Design Research Dissertation
April 26, 2025
Design Research Dissertation
22 April 2025-
FANG YAOYUE (0372006)
Design Research Dissertation | Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor's University
List
LECTURES
INSTRUCTIONS
FEEDBACK
REFLECTION
LECTURES
Draft of Dissertation
The Impact of Pixel Art in Retro Games and Creative Applications
This study investigated the revival of pixel art in contemporary digital media, building upon foundational research by Annett (2014), Hansen and Smith (2018), and Lee et al. (2021). The findings centered on two critical dimensions: nostalgic emotional resonance and functional adaptability, examining their combined impact on user engagement and aesthetic perception. The research further explored the relationship between pixel art's visual characteristics and interface usability, while considering the moderating effects of demographic factors and technological contexts that may influence these dynamics.
The study's framework extended prior work by Wolf (2012) on technical constraints as creative drivers and Ruiz and Martinez's (2020) analysis of perception formation in constrained visual systems. Following Park and Chen's (2023) methodology for assessing low-resolution interface clarity, we evaluated how pixel art's inherent limitations paradoxically enhance its emotional and functional value in modern applications.
Visual Design Publication： I plan to complete this assignment using the Adobe In Design software that I learned before. My idea is to incorporate some blocks that are commonly used in pixel games, arrange and combine them, and then add text. The necessary text includes: the title of the paper, the name, the student number, the date, the year, and the course title.
During the communication with the teacher in class, I realized many problems and corrected them one by one. The most common issue was the line spacing, which greatly affected the reading experience. Also, the quality of the uploaded pictures was not good, which also had a negative impact on reading. The title on the home page could be larger, and the name could be placed below the title. This is the improved layout. The improved layout is more convenient for readers to read, making the entire article closer to reality. I also modified the pictures, and after changing them to high-quality mode, they became much clearer. I also optimized many details. Ms. Wong said she really liked my cover and the small designs on each page, which were very interesting. I incorporated pixel-style designs into all of them, composed of small squares.
INSTRUCTIONS
Weekly Progress Reflection Sheet
FEEDBACK
WEEK1
This is the first week. The teacher assigned us what we are going to do next in class. We need to write a draft of a paper of no less than 7,000 words. I think it's a huge challenge for me. I have never written a paper of 7,000 words before.
WEEK2
This week in class, Miss Wong asked everyone to introduce themselves. I introduced that I'm from Zhejiang, China. My favorite and favorite game is playing a horror game called Dead by Daylight.
Miss Wong recorded all our hobbies one by one. I think she is really meticulous. In class, we also exchanged the research content of last semester. I was researching the map of the first-person shooter game.
WEEK3
This week, I started working on the draft of my thesis. First, I wrote the acknowledgments, table of contents, introduction and abstract. Miss Wong gave me one-on-one tutoring in class. She explained it very meticulously. I needed to change my table of contents and abstract. At the same time, she also said that I did a good job and gave me great encouragement.
WEEK4
This week I wrote Rationale, Research Problem, Problem Statement, Research Questions, Research Objectives, and changed the questions in my previous table of contents and abstract. I have revised all the highlighted parts again and used more professional words.
Miss Wong pointed out that there were some Questions about my Research Questions and Research Objectives. I will make the change.
WEEK5
After class, I read the Research questions and how the Research Objectives should be changed posted by the teacher. I finished reading the teacher's notes and revised my questions. In class, the teacher praised me.
I also wrote Research Conceptual Framework, Literature Review, Origins and Evolution of Pixel Art in Video Games. Trends Driving the Revival of Pixel Art Style.Miss Wong said that my Research Conceptual Framework could be learned from chengtao.
WEEK6
This week, after I revised the Research Conceptual Framework, I included the results of my questionnaire in the draft. The people I interviewed were mainly design students and workers in the design field, which facilitated my investigation results.
After class, I continued to finish writing the Analysis and Discussion, Limitations, and Conclusion
WEEK7
This week is the last week of Project One. We will submit this assignment in two days, which means we must improve our draft.
During my communication with Miss Wong in class, she hoped that my questionnaire could clearly mark the percentages and specific figures. I still need to correct some inappropriate word usage issues, such as changing the background investigation to career statistics and altering the format of the literature.
WEEK8
This week is the eighth week. I have revised all the questions that the teacher mentioned to me during the previous classes and have organized them. Many times, I forgot to include the references, but this is very important. I also made a mistake in the citation format. It should be in APA format.
WEEK9
We will finish the writing of the thesis. The next step is to carry out the layout work of the thesis. The layout work is also very important. I want to showcase my style.
WEEK10
It took me two weeks to complete the layout task. I organized the layout into 46 pages of A4 paper, which contained all the contents of my current semester. I arranged them neatly, designed each page myself, incorporated a lot of design elements, and continuously arranged and combined numerous pixel blocks to form my final style. The cover took me a long time to create, which was a galaxy composed of many pixel blocks, with my title in the middle. Each page had some pixel elements added to it, to varying degrees.
WEEK11
I shared the layout of project 2 with Miss Wong. Ms Wong thought my design was very creative, but there were some issues that needed to be improved. From now on, I will make all the necessary improvements and submit the work by next Sunday.
WEEK12
This week, we submitted Project 2 and completed the final assignment. Regarding the final assignment, the teacher's requirements were that the duplication rate should not exceed 15% and the AI rate should not exceed 20%. I will review and revise my final paper.
WEEK13
I checked the AI rate and the duplication rate. My duplication rate is below the standard, but the AI rate is 29%, which exceeds 9%. Therefore, I revised my paper again and lowered the AI rate.
WEEK14
All the assignments for this semester have been submitted. I am very grateful to Ms. Wong for her care. She is a meticulous teacher, very patient and humorous in class, and has given me a lot of encouragement. Every time we communicate, I can feel the warmth. On the academic path, she also provided me with great assistance. I, who used to be a student unable to write a thesis, have now been able to complete my own thesis. All of this is thanks to Ms. Wong.
REFLECTION
During the first seven weeks of study, I was exposed to how to write a good draft of a thesis for the first time. Miss Wong was very conscientious and responsible. I enjoyed the process of communicating with her every week. She would carefully review your thesis and highlight your questions for your convenience to check after class. I would watch the replay after each class again, and the teacher would repeat the parts I didn't understand. After class, the key points will also be written as notes and placed in teams.
Although I still have many shortcomings, the teacher often gives me encouragement and praise. The phrase "good job" at the end of each presentation makes me feel that my efforts after class have not been in vain, which makes me very happy.
Of course, I still have many shortcomings. It took me three attempts to complete the summary at the very beginning. Even the simple table of contents has problems, which really troubles me. The subsequent investigation and summary have caused me even more distress. The inappropriate words used many times have made me rack my brains after class, not knowing what words to use more appropriately. I think this is something that must be gone through in the learning process. I will work harder in the future.
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