By Marco Rozendaal (TU Delft), Armağan Karahanoğlu (UT Twente), Tilde Bekker (TU/e), Marjolein Derks (WUR)
In this course, you will be introduced to how to think about the Design Research Methods you select and apply during your PhD/EngDproject. You will be challenged to examine your own design research practice, and to reflect on the choices for specific research methods. The course will run over a period of five weeks, one day per week, where we meet each other in person for the first and last day of the course. The course contains the following elements:
- Lectures and practicals about selecting and applying Design Research Methods, where you consider how to select methods and you are challenged to relate it to your PhD or EngD project.
- Reflective lectures and workshops from the 4TU’s, where we explore similarities and differences in how and in what context a variation of Design Research Methods are applied.
- Guided discussions about how to select, adjust and apply Design Research Methods to your project, with an emphasis on stakeholder inclusion and interaction
- An end presentation, including a discussion about the role of epistemology and ontology in relation to the types of contributions that result from applying Design Research Methods in different phases of your project.
Learning Goals
- Understand the similarities and differences between various Design Research Methods and explain how to select them depending on the phase of the project and the intended outcome of the research.
- Describe the relationship between Design Research Methods and the underlying epistemology
- Describe the different focus areas and ‘purposes’ of Design Research Methods, such as explorative, generative, evaluative, and critical methods
- Develop a research plan that aligns methods, questions and intended contributions, with a rationale for the decisions made.
- Configure research approaches intentionally, selecting and combining methods appropriate to design-related research topic / question
- Depending on the phase of the researchHow to scaffold different methods over timeWhich methods can you apply when?Does not have to have an overall RTD approach
- Be able to critically reflect on the approach taken
- Select and apply research methods appropriate to the research question
Audience of the Course: The students are expected to (1) have a basic knowledge about design research methods and (2) ambition to apply DRM in their own PhD/EngD projects
Dates
Wednesday October 7 (Offline)
Wednesday October 14
Wednesday October 28
Wednesday November 4
Wednesday November 11 (Offline)
Submission
Participants should submit their motivation letter for this course before September 1, 2026, via the form.
The motivation letter (max. 1 x A4) should contain:
- Your experience with (diverse) Design Research Methods
- Why would you like to participate
- Your research topic, how (various) Design Research Methods can be applied to your topic, and intended outcomes of your project.
- A case for the course (in keywords)
- Your availability for the course dates
You will be notified after the submission has closed.