OUGD501 Context of Practice 02 Lecture Notes, What is Research?

The main gist of this lecture was understanding the process and practice of research and how it applies to our work in the context of practice module. 
Research is a process that is driven by investigation and the need for understanding. research is not simply about essay writing but also about ideas generation and exploration that forms the backbone of you studio practice, so it ties in with all areas of the course. Research is hard to pin down because it is in its self a state of uncertainty and discovery, by planning this uncertainty we can become more efficient in using the processes of research.

Research is about creating new knowledge, not simply re itterating information that has gone before. It is looking at existing information and shaping new ideas from it and asking questions and creating the lack of knowledge that you are aware of. This is research that is about to happen.

Primary research is the creation of new information that can be used in you exploration or argument of an idea. Secondary research is taking existing facts and shaping them to you means through analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative research are categories that fall within these parameters of primary and secondary research. research gathered is always raw data that needs to be turned into information through understanding and applying it to your issue as evidence. Information is not simply about numbers and statistics.

Consider not only your perspective as a writer but also how the knowledge you are expressing can be understood by those who read it. It (research) needs to be competent and relevant to the theories and ideas expressed in the essay and you practical work. 

To help make sense of the whole concept of research considering the different type of knowledge. These can be separated into theoretical knowledge (knowing that), practical knowledge (knowing how) and contextual knowledge (knowing where). At this point in time we should be predominantly concerned with the meeting point between theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Hence context of practice. 

For the Research Proposal

If you need to consider research in a concrete fashion, looking at it as formalised curiosity, the awareness of a lack of knowledge if you will. One thing that research has to have is a purpose or a direction; something that you are trying to achieve. Consider the scope and scale of you research area and push the boundaries of what you would normally do. It needs to be relevant and exploratory. Do research that is also relevant to your practice and your development as a creative, distinguish the difference between what you want to know and what you need to know. This is where you initial research question come from.

Consider how you as an individual sit, in relation to Graphic Design as a discipline.

The main thing that I took away from this lecture was the fact that context of practice is increasingly about what I am interested in as a creative practitioner and how we can use this interest to push the boundaries of the known knowledge in this area. Go beyond the basics and use your interests to fuel this exploration.