Module manager: Dr Vien Cheung
Email: t.l.v.cheung@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: 1 May to 31 Aug View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
| DESN5128M | Design Research and Integration |
| DESN5130M | Creative research skills |
This module is not approved as an Elective
Students will produce an independent research dissertation based around a relevant field or topic within the following areas: Branding Design, Digital Design, Interactive Design, Graphic and Visual Communication Design, Information Design, Instructional Design, Service Design, and Typographic Design.
This module gives students the opportunity to:
- Explore an issue in contemporary academic and/or design practice, on a topic of interest to the student within the subject area of design.
- Critically review literature and analyse secondary research.
- Propose and develop novel approaches to the subject of design and raise research questions of interest to the wider academic and professional design community through primary research.
- Produce an extended and well-written piece of academic writing, demonstrating the ability to present a coherent and well-founded argument.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Develop a chosen research project exhibiting clear and well-structured communication under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.
2. Critically evaluate current issues, research and advanced scholarship in the discipline of design.
3. Apply skills and knowledge acquired throughout the programme to the framing of specific research questions.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Demonstrate academic rigour in the acquisition, critical analysis and presentation of conceptual and empirical materials derived from primary and secondary sources.
5. Apply feasible research method(s) in response to specific research questions with critical understanding, analysis and interpretation of research data.
6. Communicate in a clear, concise, focused and structured manner that is supported by relevant evidence.
The module explores user-centred design and the embedded interplay between research and academic writing in design. Lecture and seminar content explores ways of dissertation writing, as well as the dissemination of design research and how to publish your work. Tutorials complement these sessions and support individual project work, addressing specific student needs.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Lecture | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Private study hours | 589 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 11 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 600 | ||
Student progress will be monitored through:
• Regular attendance to tutorials (absences dealt with through the normal School channels).
• Feedback given in tutorials.
• Students will submit a draft literature review in the middle of semester for interim formative feedback.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay or Dissertation | Dissertation (10,000-12,000 words) | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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