Hello there.

My name is Mrs. Dhami.

Thank you for joining me for your Design & Technology lesson today.

Now, the big question for today's lesson is, what design decisions do designers need to make when considering whether to use or not use new and emerging technologies? So, hard hats on.

Let's get going.

Today's outcome, we are going to be able to use specific examples to explain the impact of new and emerging technologies on the design of products.

Our keywords for today are design decision, market pull, technology push, obsolete, and planned obsolescence.

Now, we're going to meet each of these words as we go through today's lesson, so I'll explain them when we get to them.

However, should you want to come back to this slide at any point, then feel free.

We have two learning cycles today.

First of all, we're going to define design decisions, and secondly, we're going to go on to evaluate the impact on design.

So let's get started with defining design decisions.

A design decision is a deliberate choice made by a designer to meet a need or solve a problem.

These decisions occur throughout the design process and shape the final product.

New and emerging technologies provide many design decisions to be made by designers.

For example, market pull and technology push, obsolescence and planned obsolescence, fashion trends, and inclusivity.

And we're gonna take each one of these and look at those in a little bit more detail.

Market pull is where designers develop products in response to users' needs and wants.

Once cameras were introduced into phones, users started demanding even higher specifications for better quality pictures, including greater megapixels, facial trackers, and multiple flashes.

The demand for sustainable technologies has grown recently, with users seeking eco-friendly products in all areas of their lives.

Market pull has driven innovations, such as electric cars, and supporting services, such as charging ports at supermarkets.

Whilst it's not a new concept, electric car technology has only recently become mainstream.

Let's take a check.

Market pull is where designers develop products in response to users'.

You fill in the blank.

Come back to me when you've got an idea.

Fantastic.

Well done if you got needs and wants.

Market pull is where designers develop products in response to users' needs and wants.

In contrast, technology push is where innovations are developed by companies and then sold or pushed onto the user.

For example, the use of emerging miniaturised processors and sensors to create the smartwatch has pushed this technology onto users.

We might not have realised we wanted it, but we soon did as soon as that was put out.

Here's an interesting fact that you might not know.

Apple released its first tablet, called the Newton, in 1993, but it was too costly and not practical for most users.

The design decision was made to release at a later date.

Tablets are now widely popular and sold globally, an example of technology push.

Sometimes, an amazing new and emerging technology is developed, but it simply does not fit the market at the time.

Design decisions here are crucial.

Quick check.

Which products are examples of technology push? We have the smartphone, smartwatch, and electric car.

Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Well done if you got A and B.

Smartphones, smartwatches, are both examples of technology push, whereas an electric car is an example of market pull.

Well done if you got that right.

Planned obsolescence is one of our keywords today, so let's define it.

Planned obsolescence is when a product is purposely designed to become obsolete.

Let's break this down so that we can help you to remember this word.

Planned means intentionally, when you do something on purpose.

Obsolescence means obsolete, when a product is no longer used or useful.

Remember to break this word up if ever you get confused and you need to define it.

Alex says, "The charger for my old phone does not fit my new phone, even though it is the same brand." We've all had that, haven't we, when you can't share your charger with somebody else in your house.

Alex had to purchase a new charger due to the change in charging port.

The old charger is an example of planned obsolescence.

It was planned to become obsolete.

Jun goes on to say, "We had to buy a new washing machine because the part needed to repair it isn't supplied by the manufacturer anymore." Discontinuing parts needed for repairs is another example of planned obsolescence.

If you can't get that part, you have to buy a new product.

Quick check-in.

Why do design companies sometimes plan for products to become obsolete? A, to sell more products.

B, to ensure that consumers upgrade their products.

C, generate more profit.

D, to keep their designers employed.

Have a think.

Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Okay, well done if you got A, B, and C.

So, design companies sometimes plan for products to become obsolete so that they can sell more products, ensure that consumers upgrade their products by buying more, to consequently generate more profit.

Companies frequently have the technology, such as higher specification cameras, for a future design.

However, they're clever.

They release a phone with part of that technology rather than all of the new technology.

What might be the reasoning for this? Take a moment, discuss this with your friend, come back to me when you're ready.

