A Melbourne design research day with one question
Use the library, NGV and ACMI as different kinds of research stop instead of trying to see everything.
Choose a question before choosing the route
A useful research day begins with a problem from your own work. Perhaps you are trying to explain a process, organise a sequence of information or understand how an object is made. Write that question in one sentence. Then decide which institution can help. The route below is a suggested structure, not a timed tour or a claim that all relevant displays will be available on your chosen day.
Begin with reading
Use State Library Victoria’s visitor information to plan a research session. Identify a small number of sources and record what each contributes to your question. Do not spend the whole morning building an unread list. If you need a specific collection item or service, check its access arrangements separately. A public building’s opening hours do not guarantee immediate access to every resource it holds.
Choose objects or moving images
For object and design research, consult the NGV’s current exhibitions and collection information. For sequence, interaction or screen-based storytelling, consider ACMI’s The Story of the Moving Image. You do not need to visit both. Choosing one well-matched stop gives you time to look carefully and write useful notes. Confirm the correct venue and any booking requirements before leaving the library.
Make the break part of the work
Over lunch or a quiet pause, compare what you expected with what you found. Write one observation, one possible application and one uncertainty. Keep observation separate from interpretation. A display can suggest an idea without proving it will work for your audience. That uncertainty is useful because it tells you what to prototype next.
Finish with a decision, not another destination
Choose a small experiment you can make the next day: a revised page outline, a material comparison, a storyboard or a paper model. Attach the source credits to the working document. A research day earns its place in a project when it changes a decision or improves a question. Check all practical visitor details directly; this itinerary does not include transport, tickets or reservations.
Sources & further reading
Primary sources used for this guide. Practical arrangements can change; follow the official source for current details.
Researched from the linked sources, with editorial interpretation and practical suggestions. No visit, interview or product test is claimed. Our editorial standards.
Put the ideas to work.
A useful brief gives a collaborator enough context to ask better questions. Start yours here.
Open creative project brief ↗