Design Research Methodology / RES60604

 21/4/2025 - 27/7/2025 / (Week 1 - Week 14)

An Hongzheng / 0378415

Design Research Methodology / RES60604

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media


TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Instructions

2. Task 1: Research Proposal

3. Task 2: Critical Review 

4. Task 3: Primary Data & Analysis

5. Task 4: Research Reflection Report

6. Presentation Slide

6. MP4 Presentation

8. Feedback

9. Reflection


INSTRUCTIONS

Figure 1.1.1: Module Information


TASK 1

Figure 2.1.1: Task 1: Research Proposal


TASK 2

Figure 3.1.1: Task 2: Critical Review


TASK 3

Figure 4.1.1: Task 3: Primary Data & Analysis


TASK 4 - Final Report


Figure 5.1.1 Final Report / (Week 14, 24/7/2025)


PRESENTATION SLIDES

Figure 6.1.1: Presentation Slide / (Week 14, 24/7/2025)


PRESENTATION MP4

Figure 7.1.1 Presentation YouTube Video / (Week 14, 24/7/2025)

Presentation YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/acBhSW9-J-4


FEEDBACK

Figure 8.1.1: Feedback / (Week 14, 24/7/2025)


REFLECTION

Experience:

This research journey has definitely been an eye-opening and challenging experience for me. At the beginning of the semester, I honestly didn’t expect we would carry out a full research project, especially something that requires collecting primary data and analyzing it properly. I was a bit nervous since I had no strong experience with writing a proper methodology or designing surveys that are really connected to research questions.

Choosing the research topic was quite difficult at first because there are so many things in game design that interest me, but I needed to focus on something specific. After some thinking and feedback, I decided to explore how character design affects narrative immersion in RPGs, which felt meaningful to me because I play a lot of story-driven games and I always pay attention to character visuals.

As the project progressed, I learned how to structure a research paper step by step. Task 1 helped me to shape the core direction. Then in Task 2, I read and reviewed articles more seriously, and tried to break down character design into smaller aspects. Task 3 was the most time-consuming because I had to design a survey, collect responses, and analyze them carefully. Sometimes it got stressful—especially when organizing data and making sure the analysis matched the research objectives—but in the end, I’m proud of what I managed to complete.

Observation:

One of the most interesting things I observed from the responses was how much players actually pay attention to small visual details in RPGs. For example, many mentioned things like weather-appropriate clothing, idle animations, scars, and expressive eyes as factors that helped them feel more immersed. This made me realize that players don’t just care about whether a character looks cool, but whether that design really fits the story world and character role.

I also noticed that emotional connection matters a lot. Characters that look like they’ve been through something—like battle damage, dirt on their armor, or even subtle expressions—make players feel like the world is alive and not just a fantasy playground. From this, I understood that immersion is not only built by storytelling or gameplay, but also by believable and consistent visual design.

Findings:

From the survey and article reviews, I found that most of the Gen Z users prefer using chatbots with a simple text interface. It’s not that they dislike visuals or voice, but they prefer more clarity and familiarity. They wanted something that was straightforward and didn't feel too complicated. Also, in terms of trust and user satisfaction, I learned that friendliness, personalization, and clear layout were important. When a chatbot feels more natural, offers options to customize replies, users would feel more engaged and understood. Overall, this project helped me gain valuable knowledge and skills in analyzing data. I’m very thankful to Dr. Wong for all the advice and feedback given; it really helps me a lot in this project.


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