Product Design

Developing Your Portfolio

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 Investigating the Problem

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Introduction

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Background information

Design and technology projects should always be based on

real and genuine needs. A user group needs to be identified
and so does the context (the type of problem). The location
will usually explain where the problem exists (geographically).
By adding as much information to each column as you can
and then circling the key aspects of each, you can build up
an accurate picture to justify the need.

User Group Context Location

Individual Physical Home
Family Sports Work

Group of people Storage Outdoors

Organization Furniture Indoors

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Analysis of the problem

Before your mind gets solution-focused, it is worth spending

some time thinking in detail about the design problem.
A mind map is a good method to help you analyse the
problem and you can use the information from the columns
on the previous slide. Mind maps can help you generate lots
of ideas in a short space of time.
Add this information to your mind map too:
other products which already perform a similar function
materials which may be suitable
equipment and processes which could help you.

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Mind mapping the problem

SEATING

User group Context Location

Elderly people Furniture Outdoors

Living alone Comfortable

Protection? Summer use?
65yrs + seating

Preservatives? On grass or
Foam Storage? hard surface?
Oils? Stability?
padding? Collapsible?
Stains? Sturdiness?

Removable? Deck chair Colour?

Fire retardant? style? Bright?

How would you extend this mind map?

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Design brief

A design brief is a vital part of your project because it is the

starting point at which you begin to formulate your response
to the design problem. A brief can be written in many ways
but it should be a short paragraph which is simple and
concise with the following essential information:

why the product is needed

what the product must do
where the product will be used
who will use the product.

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Product analysis

Before designing your own product, it is important to

analyse other similar products.
Look at what features a product has (the criteria it meets),
and decide if these are essential to its function or not.
Essential features are known as key criteria.
Choose criteria that products meet, and compare them by
giving them a score for each criterion.
Decide which features are positives and negatives for
each product, and which features are worth noting but don’t
affect the products functionality.

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Product analysis: deciding key criteria

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Product analysis: comparing products

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Product analysis – PMI

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The research process

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Research plan

Researching is a vital skill for a designer. To research

effectively you need to be able to collect, sort/edit and
record specific information which will help you to design and
make a successful product.
Before beginning the research, you should look at your
design brief and think about the following questions:

What do I need to find out?

Where can I find it out?
How am I going to record and present the information?

Could you put these into a table and draw up a

research plan?
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Research plan

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Primary research

Primary research means finding out information directly

from a source – it’s first hand information. When carrying
out research, it is essential to ask yourself the following
questions:
Am I using a wide range of sources?
Am I using primary and secondary research?
Is my research appropriate and relevant?
Does the information answer the questions posed in the
research plan?
Have I sorted through the body of information and
highlighted the relevant bits?
Can I explain how the research helps me to satisfy the
brief?

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Surveys

Surveys are also known as questionnaires. When writing

and conducting surveys:
decide what information you need
to find out – see your research plan
start with some simple closed
questions
use multiple choice questions
where possible
make sure you ask the same
questions to everyone so that your
sample is valid
finish with an open question
remember that it is the analysis of
the questions that really matters.

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Interviews

Conducting interviews can be a useful way to find out

research information. However, it is important to remember
that what you do with the information (editing and analysis) is
more important than collecting it.

Interview TIPS:
decide what information you need to find out
write out your questions beforehand
don’t try and write their answers – use a dictaphone to
record and write later
write up the interview in full while it is still fresh in your mind
go through and highlight the important bits.

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Writing letters

Writing letters can sometimes be useful providing you know

the name, role and contact information of the person you
need information from. Here are some guidelines about letter
writing:
explain who you are and what you need from them
be VERY specific about the information you need
enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for the return
always date the letter
if posted first class, wait for four days and then follow up
with a phone call to the person you addressed it to
always have a back-up plan for getting the information
consider using e-mail (it’s quicker!) but apply the above
principles.

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Secondary research

Secondary research means finding out information that

another person has already prepared – it already exists in
one format or another.
When conducting research, it is important not to simply cut
out information, or copy whole sections of text and stick it
into your folder. We call this ‘scissor research’ and it will
be ignored. You must read, sort, highlight and edit your
research so it is ready for analysis.
Some people find it useful to keep an activity log or
record of what they have researched. This is useful to
keep accurate records of where and when you found
specific information.

