Introduction:
Doctoral Consortiums (DCs) are an established forms of early stage research discussion. Conferences in the fields of HCI, Computer Sciences, and Electrical Engineering have a practice of gaining early stage feedback from the scholars around the world. Conventionally, DCs are a part of a conference. Early stage PhD scholars benefit tremendously, as the discussions are very focused, rigorous, on topic, and relevant to the participating student.
Design Doctoral Consortium (DDC) is a forum for design research PhD students to discuss their projects. Students in their formative years of the PhD program share their research with fellow students and veteran professors of the field and gain critical feedback. Such a feedback helps them improve their work as they get inputs on study design, relevant literature, and different vantage points from the reviewers.
Firstly, the Doctoral Consortium provides a unique platform for doctoral students to share their research ideas, receive valuable feedback, and engage with their peers and senior academics in their field. This is an important opportunity for students to receive constructive criticism on their research work, develop their research skills and competencies, and receive guidance and mentorship from experienced academics.
Secondly, the Doctoral Consortium also serves as an important networking event, enabling doctoral students to establish contacts and collaborations with fellow researchers in their field. This not only helps to expand the students’ knowledge and expertise but also broadens their horizons and provides opportunities for interdisciplinary research.
Moreover, DDC is beneficial to the design community as a whole. One of the main contributions of DDC is bringing together scholars of design academia and beginning a discussion space. DDC provides a discursive space. Such a space is especially appreciated by the Indian Design Community as it enables scholarly and rigorous discussions on design related specific topics.