Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor and thank you very much for joining me today.

Today our lesson is called Product Requirements and this is part of the Iterative Design: Nature Unit.

The outcome, I can write a design brief to define the design opportunity.

And we have four keywords.

Requirements, something which is needed or wanted.

Design fixation, considering only one possibility.

Specific, something that is clearly defined and detailed.

And viable, something that is capable of being successful.

We have two learning cycles in this lesson.

Design brief and specification.

Let's begin with design brief.

A design brief outlines what will be designed and manufactured.

This should be open enough to allow scope for creative design ideas whilst also avoiding design fixation.

A design brief must also be specific enough to ensure designs address the design opportunity identified.

A design brief is written after the initial context investigation and exploration.

Context exploration is where the context is considered and primary and secondary research is conducted.

A client will be identified.

Design opportunities, which are sometimes called problems, to solve will also be identified.

Here we have a check, which design brief allows scope for creative design ideas? Is it A, I am going to design and manufacture a sun hat for a 3-year-old girl? Or B, I'm going to design and manufacture a product to protect young children when playing outdoors in the sun? Pause a video and have a go.

Well done.

That's right, the answer is B.

And the reason for this is that the example in A is very prescriptive, it states that it must be a sun hat.

In B, it states that it must be a product to protect young children when playing outdoors.

This could be a number of different options.

A successful design brief identifies the following information about the design opportunity or problem to solve who, where, what and why.

Here is an example of a design brief, which doesn't meet the success criteria.

I am going to design and manufacture an efficient leaf collection system system.

Which of the success criteria has this design brief met? Is it who, where, what, or why? That's right, it's what.

And now we have another check.

What are the success criteria when writing a design brief? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful.

Let's have a look.

The four Ws, who, what, where, and why.

Well done.

Here is an example of a design brief which does meet the success criteria.

I will design and manufacture an accessible herb-growing system for wheelchair users.

It will enable easy watering, sunlight positioning and independent herb cutting.

This will address the current issue of an inaccessible windowsill placement as the kitchen windowsill is too high.

The what? Is a herb growing system.

The who? Is wheelchair users.

The where? Is the kitchen.

And the why? Because there is a current problem with the windowsill being too high.

We move to task A, write a design brief for a design opportunity or problem you have identified within the context of nature.

Include the four Ws, who, where, what and why? Pause the video and have a go.

Well done, let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

Jacob says, "I'm going to design and manufacture a reusable system for packaging packed lunches.

This must be waterproof and washable.

It must also be easy to transport from home to school." Izzy also shares her design brief.

"I am going to design and manufacture a system to teach children about animal conservation in the wild.

My sister and I visited the local zoo and realised how many wild animals are in danger.

I think a teaching aid in a nursery school would really help children to understand this from a young age." And now we move on to the second learning cycle, specification.

A specification is a list of criteria a product must have or do.

This is sometimes called the product requirements.

The requirements are identified by conducting research.

This usually involves research in the context, identifying a client or users.

It will also involve considering the environmental, social, and moral issues associated with designing and manufacturing within a specific context.

Products we buy also have specifications and can be used to compare and select the most appropriate product.

For example, if you are choosing a gift for a 2-year-old, a construction set designed for 3-year-old and older would not meet the requirements.

Here we have a check.

A specification is a list of criteria.

How do designers decide what the that criteria should be? Is it A, identifying other designers? B, conducting research? Or C, identifying the client or user? Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic.

Let's have a look.

That's right, it's by conducting research B and C, identifying the client or user.

Well done.

This is an example of a specification.

It must support a weight of up to 150 kilogrammes.

It should have adjustable height ranging from 40 centimetres to 55.

The product must be easy to move.

The seat and backrest must be padded with breathable, durable fabric.

Can you guess what the product is? It's an office chair.

This is another example of a specification.

The product must entertain children from four plus.

The product must be suitable for two to four players.

The product should be bright and colourful.

The components should be large enough to prevent choking hazards.

Again, can you guess what the product is? It's a board game.

Fantastic.

When writing a specification, it can be helpful to use subheadings to frame your thoughts.

Here are some examples.

Environment, manufacture, safety, function, cost, ergonomics, user, form, aesthetics, life cycle, materials, and size.

Here is a check.

Let's look at Jacob's design brief.

"I am going to design and manufacture a reusable system for packaging packed lunches.

This must be waterproof and washable.

