Design and Technology (AQA)

• Why does product evolution occur?

  > Continuous improvement

  > Market pull

  > Technology push

  > Social/cultural needs

  > Political/environmental needs
• What is market pull?

  > Designing to satisfy the needs and wants of customers - costumer demand

  > Changing fashions and social attitudes affect what people want and it isn't always the same
• Give an example of market pull

  A car is designed to get you from A to B but they have become a status symbol and luxury extras such as seat-back TV screens are added
• What is technology push?

  > Research and development leads to new technologies, materials and manufacturing techniques

  > New technology can make a product cheaper, perform its function better or be nicer-looking
• Give an example of technology push

  Computers started as a hude 'adding machines' but now microchips allow for small, fast and powerful machienes
• What is continuous improvement?

  > Manufactures want to make more money, increase profit

  > They improve the design do they can be made more easily 'continuous improvement'

  > They make them as good as possible to make money, be competitive and meet standards of product quality
• What alternative reasons can a product evolve for?

  > Social or cultural needs (For example, wind-up radios for Africans so they could listen to educational broadcasts about health concerns)

  > Political or environmental needs (For example, the need for environmentally friendly products such as hybrid engine cars that are more efficient)
• Name the features of the Arts and Crafts movement

  > Founded by William Morris

  > Bases on patterns found in nature

  > Upright and angular

  > Made by made and skilled craftsmen
• Name the features of the Art Nouveau movement

  > Designers include Louis C.Tiffany

  > Flowing and curvy designs

  > They use floral or insect motifs
• Name the features of the Art Deco movement

  > Inspired by African and Egyptian art

  > Bold colours, zigzag and stepped shapes, bold sweeping curves and the sunset motif

  > Example is the Chrysler building in New York
• Name the features of the Bauhaus movement

  > Movement from Germany

  > Has the motto 'form follows function'

  > Function is most important and appearance is second

  > It is futuristic, simplistic and used mass production methods

  > Uses chrome tubing and black leather
• Name the features of the De Stijl movement

  > Dutch modernist movemnt

  > Basic - uses simple shapes, horizontal and vertical lines

  > The three primary colous only

  > Well known example is Gerrit Rietveld's Red and Blue chair
• Name the features of the postmodernism movement

  > Rejected 'form follows function'

  > Put style as the focus point of design

  > Memphis used bright, contrasting colours and different materials

  > Some styles contain kitsch and minimalism
• What are human factors?

  Addressing different needs and values of target groups

  > Disabled users

  > Cultural and religious values

  > Age groups

  > Ergonomics

  > Anthropometrics
• Explain how products can be changed for disabled users

  > Some packaging has Braille for blind users

  > Buttons can be made bigger and brighter so they are easier to press and find

  > Products such as smoke alarms can have visible signals as well as audio ones so deaf people are alerted to fires

  > Instructions can be given in picture or diagram form so people with difficulty reading text can use the product

  > Wheelchair access must be designed into busses, trains and working stations (like atms)
• Explain how products can be changed to suit cultural and religious values

  > You can cater for their dietary needs

  > Create products to suit a particular custom or celebration - like Diwali uses lights

  > Cultures can use things differently, the Japanese custom is to eat at a low table on the floor

  > Clothing styles can vary, it could be inappropriate to wear revealing clothing

  > Colours can have different meaning - Chinese brides wear red for example
• Explain how products can be changed with respect to age groups

  > Small children or the elderly may not be able to manipulate small parts such as tricky fastenings or open packaging

  > Elderly and infirm people may have trouble holding and using products so you could make easy grip handles
• What are ergonomics?

  How easy and comfortable a product is to use, efficiency in use
• Why are ergonomics important?

  > To fit the size and proportions of the user

  > It improves safety, comfort and efficiency

  > Long-term damage to health can be caused by badly-designed products
• Give an example of ergonomic design

  A chair seat must be the right height off the ground and support the persons back in the right places
• What are anthropometrics?

  The study of human body measurements used to make products of the right size and shape
• How are anthropometrics used in design?

  > Designers use them to cater for 90% of their target market

  > They use percentiles between the 5th and 95th in their design so it is suitable for most users

  > If you lie outside of the 90% you need to have products custom-made
• Give an example of the use of anthropometric data

  > Tennis racket handles width needs to fit the size of the average hand

  > Football t-shirts should be made for the average torso, arm and neck sizes
• What is a design brief and what does it include?

  A statement of what a product should do, a starting point

  > What kind of product is needed and why

  > How the product will be used

  > Functions and properties it should have

  > Who the product is for (target market)
• What is the point in carrying out research?

  > To find if your product is needed/wanted

  > To find what people like/dislike about the design

  > To be inspired by existing designs

  > To find out what materials, components and techniques would be suitable for your design

  > To know manufacturing and selling costs
• What is market research?

  To find peoples likes/dislikes and understand the needs/wants of your target market
• What is product analysis?

  > Examining an existing product by disassembling it

  > Finding out how it was made and works

  > See the good and bad features

  > Know the size and weight of the product

  > Know how it tastes, feels, looks or smells (sensory analysis)
• How do you draw conclusions from research?

  > Summarise your findings

  > Explain how that is applied to your design
• What is design specification?

  It gives certain conditions the product must meet - often known as design criteria and take account of research findings
• What does design specification involve?

  ACCESS FM

  > Aesthetics

  > Customer

  > Cost

  > Environment

  > Size

  > Sustainanility

  > Function

  > Materials
• What are the three main design methods?

  > Systems approach

  > Empirical problem solving

  > Intuitive designing
• What are the features of a systems approach design method?

  > Breaking down the design process into different stages and carrying out each step in turn

  > It is orderly and reliable
• What are the features of an empirical problem solving design method?


  > Using trial and error to develop a good design

  > Making prototypes of different designs to find which works best

  > Each prototype should evolve from the best in order to be improved
• What are the features of intuitive designing as a design method?

  > Those with lot of experience can make good guesses about what designs will work best

  > They use intuition
• How can patterns inspire design?

  > Grids or repeating shapes can be used

  > Packaging often contains simple geometric shapes
• How can nature inspire design?

  > Structure of products can be inspired - e.g. honeycomb

  > The function of products can be inspired - e.g. cats eyes reflecting light inspired road signs

  > Aesthetics can be inspired using the close-up effect where you look at a small section of an image, such as a leaf
• How are mood boards used?

  > They are a collage of materials, images and colours that represent the emotion of a product.

  > They are used to trigger design ideas and are a representation of what your target market do/like
• What are colours used to do?

  Represent moods and feelings
• Give examples of the uses of different colours

  > Dark colours give a heavy mood

  > Pale colours like yellow give a lighter mood

  > Colours like red and orange remind us of heat and warmth

  > Blues are associated with water an the cold

  > Natural colours such as browns, greys and greens are neutral and are associated with calm or relaxation
• How is designing a circular process?

  It doesn't stop, constantly evaluating you design and improving it to make new ideas will help design a product