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Internet searches
The Internet is a huge source of information and images for
secondary research. However, like any other research skill, it
takes time, patience and practice to use it effectively.
Use a recognized search engine
(e.g. Google or ASK).
Know what you want to find out.
Use the advanced search option to
narrow your results.
Paste your results into a blank
document.
Always make a note of the
website or information source.
Set yourself a time limit for searches – if it’s not found within
ten minutes, you’re unlikely to find it.

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Newspaper/magazine searches

Using newspapers and magazines can sometimes be useful

for research purposes. However, it is important to avoid
cutting out large amounts of images or text and sticking them
into your portfolio. It is the quality of what you find, not the
quantity, that counts.

Look in weekend papers – especially the

supplements from the broadsheets.
Use a combination of image types and
text.
Always quote the source of your
research.
Think, “how does this image/text help
me to design or make my product?”

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Editing research

Collecting research is only the start of the process. To really

make the most of the information you gather, it is vital to
organize and process it.
Organizing…
Sort through all of the information. Put it into categories
according to your research plan.
Have a miscellaneous pile for anything that does not fit
neatly into a category.
Processing…
Do not include whole reports or articles.
Highlight relevant sections (especially key words, phrases
or measurements) of text and cut off any excess.
Mount the information into your portfolio so it is easy to
read and access later.
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Analysing research

Research analysis shows the examiner that you have

considered the impact of your research findings on the
design and manufacture of your product. A good analysis of
the research information needs to be completed before you
can summarize it.
Here are some analysis tips:
annotate your edited research with comments
highlight sections of research and sketch/annotate your
thoughts
write a bullet pointed list of how the research affects
your design thinking
attach some tracing paper over the relevant section and
annotate over the top so the results are visible.

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Research summary

The research summary is an important part of the research. It

brings together all of the important information you have
found into one place, in a format that is easy to read and
apply to your design thinking. Here are some tips for writing a
research summary:
show where the evidence is in your portfolio
make sure you have a good balance between primary
and secondary research (not too much secondary!)
make sure you know where you found the information
make sure you understand why the information is
important to you
refer back to the research plan – have you completed the
research you set out to do?

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Research summary – chart

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Specification
A specification is a list of criteria that your design must meet.
Specifications can be extremely detailed documents and it
helps to consider some broad headings. They are best written
as a bullet pointed list.
Function Detail about what the product must do
Form Aesthetic, colour, shape, texture and proportion details
Safety Any relevant safety issues including international
standards
Ergonomics How will the product and user interact?
Cost Can you predict how much it might cost to a) make b)
sell?
Durability How hardwearing will it need to be? Will it function in
any extreme environments?
Maintenance How long will it last? Are there any replaceable parts?
Environmental How will your product deal with green issues?
issues
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Developing Design Proposals

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Design ideas
With your design brief and specification close by, you are
now ready to develop some initial ideas to solve the
problem. As a professional designer, you should aim to
design at least three different ideas for consideration.

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Evaluating ideas
However you choose to present Against
the
your ideas, you will need to specification
At all Using
make it obvious that you stages scores
have evaluated them.
Here are some
Against Against
thoughts on the other
how you can brief ideas
evaluate your initial Evaluate
ideas. Remember
that evaluation does Using Considering
symbols aesthetics
not always have to
be in written format;
sketches and drawings Considering Considering
are just as effective. dimensions materials
Considering
manufacturing

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Choosing an idea

You will need to show which design is the most suitable for
development. You can do this in several ways but below is
one method for you to think about:

Spec Point IDEA IDEA IDEA Comments

1 2 3
Function 4 3 5
Form 2 1 4
Safety 2 3 2
TOTAL 8 7 11

How could you develop this idea to work in different

ways?
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 Product Synthesis

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Developing concepts

How you develop your chosen idea is crucial if you are to

make the most effective product. When developing ideas, we
improve specific aspects of them. It is important to make
sure that every aspect of your chosen idea is fully
developed in detail according to your specification.
The following is a list of things you should make sure you
improve and thoroughly justify in the development:

Materials Assembly
Ergonomics Production techniques
Aesthetics
Proportions

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Developing concepts – discussions

Your friends are a good source to bounce ideas off. When

you are developing your ideas, you can ask them for their
opinions and thoughts about how you might improve your
chosen ideas. You can also ask potential users of the
product about what they think can be developed.
Use a table similar to this one:

NAME ASPECT TO DEVELOP CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS

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Developing ideas – 4 x 4 activity

The 4 x 4 activity uses other people’s ideas to develop your

own ideas. Your original idea is in the centre of an A3 sheet.
Stage 1 Stage 2
• Groups of 4 people. • Each person then
• Person 1 improves an aspect of sketches or
the product describes another
improvement
in these spaces.

