Packaging and Dissertations
May 7th is National Packaging Day. How you package your dissertation and when you package your dissertation are both important if you want to graduate quickly…
Form follows function. The maxim was coined by architect Louis Sullivan, but you’ll still hear it from designers today. Good package design isn’t about just decorating the exterior of a box, and good dissertation design isn’t just about formatting your dissertation to make it look pretty for your committee.
Form follows function. That means that how it looks is important…once you’ve taken care of how it works.
For example, consider the case of anti-perspirant deodorant. (I know you’ve really been wanting to spend more time thinking about deodorant. Who doesn’t?) Product developers have to work together with package designers to make sure all the important things are taken care of. In case you’re wondering (and, of course your are!), here are those important things, in descending order of importance:
- Does the product effectively inhibit sweating?
- Does the product smell good?
- Can you get the product out of the package easily?
- Is the package attractive.
I think you can see these things are important for anti-perspirant deodorant. If the package works perfectly but the product doesn’t work or it smells bad, that’s a complete deal-breaker. You’ll never buy it again. If you have a fantastic product but it’s difficult to apply due to the packaging, that’s a big inconvenience. You might keep using it anyway and hope they update the packaging, but you’ll probably find something else next time you go to the store.
The package designer is going to rely on the product developers for the early elements. For your dissertation, YOU are both the product development team and the package designer. Since you have to do both, do yourself a favor and focus on the most important things first.
If form follows function, what’s the function of your dissertation? Some might say that it’s to demonstrate that you can conduct scholarly research. Others might think it’s to contribute to the body of knowledge. Although both of these things are elements of a dissertation project, neither is the true function of the dissertation.
The function of your dissertation is to get you to graduation. You don’t need to conduct scholarly research, and no one will ask you about your contributions to the research literature after you graduate.
But, people will know whether you graduate or not. D-o-c is impressive — awe-inspiring; ABD, not so much! So, that’s your aim… just getting your dissertation done!
So, what are the key elements you need to design into your dissertation? Most people think that you should start with your topic. But, in a real sense, the topic is the packaging. The key element you need is a research plan that’s doable, acceptable, low-risk, and efficient.
Once you devise an actionable plan, you need to package it. Packaging your dissertation involves positioning it so that it passes the “so what?” test. This is the time to worry about your topic. What important question will your research answer? Who cares about this answer? Why?
Form follows function. For deodorant and for dissertations!
Are you having trouble designing your dissertation? Click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good fit for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.
