Design and the Design Process Flashcards
What is technology?
The use of skills, knowledge, values and resources to develop practical solutions to problems or to meet people’s needs and wants and that takes into account social and environmental factors.
Who does technology in world of work?
Anyone who uses technological skills and knowledge to make and/or design a product e.g. a chef who creates a new recipe, a programmer who creates an app, an engineer who designs a bridge.
What is a design brief?
A short statement that describes a need or a problem
What is a design specification?
The details about the product such as its appearance and how it works.
What are constraints?
Considerations or things that limit your choices
What are the evaluation criteria?
A list of questions about the design process and product.
What is the design process?
It is a set of steps we use to plan how to make or change a product or solution that solves a problem or meets a need.
Name the five stages in the design process.
Step 1 - Investigate Step 2 - Design Step 3 - Make Step 4 - Evaluate Step 5 - Communicate
Describe Step 1: Investigate
In this step you gather all the information you will need to understand and solve the problem. You then access the information by finding, sorting and using the information. During your investigation it is important to keep a record or reference of all your information. Some important information is to find out about existing products that may help to solve the problem.
Describe Step 2: Design
Write a design brief - a short description of the problem and how you plan to solve the problem. Then write a design specification which provides details about the product you are going to design e.g. what it looks like, how it will work, safety, the materials you will use. This should include constraints. Sketches of your design and list of materials are also part of this step.
Describe Step 3: Make
During this step you will build technical drawings that show the product’s specifications, the plan to build the product including time, materials, skills, tools, equipments, and manufacturing sequence.
Then you will make the product in line with the specification and plan.
Describe Step 4: Evaluate
Once the product has been made, it needs to be evaluated against the defined evaluation critiera to check the quality of the product, it’s fit for purpose i.e. does it solve the need identified and how well it meets the product specifications,
Describe Step 5: Communicate
Make sure you keep a record of all your design considerations during the process. Pull this information together into a project report or poster in order to tell others about the design process and the product.
What are design considerations?
The factors that you think about when designing a product such as: Who is it for? Will it do the job? What is it for? Is it cost effective? Is it easy to use? (ergonomics) Does it look good? (aesthetics) Is it safe to use? Will it affect society? Will it affect he environment?
Work through the scenario below and answer the questions. You and your friends are camping next to a river - a storm rips your tent. It is raining hard and all the roads have been flooded so you are stuck. You and your friends need to build a waterproof shelter to stay warm in until the storm dies down. You will have to use the materials you have at hand and must last until you can be rescued.
What are you going to build?
What are two Specifications?
What are two constraints?
Draw the shelter on a piece of paper and show it to your exam buddy.
Design Brief (what am I going to build?): I am going to build a shelter to keep my friends and I warm and safe from the rain, wind and cold. I have to build the shelter from materials I find next to the river. The shelter has to remain standing until rescue workers can come and collect us.
Two specifications: waterproof, dry inside, warm inside, durable, strong.
Two constraints:
No dry materials, can only use materials found next to the river and in the camping equipment.