It must also be easy to transport from home to school." Which subheadings on the right would be suitable for use for his specification? Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Let's have a look.

Environment, function, materials, and size would all be suitable.

Once we have our subheadings, we can expand on these points by providing specific details.

These are known as specification points.

For example, the subheading environment.

My specification point could be, my product must be reusable many times.

It must also be suitable to be recycled at the end of its life.

Function, it must hold food for a packed lunch hygienically.

Materials, the materials need to be sustainable and easy to clean.

And the size, the product must be between 200 millimetres and 300 millimetres.

These are the specification points.

What could Jacob add to improve this specification? He could add an explanation to justify his points.

To justify means to explain why.

Specifications must specify all the criteria the product must have or do.

We achieve this by using subheadings and being specific.

It is important to explain each specification point.

This is known as justification.

Jacob has added a justification to his specification.

Subheading environment, the product must be reusable many times, it must also be suitable to be recycled at the end of its life.

And his justification is so that materials are kept in use and not discarded.

Function, it must hold food for a packed lunch hygienically.

And the justification for this is that adequate sealing prevents leaks and spills.

Materials, the materials need to be sustainable and easy to clean, and this justification is to prevent illness from mould or bacteria.

The size must be between 200 and 300 millimetres and the justification is so that it can fit inside a backpack.

Here is the justification.

Now we have a check.

Specifications must be A, specific? B, generic? Or C, justified? Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Let's check.

That's right.

It's A, specific and C, justified.

A specification defines the requirements a product must meet.

A design is considered viable, which means successful if it fulfils these requirements.

Testing each specification point ensures the design meets all requirements and is viable.

There are different methods of testing if the design has met the specification points successfully.

Product testing, this is where the product is tested in use.

Feedback from experts, the user or the client- this is where interviews and questionnaires can be used to gather information.

We are now going to watch a video of a product being tested.

The product in this video is a garlic crusher.

Measurements and visual inspections can also be used to test a design against a specification.

Measurements, an aspect of the product is measured.

This could be size or weight.

A visual inspection, someone visually inspects the product.

Here we have a check.

True or false? All tests during the design process must be measured.

Pause the video.

Fantastic.

Let's have a look.

False.

That's right.

Because feedback from users, clients and experts alongside visual inspections are also methods of testing products during the iterative design process, well done.

Jacob has added the tests he will conduct to his specification table.

So for environment, the product must be reusable many times.

It must also be suitable to be recycled at the end of its life.

So that materials are kept in use and not discarded.

The test that Jacob would conduct is to gather user or expert feedback.

To test the function, he would test the product and use.

To test the materials again, he would gather user or client feedback, and for size he would measure the product.

These are the tests for each specification point.

We now move on to task B.

The first part.

Using your design brief, choose six suitable subheadings.

Two, write a specification point for each of the subheadings to detail what your product must have and do.

The success criteria are, be specific and justified.

And the third part, explain how each specification point could be tested.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's have a look at some of the answers you could have come up with.

Jacob chose user, materials, function, aesthetics, environment and safety as his six subheadings.

For each subheading, he added a specification point and justification.

So for user, the herb growing system must be suitable for wheelchair users.

And his justification is to ensure the user can use the product safely and efficiently.

Materials, the materials must be waterproof and suitable for cleaning.

This justification, the product will need to hold plants which need watering and therefore must be waterproof.

Function, the system must allow herbs to be grown from seeds and also as plants.

And the justification is that some users will want to grow herbs from seeds and others will buy plants.

The specification table continues with aesthetics.

The system must fit into a modern grey and silver kitchen theme, and the justification is my user has a modern grey and silver kitchen theme.

The environment, the system must be sustainable.

My user is very conscious about the environment and would prefer not to cause any damage for future generations.

And safety, the system must be stable and not topple over, and the justification is that some plant grow taller than others.

And here the third part, explain how each specification point could be tested.

He says the user, test the product and gather user feedback.

Materials, also gather expert feedback.

The function, test the product and gather user feedback.

Aesthetics, gather user or client feedback.

Environment, gather expert feedback.

And safety, conduct a visual inspection.

Well done.

Here is a summary of today's lesson.

A design brief is a statement which explains what you are going to design and manufacture.

This should be open enough to allow scope for creative design ideas whilst also avoiding design fixation.

A specification is a list of criteria a product must have or do.

This is sometimes called the product requirements, which are identified from primary and secondary research.

Thank you for joining me today and well done.