Design Research Methodology / Critical Review
LECTURES
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- Analyzing
Examine all elements. All aspects of the text—the structure, the methods, the reasons and evidence, the conclusions, and, especially, the logical connections between all of these—should be considered.
- Writing
Formulate a thesis based on your overall evaluation. A strong thesis will acknowledge both strengths and limitations.
- Ensure that your thesis answers the assignment
If you are asked to write a review of a single text, with no outside sources, then your essay should focus strictly on the material in the text and your analysis and evaluation of it. If you are asked to write about more than one work or to draw connections between an article or book and the course material, then your review should address these concerns.
- Choose a structure that will best allow you to support your thesis within the required page constraints
The first example below works well with shorter assignments, but the risk is that too much time will be spent developing the overview, and too little time on the evaluation. The second example works better for longer reviews because it provides the relevant description with the analysis and evaluation, allowing the reader to follow the argument easily.
Two skills to employ when asked to write a review:
- Seeking information
Scanning the literature efficiently to become well-informed on the subject.
- Reviewing effectively
Questioning the information in the text and presenting an evaluation, or judgement, of it.
Efficient reviewing, or evaluating, requires an awareness of the gist (central idea), the purpose, and the intended audience of the text. The text is looked at from a variety of perspectives (from related sources) and evaluated in relation to the theories, approaches, and frameworks of the expected task. This evaluation involves analyzing the content and concepts of the text, separating them into their main components, and then understanding how these interrelate, connect, and influence each other.
Some questions to ask when starting to write a critical review:
- What is the main area under review discussion?
- Where do the writer’s data and evidence come from?
- What are the main issues raised by the writer?
- What are the major interpretations made by the author in terms of the issues raised?
- Is the text balanced? fair? biased?
- How well does all this relate to other literature on the topic? your own experience?
- How can you summarize all of the above points?
The content of a Critical Review
A critical review is generally one to four pages in length and has a structure similar to the one given here.
1. Introduction
Starts with opening sentences that state the writer, the title and give a brief explanation of
the topic of the text. The aim of the text and a summary of the main findings or key argument is presented. At the end of the introduction, a brief statement of the evaluation of the text is given.
2. Summary
Gives a summary of the main points of the article and a few examples. A brief explanation of the writer’s purpose and the organization of the text can also be added. This section of the critical review should be no longer than one-third of the whole.
3. Main Body (Critique)
Discusses and evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, and important features of the text. The discussion should be based on specific criteria and include other sources to support it (with references).
4. Conclusion
Concludes the review with a restatement of the overall opinion of the text. It can also include recommendations and some further explanation of the judgement to show that it is fair and reasonable.
5. References
A list of references should be included at the end if other sources have been used.
INSTRUCTIONS
Students are to:
1. Select relevant secondary sources such as publications and online journal articles (total of five articles). Please ensure relevant to your research topics and updated (publication within the last 5 years).
2. Write a review critically and synthesize them on these five articles.
Subarna, A. D. & Arianti, A. S. (2020). Analysis on User Interfaces Readability: A Case Study of Instagram. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 879(1), 012118. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/879/1/012118
Eric, Tan, S., & Muliadi, W. (2021). Analisis Desain Layout Instagram Web Menjembatani Pengalaman Pengguna Instagram Mobile. Journal of Digital Ecosystem for Natural Sustainability, 1(2), 101–105. http://journal.uvers2.ac.id/index.php/jodens/article/view/48/30
Munthe, R. D., Brata, K. C., & Fanani, L. (2018). Analisis User Experience Aplikasi Mobile Facebook (Studi Kasus pada Mahasiswa Universitas Brawijaya). Jurnal Pengembangan Teknologi Informasi Dan Ilmu Komputer, 2(7), 2679-2688. https://j-ptiik.ub.ac.id/index.php/j ptiik/article/view/1672
After reading all the articles, I started to write my critical review. Here is my first submission for the critical review assignment.
However, after the lecturer checked on my assignment, it turns out that I have to revise it because my study was too shallow. So I revised my critical review, reread the articles, and added more critics there. And finally, this is my revised critical review.
FEEDBACK
WEEK 5
Absent
WEEK 6
Public Holiday
Dr. Hayati asked me to think of a more specific topic since the topic for my chosen research problem is too wide. As I’m not going to conduct research for a thesis or dissertation, I can’t use a broad topic (UI/UX Design of Application). Dr. Hayati told me to choose a specific type of application to use so that I can focus on just one specific thing.
REFLECTIONS
WEEK 5
I couldn’t get feedback for my recent research proposal submission because I didn’t join Week 5’s class due to personal matters (I had a long flight to my home country that day). Because of that, I’m a bit lost on what to do next since I don’t know whether my submission is accepted by Dr. Hayati, or rejected and needs a modification.
WEEK 6
I realized that my topic is a bit hard to study because there are still only a few researchers doing research about my topic. I need to work harder to find articles related to my topic and focus more on reviewing each article.
After missing one tutorial session, I finally received feedback for my research proposal. From the given feedback, I need to do a revision for my research proposal because my topic is too broadZZ. The reason why I used that research problem was that I wasn’t sure whether I could find the articles for secondary research (critical review) or not if I chose a specific topic (specific social media app). However, after I received the feedback from the lecturer, I realized that I had the wrong thought on it, so I decided to choose a more specific topic, which is social media application UI/UX design, and I focused on Instagram and Facebook.