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Research Through Design - TFT00130M

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  • Department: Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

This module brings together your domain specific knowledge and design skills and methods into a group project. You will work in small teams on a live project brief from an external client related to one of the course specialisms. You will work with your team to understand the project brief, design an appropriate project methodology, and develop and evaluate design concepts and prototypes to help solve the client’s problem. Opening lectures will explore collaborative working practices and you will follow a structured approach to working with your project clients. You will have weekly group supervisions and meetings with your client, as well as opportunities to get feedback on your team’s ideas from academic staff and your peers. Masterclasses based on the collective identified needs of the cohort will take place to support the development of the projects (e.g. advanced interaction design in Figma, designing for outdoors installations, sonic interaction).

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

Module Aims:

  • Develop professional group working ability and effective communication across a team and for an external client.
  • Develop appropriate design concepts that demonstrate understanding of a researched need of an external organisation.
  • Support reflective and critical learning about team working challenges and final project outcomes.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Demonstrate application of design tools and techniques within a whole design lifecycle.

  • Demonstrate clear oral and visual presentation skills in pitching or communicating ideas to key clients and other stakeholders.

  • Support your creative objectives with clear organisational skills in the development of effective and relevant workflows

  • Troubleshoot challenges through refined problem-solving skills, and effective leadership, team-working or delegation strategies.

  • Critically evaluate the strengths or weaknesses in a completed project and draw lessons for the future.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Groupwork 30
Groupwork 70

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 30
Essay/coursework 70

Module feedback

You will receive verbal feedback during group tutorials and timetabled sessions. You will receive written feedback on coursework assignments using a proforma identifying key requirements and marks awarded for sections of the assignment. This will be in line with standard University turnaround times.

Indicative reading

  • Niedderer, K., Clune, S. and Ludden, G. eds., 2017. Design for Behaviour Change: Theories and practices of designing for change. Routledge.

  • Tunstall, E.D., 2023. Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook. MIT Press.

  • Qvist-Sorensen, O. and Baastrup, L., 2019. Visual collaboration: A powerful toolkit for improving meetings, projects, and processes. John Wiley & Sons.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.