DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION
20/4/2026 - 27/07/2026 / Week 1 - Week 14
ZHANG QIYU / 0384019
Throughout the DIS60304 course, I have gained a comprehensive experience of the entire process of academic research and thesis writing. Building on what I learned last semester in Research Design Methodology, and under the continuous guidance of Dr. Yip Jinchi, I gradually learned how to construct a clear research framework, strengthen my academic writing skills, standardize citation formats, and present research findings in a more logical manner. Looking back, the journey was truly not easy, as the paper required constant revision, supplementation, and refinement. I slowly came to realize that thesis writing is never something that can be completed all at once; it is an ongoing process of revising, reflecting, and improving.
Throughout the semester, I spent a significant amount of time repeatedly revising the dissertation draft based on Dr. Yip's feedback. From the content of the paper and the discussion section to academic expression, citation format, and even the AI similarity score, every detail required constant adjustment. In Week 3, I learned to add reference lists and merge discussion topics for better logical structuring. In Week 5, I was taught that every claim must be supported by proper APA 7 citations with at least two sources per piece of evidence, which pushed me to strengthen my arguments significantly. In Week 6, I revised the conclusion, shortened the abstract, and ensured consistent formatting throughout. Although this process was time-consuming and sometimes stressful, it was precisely through this process that I cultivated my patience, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, and my academic writing ability improved noticeably.
My favorite part of the whole course was designing the graduation thesis into an e-book, which allowed me to fully exercise my creativity and design ability. In Week 9, I replaced my narrow typefaces with Recoleta for headings and VAG Rounded for body text based on Dr. Yip's suggestion, and the improved readability confirmed that typography directly impacts user experience. In Week 11, I further refined the cover page and adjusted font sizes—small details that significantly elevated the professionalism of my e-book. I also took traditional Chinese culture and the traditional Chinese five colors as the source of inspiration for the overall design, which made the process especially enjoyable and meaningful.
At the end of the course, we reorganized the thesis into a journal article, allowing me to understand the differences between the two formats in terms of structure, length, and writing style. I learned that references should only include sources cited in the article, and that picture credits are mandatory. This taught me how to distill key research points and present findings more concisely.
Overall, this course brought noticeable improvements in my academic research, writing, and design abilities. More importantly, it made me understand that a good academic paper requires not only solid research content but also a clear and effective way of expression. The integration of research, writing, and design made this course full of challenges yet very rewarding. I believe all these experiences will be beneficial to my future studies and career development.
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