Stage 3
• Four minutes
Stage 4 should be spent
• Give the sheet back to on each
the original person. development.

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Modelling – CAD
Computer aided designing (CAD) is a good method to
model and test your ideas. These chairs have been drawn
using ProDesktop.

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Modelling – CAD

By using the modelling information, you will be able to quickly

produce photo-realistic rendered images.

MDF
Natural
Injection wood
moulded
polypropylene

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Modelling – CAD
Most CAD packages will be able to use the model information
and automatically draw you an orthographic drawing in
various formats. This will be needed for manufacturing.

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 Production Planning

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Flow charts
Flow charts can be used to communicate the manufacturing
process of our products. Arrows connect the shapes below to
show the order of production stages.

START/STOP DECISION

PROCESS

Can you draw a flow chart to show the manufacturing

process of a chair?

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Flow charts

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Production schedules
A production schedule is essential to ensure a good quality
product. Always take a copy of your schedule into the
manufacturing environment so that you have a plan to follow.
Production schedules will enable you to think through all of
the stages of manufacturing before you actually begin. It is
also a way of showing that you have considered quality
assurance procedures.
A production plan will contain the following information:
what the main stages of production are
the materials necessary for each stage
the equipment/resources necessary for each task
time scales for each task.

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Production schedules

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Tolerances and critical dimensions
Any project will have certain components or parts which have a
critical dimension. A critical dimension is any measurement
which has to be exactly right or an aspect of the product will
fail. A tolerance is the amount you are willing to deviate from
the critical dimension. Tolerances are usually described in
percentages, e.g. ± 10% of the critical dimension.

The following are some common critical dimensions:

bearings
friction fitting components
machined parts
casing.
Critical dimensions can be included on the
production schedule.
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Cutting list

A cutting list is an important part of production planning.

It enables you to plan and prepare exactly what materials
you will use and their dimensions.
Part Material Quantity Length Width Thickness Diameter

Main body Acrylic 1 250mm 200mm 3mm -

Stands Acrylic 2 100mm 20mm 6mm -

On the next slide you can fill in a cutting list for yourself.

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Cutting list

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Risk assessment

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 Manufacturing

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Recording changes
During manufacturing, you will Date

need to show that you have Photo

recorded and justified any

changes to your proposed
solution. When justifying any What you changed

changes, you need to make

sure you explain what you
changed, how you changed it
How you changed it
and why you changed it. You
could do this in a
manufacturing diary like the
this one. Why you changed it

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Photographic log
In your portfolio, you will also have to show examiners that
you can use a variety of communication techniques. As well
as hand drawn sketches, CAD and desktop publishing, you
should also try and use a digital camera to capture images.

A digital camera could be helpful for the following:

providing evidence of research activities

photographing models
capturing images of manufacturing
progress
showing the product being tested
photographing users evaluating the
product.

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 Testing & Evaluation

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Types of testing

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Evaluation of testing

Your testing strategies will provide you with some information

about how well your product performed under standard
tests, user trials and visual inspection. You should try and
compile some charts to show how well the product did under
test conditions.
Once you have the test information summarized, you are in a
position to evaluate it. The evaluation is a reflection on how
well the product performed.
It is important that you establish why the product behaved
and reacted the way it did in the tests, and that you are able
to justify the results.

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User evaluation
User views are essential if you are going to justify the
effectiveness of your product to a mass market. You must ask
several users to test your product and then evaluate its
effectiveness. You could use a standard form as outlined
below:
Date

Photo
Name of
testing

Description of testing

Evaluation of how well it performed

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Evaluation against specification

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Modifications and changes

1 2
Testing: Evaluations:
User
User
Physical
Against spec
Visual

3
Modifications:
Improvements
Changes

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Modifications and changes

Your testing strategies gave you objective evidence about

the performance of your product.
Based on your testing, the evaluations should enable you to
think about why the product performed as it did.
What went well and what did not go as planned?
The next step is to suggest changes and modifications to
your finished product, based on the results of testing and
evaluation, which would improve the chances of the product
becoming a commercial success.

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Modifications and changes

Think about the following:

Are any changes necessary to make the product suitable
for mass production?
Could different (more appropriate?) materials be used?
Can I use any standard components?
Could I buy in more parts or components?
Can I change the design to reduce the cost of
manufacturing?
Could the production method be different?
Could I use jigs, moulds and formers to make identical
products?
Could I automate any stages of the manufacturing process
by using CAM?

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