Laura says, "This is planned obsolescence because the companies want to make more money by encouraging users to buy multiple products." Laura's exactly right, and designers who work for these companies have to sign a disclaimer quite often so that they keep these things secret so that they don't leak out to competitors.

In 2020, Apple were fined 21 million pounds for intentionally slowing down older iPhone models without really informing consumers.

How do you feel about this? Take a moment, think about it, come back to me when you've had a think.

Andeep says, "I am shocked by this! I think it is really wrong as it is forcing people to buy new models, and for many people, they may not be able to afford a new one." The design decisions, therefore, made by companies impact us directly as users.

Let's have a quick check-in.

In 2020, Apple were fined 21 million pounds for A, inadvertently, B, accidentally, or C, intentionally, slowing down older iPhone models without clearly informing consumers.

Have a think, come back to me when you've got an answer.

Fantastic.

Well done if you got intentionally.

Through successful marketing, new and emerging technologies can create new fashions or trends, such as social media trends, 3D body scanning allows personalization and also allows parts to fit users absolutely perfectly.

Have a little look at those two pictures.

And then augmented reality, AR.

Augmented reality fitting rooms let you try on clothes or glasses virtually, making shopping more accessible for everyone in the comfort of their own homes.

If you look on the right, there's me trying on a few different glasses in my kitchen.

Didn't even have to leave the house.

New and emerging technologies have provided opportunities for design decisions to be more inclusive.

Assistive technologies, for example, screen readers, reading pens, speech-to-text software, and voice assists, help make technology more accessible.

Some of you might have seen these reading pens that are often used in exams to support some students with their reading.

We use them at my school.

Real-time translation allows inclusive communication between languages, something that I find really useful in my multicultural family.

And you can see the little GIF here saying "Design and Technology is the best subject" in Punjabi.

Another example are advances in bionic limbs and wearable devices that improve life for people with disabilities, enabling greater independence.

This image here shows a device that simulates sensations in a prosthetic limb, helping users feel in a similar way to having a leg with nerve endings.

This is so useful for detecting surfaces or objects underfoot.

Wow, what a positive impact design decisions to include new and emerging technologies can have.

Which of these products below have been designed with inclusivity as the primary focus? We have A, voice recognition, B, reading pen, and C, camera.

Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Well done if you got A and B.

Voice recognition and reading pens are definitely designed with inclusivity as the main primary focus.

Designers face many design decisions when developing products.

What I'd like you to do for task A is define what the design decision is on the left-hand column of the table, and then think of an example product.

So let's do the first one together.

Planned obsolescence, definition being, products are purposely designed to become obsolete.

An example product for this would be mobile phones.

Have a go filling in the rest of the table.

Come back to me when you're ready.

Well done for having a go at that task.

So your answers could include the design decision being market pull, definition being products developed in response to users' needs and wants.

And example products are cameras on phones.

Design decision technology push, the technology is developed and sold to the user.

And an example of that is the smartwatch.

Fashion or trends, products develop to respond to popular styles and preferences of the time.

And an example is AR changing rooms. Think of that image with me trying on all those glasses.

And lastly, the design decision of being inclusive, so for inclusivity, definition is products developed to enable accessibility.

And a great example of that is the reading pens that are often used in schools.

Well done if you got some of those answers correct.

On to our second learning cycle.

We have already defined design decisions regarding new and emerging technologies, and we're now going to evaluate the impact of these on design.

Just because a new technology has been invented, it does not always mean we should use it.

Design decisions will need to consider potential impacts.

For example, ethical impacts.

And under ethical, we have things such as privacy infringements, addiction and cyberbullying, loss of jobs to robots.

Then we have environmental impacts, such as the use of particular materials and carbon footprint.

Let's take a check.

Which of these could be negative impacts of a design decision when introducing a new technology? A, loss of jobs to robots, B, decreased carbon emissions, C, cyberbullying, or D, privacy infringements? Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Okay, well done if you got A, C, and D.

Negative impacts of a design decision could be loss of jobs, cyberbullying, and privacy infringements.

Consider the ethics of this scenario: Drones flying into your garden to deliver your parcels.

