Theme 5, Design research

How can media technologies be evaluated?

 The development of printing technology, film, television and radio knowledge, information and culture became available to all people. The advent of computers has led to changes in the mass communication technologies.

What role will prototypes play in research?

In traditional design the prototypes provide an essential and important role. A prototype is a constructive hypothesis of methodological analysis of project activities. In the design the concrete objects are not applied, but some universal prototypes. The prototype organizes design itself and provides linkages to other areas. This allows to organize various activities by using the prototypes. The prototype contains necessary tools and techniques of the object representation.

These tools and object are linked and coordinated with each other in the prototype.

Why could it be necessary to develop a proof of concept prototype?

If the production of objects becomes a complex formation, it requires participation of different specialists. The design organizes the multi aspect production and connects it with consumption. The work of many design and research institutions is built on the typological principle. At present, any area of design has a complex set of prototypes.

These prototypes are organized into special typological system. The prototypes should solve typical problems of specific application but their complexity and time of development should be negligible. The variety of tools uses to meet these requirements and speed up the design process of prototype. If successful, experts expand knowledge of the prototype’s problem area. Developers can come to a conclusion about unsuitability of methods. Then it may need to develop a new prototype. With increasing of knowledge about the prototype, it can reach a point where it successfully solves all problem of the attachment.

What are characteristics and limitations of prototypes?

 Prototypes have large and diverse functions in modern design. The advantages of prototypes is their ability to set the framework and provide a link to social function of objects and the requirements imposed on them by consumers, social employers, production and design itself. Independent and uneven development of different areas of industry, science and technology creates situations where the solution of certain problems in modern design has not prototypes. The introduction of the new proposals in design practice is expensive and time-consuming. This requests overcoming inertia of the existing batch design and mass production. Experimental and research work developments are subject to the current design practice and have limited resources and time. This can be attributed to the limits of prototyping.

How can design research be communicated / presented?

The design research is made on the basis of abstracts and shows algorithms of research and its stages.

The design can be presented as a scheme or table. The annotation includes detailed description of contingent subjects, clear and detailed inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria of the research.

How is theory being used to guide the design process?

Scientist must correctly identify priorities and vary different kinds of theoretical directions in research. It is in effect in the case of mixed-design.

Researchers use different components of data collection and analysis (qualitative and quantitative). The purpose of the study is to confirm or test hypotheses and theories. Or you want to determine the distribution of the phenomenon then the theoretical orientation is deductive and quantitative methods are used.

Which research method or methods are used in the paper? Which are the benefits and limitations of using these methods?

 The article “Some Principles of Research Design in Public Health” by Rosenstock, Irwin M, Hochbaum, Godfrey uses the observations data. This method involves as a rule to obtain qualitative data. The main advantage of this method is directly linked researcher with the object of his study. Analysis of participant observation has the following advantages: immediate impression about the environment, better understanding of human and social community’s actions. This method is flexible and considers all details of the phenomenon and its versatility. The relative cheapness is an important attribute of this method. However, there are some disadvantages. The toolbar of this method have not needed testing and training, and personal qualities of the observer effect on the results. This method is subjective.

What did you learn about conducting design research from reading the paper?

The design research is based on prototypes and may be called "design for the prototype." It shows the algorithm for the study, its stages, the categories of inclusion and exclusion from the research.

The prototype is a special organization of material in design research.

It includes thinking, forms of communication, the means and instruments of activity, knowledge, techniques, subjects etc.