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New
New
Year 4

User research

I can undertake research to influence design specifications.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 4

User research

I can undertake research to influence design specifications.

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When a product is being designed, it is important to think about who it is designed for.
  2. User research includes asking open-ended questions.
  3. User research helps create a design specification.

Keywords

  • User - who you are designing for

  • Needs - the requirements of a person

  • Research - findings based upon discussions and evidence

  • Open questions - questions that have many answers

  • Design specification - describes what a product has to do

Common misconception

Open questions gather the users own personal views and may offer more ideas. Sometimes this leads to the user misunderstanding questions or providing answers which are not as expected.

All questions need to be specific and clear.


To help you plan your year 4 design and technology lesson on: User research, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encouraging children to talk to their friends about their user research questions, answers and design specification will encourage greater understanding and ideas. Work with another class in school who can be the users of the interactive book that will be created by the class.
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equipment-required

Equipment

Worksheet, pencils

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What type of linkage is this?
An image in a quiz
Reverse motion
Parallel
Bell crank
Correct answer: Lazy tong
Q2.
What type of materials are used to make an interactive book?
Correct Answer: paper and card, paper, card, split pins
Q3.
What sort of movements do we not usually find in interactive books?
Levers
Sliders
Linkages
Correct answer: Gears
Correct answer: Pulleys
Q4.
Which linkage has two pairs of levers that are opposite each other?
Push-pull linkage
Correct answer: Parallel linkage
Bell-crank linkage
Q5.
Which feature will make your book interactive?
Music
Story
Correct answer: Movement
Q6.
What does appearance of a product mean?
How much it costs
Correct answer: How good it looks
How long it lasts
How well it works

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a 'user'?
the person who makes the product
Correct answer: the person who interacts with the product
the person who designs the product
Q2.
Which of these is an open question?
What is your age?
Where do you go to school?
Correct answer: What games do you like?
Q3.
Match the keywords to their definition
Correct Answer:research,findings based upon discussions and evidence
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findings based upon discussions and evidence

Correct Answer:specfication,describes what a product has to do
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describes what a product has to do

Correct Answer:user,who you are designing for
tick

who you are designing for

Correct Answer:needs,the requirements of the user
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the requirements of the user

Q4.
Research tells designers what a user ...
Correct Answer: wants, needs
Q5.
Match the design specification definitions:
Correct Answer:function,What it should do
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What it should do

Correct Answer:user,Who it is for
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Who it is for

Correct Answer:materials,What it is made from
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What it is made from

Correct Answer:environment,How to reduce impact
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How to reduce impact

Correct Answer:performance,How it will work
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How it will work

Correct Answer:appearance,What it will look like
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What it will look like

Q6.
A design specification is ...
Correct answer: based on research to share users requirements
the training needed to complete the task
Correct answer: information for the designer to meet the user's needs and wants
an evaluation to review the finished product
a risk assessment