Now, Alex says, "This is such a great idea and will reduce carbon footprint because there will be less lorries on the road." Whereas Jacob says, "Drones are likely to have cameras on them, and a garden is a private space, so I think that this is compromising my privacy." Do you agree with Alex? Do you agree with Jacob? Or do you have your own view? Take a moment, discuss with the person next to you, and come back to me for the next scenario once you've had that discussion.

I'd love to hear what you were thinking.

Consider the ethics of this scenario: A young person faces bullying at school, and this continues at home through cyberbullying on their social media.

This person does not want to go to school anymore.

Alex says, "Social media developers need to think of ways to reduce the spread of negative behaviours." Whereas Jacob says, "The person could make a decision to delete them, ignore, or go on another social platform." Do you agree with Alex? Do you agree with Jacob? Or have you got your own view? Take a moment, discuss with the person with you, and come back to me once you've had a discussion.

Last one then, consider the ethics of this scenario: A neighbour loses a job that they have been in for 12 years because they are being replaced by a robot.

Alex says, "I think this is really bad.

Imagine if the neighbour cannot get another job." Jacob says, "I think it is okay as long as the company retrain them into another job or role." Do you agree with Alex? Do you agree with Jacob? Or do you have your own view? Discuss with the person next to you, come back to me when you've had a bit of time.

The ethics of design decisions often have two contrasting opinions.

Is this true, or is this false? Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Okay, if you put true, you would be correct.

And why is that? New and emerging technologies are often subjective, providing contrasting opinions in people's values.

These will obviously need to be taken into consideration when designers make their design decisions.

Increased sustainability awareness and education has led governments and society to value reducing carbon footprints, which affects design decisions.

Examples include market pull for electric vehicles.

People are wanting those green methods of transport.

Technology enabling remote work and video meetings.

This means people haven't got to travel overseas or to different parts of the country, which means that their carbon footprint is reduced.

Changes in laws, such as charging for plastic bags, sees a rise in biodegradable polymers, and bags for life too.

Digital media replacing printed materials means less things are needed to be printed and sent out.

In 2015, the government introduced a plastic bag tax, charging 5 pence, which was then raised to 10 pence in 2021, for every bag.

This was to reduce polymer waste.

This encouraged designers to make design decisions to create alternatives, such as bags for life and compostable bags made from biodegradable polymers, Biopol, such as those made from potato starch.

Quick check, the government introduced a something on plastic bags in 2015.

Have a think, come back to me when you've got an answer.

Well done if you got tax.

And why was this? In 2015, shoppers were charged five pence for a bag to encourage customers to use bags for life and to decrease the use of polymers.

On to task B.

New and emerging technologies are enhancing the function of many products for users.

Using one example, evaluate the impact of the technology.

Now, that's a big question to ask, so let's give a little bit more help to that.

Izzy says, "Depending on the example, you may need to consider the positives and the negatives of a variety of factors, such as ethics, sustainability, material choices, fashions, or inclusivity." As your example, you could use one of the following, drones, compostable plastic bags, video meetings, reading pens, or digital media replacing printed materials, or your own choice.

Have a go, come back to me when you're done.

Well done with your efforts with this.

Now, you might have all chosen completely different products.

So, we're going to look at compostable plastic bags.

So your answer could include, new and emerging technologies have seen the development in sustainable materials.

This has enabled designers to make design decisions about the use and replacement of particular materials in their products.

An example is Biopol for making compostable bags.

Now, as Izzy said, it's time to mention the positives and negatives.

So, the positives of using compostable bags has meant that the use of synthetic polymers have been greatly reduced, leading to a reduction in carbon emissions.

However, the negatives, compostable bags still have to be manufactured, which may itself produce carbon emissions.

Sum it up.

Removing all alternatives to bags for life may encourage people to remember their own bags more often.

Well done for all your efforts on task B.

This brings us to the end of our lesson today.

Well done with all of your hard work.

So let's summarise.

Market pull is where designers develop products in response to users' needs and wants.

Technology push is where innovations are developed and then sold to the user.

Planned obsolescence is when a product is purposely designed to become obsolete.

Positive and negative impacts of design decisions must be considered when designing with new and emerging technologies.

Fantastic efforts today.

It's been lovely to be with you, and I look forward to seeing you hopefully in another lesson.

Take good care.

Bye bye bye.