background:

Insight into the reasons for your chosen topic or issue. It also provides insight into your perspective or stance. It may start with an opening gambit, such as a quotation, a memory, lived experience, recent observation, interaction or musing. Include reason why you've chosen fake news, and the sub-topic within it that you're focussing on.

Central proposition/research question:

The central proposition or research question proposes how design can be deployed to address, raise awareness, enhance, challenge, provoke, stimulate, interrogate the topic or issue or practice. It can be speculative or hypothetical.

Aim:

Here you briefly state what you intend to create for your projected target audience. (and who are they?)

Theory:

Here you identify the theory or theories specific to your design project. Depending on your project, theories help underpin your project and give it critical weight, or a point of contention, or something that you wish to revisit. (critical theories, here perhaps Raymond Williams: Theory of cultural formation, or Altermodernism/third space – critical realism?)

Literature review:

So that your argument is not generalised opinion or a rant, refer to current literature to support your ideas and views. (books, articles, research, resources most related to your field)

Precedents:

Research precedent works and approaches that inspire, influence and inform your design approach. Analyse them, unpack them, and then compare them. Explain how these works and approaches drive your attention and focus.
(aka artist models)

1. Heineken - 'Worlds Apart'

2. The Alternative Facts Game
http://www.thealternativefactsgame.com/

3. Nose Peg
http://www.nosepeg.com/en

Methodology:

Comprises the literature review; analysis of precedent works and approaches. Here you explain how you have responded to this analysis and have applied appropriate methods to testing/validating/justifying that information and your approach. This then supports your intention – the proposed design.

Outputs:

How are some ways you can achieve this? Brainstorm.

3x examples mocked up (sketches). Refine the best one.