Studio 5: Major Project
Overview
This is a research-literate and practice-based unit executed to a professional industry standard. This unit, attached to Studio 7: Major Project, is the culmination of the Masters’ course, generating research-informed design outcomes. The project will typically mature a previous design challenge or topic investigated in the course in substantially more depth.
The topic of investigation will likely be connected to an emerging, current or prospective societal challenge. Students will conduct research, investigate creative design solutions via prototyping and testing, and will produce a professional quality design proposal. This proposal will be further developed to a design outcome in Studio 7: Major Project.
Requisites
01-June-2025
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Investigate, assess and compare design-focused opportunities with a review of literature and artefacts.
- Generate strategies for solving a well-defined problem by producing a self-directed design brief and project plan.
- Investigate the relationship between design research and its effects on the wider community using relevant research principles and techniques.
- Develop design solutions that provide value to specific users in response to a project brief.
- Critically evaluate a design proposition through testing and evaluation and provide recommendations for further development in a professional-level presentation.
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Activity Type | Activity | Total Hours | Number of Weeks | Hours Per Week | Venue Type and Activity Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus | Class | 72 | 12 weeks | 6 | Tutorial |
| Specified Activities | Various | 120 | 12 weeks | 10 | Discussion boards, Readings |
| Unspecified Activities | Independent Learning | 108 | 12 weeks | 9 | |
| Total Hours: | 300 | Total Hours (per week): | 25 | ||
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Project | Individual/Group | 40% | 4 |
| Project Proposal | Individual/Group | 20% | 1,2,3 |
| Project Report | Individual/Group | 40% | 5 |
Content
- Research and analysis of current trends and future scenarios
- Strategic and service design skills
- Interview and data recording techniques
- Innovation, creativity, visualisation, and/or construction of concepts
- Design research through iterative design exploration and experimentation
- Human-centred design and user needs
- Design research conducted through literature and artefact review to support a design proposal
- Report writing
- Use a range of analytical and research skills to facilitate the articulation of a design project
- Evaluation through consultation, mock-ups and practical testing
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.