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Yonsei 2026-Fall | Bokyung Lee Upcoming

CDM2008: Design Research

Design research turns questions about people, contexts, and experiences into evidence that can guide responsible design decisions. This course introduces a systematic process for framing research, selecting qualitative methods, conducting fieldwork, synthesizing findings, and communicating actionable insights.

Class time
Friday(s), 13:00–16:00
Location
VeritasB 206 (DFK Idea shop)
Instructor
Prof. Bokyung Lee
Language
English
Deliverables are the course’s primary assessed outputs.

They demonstrate students’ progress and achievement and account for a major proportion of the final course grade.

At a glance

Deliverables overview

Select a work item below to view its full details.

Deliverable Weight Focus Due D-Day
Project 1
Deliverable #1 10% [Paper Draft] Research Foundation & Initial RQ 2026.09.24 Deliverable #2 15% [Presentation] Mid-term Research Proposal & Stimuli 2026.10.23 Deliverable #3 20% [Presentation] Final Design Research Study 2026.12.11 Deliverable #4 35% [Final Paper] Design Research Study 2026.12.18
Deliverable #1

Deliverable #1: [Paper Draft] Research Foundation & Initial RQ

10%
Project
Project 1
Format
Team Paper Draft
Due
2026.09.24
This deliverable is the first draft of your team’s final research paper. It should establish what your team wants to investigate, why the question matters, and how the proposed study is positioned in relation to prior research. Do not write this as a separate project proposal that will later be discarded. Continue working in the shared master manuscript and revise these sections throughout the semester. At this stage, teams are not required to define experimental variables, comparison conditions, research stimuli, measurements, or a study protocol. These elements will be developed after instructor feedback in Weeks 4–7.

Contents should include

  1. Working title & feedback questions

    • Working title and 2–3 focused questions for Week 4 feedback

  2. Introduction

    • Research context, target users or boundaries, motivation, and the unresolved design-relevant issue

  3. Related Work

    • Thematic synthesis of at least three relevant sources, their limitations, and the resulting research gap

  4. 3.1 Research Question & Hypothesis

    • One provisional RQ, expected relationship or hypothesis, and a clear scope

Presentation

No formal presentation is required.

Upload file

File type
PDF
Recommended length
3–5 pages, excluding references
File naming rule
D1_Team##_ShortTitle.pdf
Example
D1_Team03_SocialMuseumGuide.pdf
Template
Course research-paper template
Submission unit
One submission per team

Submission method

Upload the PDF to the Deliverable #1 submission folder on LearnUS. Submissions through email or other channels will not be accepted.

Evaluation percentage

10% of the final course grade

Evaluation Criteria

Focus
  • Research context and significance · 20%
  • Related-work quality and synthesis · 25%
  • Clarity and defensibility of the research gap · 25%
  • Quality and researchability of the provisional RQ · 20%
  • Academic writing, citations, and completeness · 10% A finalized experiment is not required at this stage.
Deliverable #2

Deliverable #2: [Presentation] Mid-term Research Proposal & Stimuli

15%
Project
Project 1
Format
Team Presentation
Due
2026.10.23
Present the research argument developed in the first three sections of the shared master manuscript. The presentation should demonstrate how the research question has been translated into comparable design conditions and testable research stimuli. The presentation is not separate from the research paper. Feedback received during the presentation should be used to revise Sections 1–3 before the team begins writing the Method section. The presentation should reflect feedback received on the Section 3 manuscript draft and research stimuli submitted before Week 7.

Contents should include

  • Research foundation: Context, key related work, research gap, refined RQ, and hypothesis or expectation
  • Comparison design: Design variable and outcomes, baseline and experimental conditions, controlled factors, confounds, and a comparison table
  • Research stimuli: Participant-facing prototype for every condition, key visuals or flows, and working links
  • Expected evidence & revision: Planned participant tasks or measures, important revisions, and remaining risks
  • A complete Method section is not required.

Presentation

  • Recommended presentation time: 10 minutes
  • Feedback and Q&A: Approximately 5 minutes
  • All team members should participate in the presentation
  • Focus on the research logic rather than visual polish alone
  • The audience should be able to trace the logic from the research gap to the RQ, conditions, and stimuli
  • Final timing may be adjusted according to enrollment and the number of teams

Upload file

File naming rule
D2_Team##_ShortTitle.pdf
Example
D2_Team03_SocialMuseumGuide.pdf
Required file
Presentation deck in PDF format
Required links
Working stimuli or prototype links
Optional backup
Short MP4 demonstration for interactive prototypes
Recommended deck length
12–16 slides, excluding backup slides
Submission unit
One submission per team

Submission method

Upload the presentation PDF to LearnUS before class. Include all prototype and stimulus links in both the presentation file and the LearnUS submission field.

