Investigating Principles

• Primary data


  Information gathered by the designer and used to help improve their designs
• Market research


  Gathering data and information about consumer needs and preferences
• Focus group


  A group of people who are the target market of a product whose opinions are sought
• Product analysis


  Analysing the form and function of a product
• Prototype


  The first working model of a design used for testing, development and evaluation
• Anthropometrics


  The study of body measurements
• Dimensions


  Sizes and measurements
• Load stress


  The pressure from a weight on an object
• Ergonomics


  The science of designing the product to fit the user, or the job to fit the worker
• Secondary data


  Information from other people or organisations that is relevant
• Secondary sources of information

  • Existing data
  • Media
• Percentile


  The place out of 100 where a piece of data lies - the 50th percentile is the average
• Design brief


  A set of instructions given to a designer by a client
• Tally


  A way of counting. Vertical lines are jotted down and the fifth line is drawn horizontally across the four lines. This makes it very easy to count up as each set is equal to five
• Bar chart


  A type of graph showing values that are represented by rectangular bars
• 1. axis


  The line that runs along the bottom of a graph
• Identifying design opportunities


  • Research before and after the design brief can identify any limitations to ideas and help with initial designs
  • Analysis of research and user feedback can lead to changes being made to the brief, such as a change in timescale or budget
  • The results of feedback, testing and product analysis should give the designer a good starting point to adapt, test, evaluate and improve their product
• 1. axis


  The line that runs up the side of a graph
• Not all design is aimed at selling the maximum number of products
• Target market


  The group of people a product is made for
• Target markets


  • Designing fastenings for small children to use
  • Creating products for the partially sighted, which might include bright colours or large buttons
  • Redesigning products using the ergonomic data of a wheelchair user
• Client


  In business, a client is a person or organisation that wants a product manufactured, eg a retailer
• Performance criteria


  A specific set of standards or characteristics that a product should be able to perform
• Design brief


  A set of instructions given to a designer by a client outlining what they want their product to be like
• Performance criteria comparison


  • Cost
  • Size
  • Weight
• Design specification


  A list of criteria a product needs to address, including details of the product's required characteristics, and all the processes, materials and other information needed to design the product
• Design specification


  • Should include: aesthetics, function, materials, environmental issues, performance, target market
• The aluminium drinks can is cheaper to manufacture compared with the PET drinks bottle. The PET drinks bottle is three times more expensive to manufacture
• Manufacturing specification


  Document containing clear and detailed instructions for the manufacture of a product, created after the design is finalised
• Both containers hold liquid without leaking; however, the contents of the PET drinks bottle can be seen, which is an advantage as the user can see how much of the drink is remaining. Another advantage of the PET drinks bottle is that it can be resealed, meaning it does not have to be consumed in one go and so can be reused
• Creating a manufacturing specification

  1. Detailed drawing with dimensions often produced using CAD software

  2. Parts list detailing materials and finishes

  3. Flowchart describing order of production including quality assurance, quality control and tolerance

  4. Machinery and safety considerations referenced

  5. Gantt chart considering timescale for prototype construction
• The aluminium drinks can holds 200 ml less liquid than the PET drinks bottle
• Refining the product based on feedback from the client and users helps solve any problems before production begins
• During the designing and making processes it is important to gather feedback from the client and users. Refining the product based on this feedback helps solve any problems before production begins.
• The world has a bigger population than ever before, and the need for more raw materials causes a range of issues:
• Deforestation


  • A lack of tree roots leads to soil erosion, causing rivers to silt up.
• Deforestation


  The purposeful removal of forests.
• Soil erosion


  When earth is washed or blown away.
• Silt up


  An increase in water flow due to a lack of tree roots causes erosion and washes sand or soil into rivers, which causes pollution.
• It is possible to manage deforestation through responsible management of the forests. If more trees are planted than are cut, it is possible to minimise the impact.