Research Opportunity Identification: A Pedagogical Framework for Design Research

Abstract

Where do I start from?" More often than not, design researchers face this question early on in their research projects. The initial ambiguity frequently results in jumping quickly into the project, which leads to a shift in research focus time and again. To set the initial direction, a researcher needs to have an open mind-set and explore the latest changes occurring in the present world, always thinking about innovative opportunities. Finding new/innovative opportunity areas for carrying out research and defining the initial boundaries of a research space are some of the foremost priorities of a researcher. Although the approach followed by design students is more intuitive and opportunistic to solve any problem, the method followed by other disciplines such as STEM is usually more organized. This often leads to tension when a design research project demands the collaborative work of an interdisciplinary team. In this paper, we share an outcome of a study involving an interdisciplinary team working on identifying an opportunity area for design research. The current investigation is used as a case study to illustrate the key phases and their attributes involved in the framework to identify a significant area for conducting a design research project. The framework developed is found to be handy in organizing our thoughts and setting our initial research intent. Based on the study, we propose a pedagogical framework to better equip design researchers to work in collaboration for recognizing the field and scope of a design research project.