Evaluation percentage

15% of the final course grade

Evaluation Criteria

Focus
  • Alignment of research gap, RQ, and hypothesis · 15%
  • Variables and comparison logic · 25%
  • Testability and completeness of stimuli · 25%
  • Fair comparison and control of confounds · 20%
  • Presentation clarity and response to feedback · 15%
Deliverable #3

Deliverable #3: [Presentation] Final Design Research Study

20%
Project
Project 1
Format
Team Presentation
Due
2026.12.11
Present the completed design research study using the full research narrative developed in the shared master manuscript. The presentation should explain what the team investigated, how the study was conducted, what evidence was collected, what the evidence suggests, and how the findings contribute to design knowledge. The presentation should reflect the feedback received on the provisional Results section and during the Week 14 discussion and design-implication workshop. Feedback from this presentation should be incorporated into the Final Research Paper.

Contents should include

  1. Research foundation & design rationale

    • Context, gap, RQ or hypothesis, comparison logic, final conditions, and stimuli

  2. Method

    • Participants, study design, tasks and procedure, measures, pilot revisions, and analysis approach

  3. Results

    • Dataset overview, key quantitative comparisons, qualitative themes, and supporting figures or evidence

  4. Discussion & design implications

    • Direct RQ answer, integrated interpretation, contribution, and evidence-based implications

  5. Limitations & future work

    • Main boundaries, alternative explanations, and appropriate next steps

Presentation

  • Recommended presentation time: 12–15 minutes
  • Q&A: Approximately 5 minutes
  • All members should participate meaningfully
  • Use backup slides for detailed statistics, measurement items, and supplementary evidence
  • Clearly distinguish among:
  • results;
  • findings;
  • discussion;
  • design implications
  • The presentation should prioritize the strongest evidence and the clearest research narrative rather than attempting to show every collected data point

Upload file

File naming rule
D3_Team##_ShortTitle.pdf
Example
D3_Team03_SocialMuseumGuide.pdf
Required file
Final presentation deck in PDF format
Required links
Final research stimuli or prototype links
Optional backup
MP4 prototype demonstration
Submission unit
One submission per team

Submission method

Upload the final presentation PDF to LearnUS before class. Prototype links and supporting resources must remain accessible throughout the evaluation period.

Evaluation percentage

20% of the final course grade

Evaluation Criteria

Focus
  • Overall research narrative and coherence · 20%
  • Transparency and rigor of the study method · 20%
  • Accuracy and clarity of results · 20%
  • Quality of findings and answer to the RQ · 20%
  • Discussion, contribution, and design implications · 10%
  • Delivery, visual communication, teamwork, and Q&A · 10%
Deliverable #4

Deliverable #4: [Final Paper] Design Research Study

35%
Project
Project 1
Format
Team Research Paper
Due
2026.12.18
Submit the complete and revised version of the shared master manuscript developed throughout the semester. The final paper should present one coherent research argument from the research context and question to the design rationale, method, evidence, contribution, and design implications. Do not simply combine earlier homework without revision. Update terminology, RQs, hypotheses, condition descriptions, methods, figures, and claims so that every section accurately represents the final study. The paper should be understandable as an independent research document without requiring the reader to have attended the team’s presentations.

Contents should include

  1. Front matter & research foundation

    • Title, author contribution, abstract, Introduction, Related Work, and final research gap

  2. Research Question & Design Rationale

    • Final RQ or hypothesis, variables, conditions, controls, comparison rationale, and research stimuli

  3. Method

    • Participants, study design, tasks and procedure, measures, pilot revisions, analysis, and ethical data handling

  4. Results

    • Dataset overview, quantitative comparisons, qualitative themes, and clearly labeled figures or evidence

  5. 6–7. Discussion, implications & limitations

    • Direct RQ answer, integrated interpretation, contribution, bounded design implications, limitations, and future work

  6. 8–10. Conclusion, references & appendices

    • Concise conclusion, complete references, and supporting materials needed to understand or reproduce the study

Presentation

No formal presentation is required.

Upload file

Example
D4_Team03_SocialMuseumGuide_Paper.pdf
Main file
Final research paper in PDF format
Supporting materials
One ZIP archive or an instructor-accessible folder link
Recommended paper length
8–12 pages using the provided course template, excluding references and appendices
Submission unit
One submission per team
Paper filename
D4_Team##_ShortTitle_Paper.pdf
Supplement filename
D4_Team##_ShortTitle_Supplement.zip

Submission method

Upload the final paper and supporting-material package to LearnUS. External links must remain accessible to the instructor throughout the evaluation period. Submissions through email or other channels will not be accepted.

Evaluation percentage

35% of the final course grade

Evaluation Criteria

Focus
  • Introduction, related work, research gap, and RQ · 15%
  • Design rationale and quality of comparison · 15%
  • Methodological rigor, ethics, and transparency · 20%
  • Accuracy and appropriateness of analysis · 20%
  • Discussion, contribution, and design implications · 20%
  • Writing, figures, citations, appendices, and completeness · 10%