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Advice for teachers -
Product Design and Technology

Unit 1 - Area of Study 1:
Sustainable redevelopment of a product

Outcome 1

Design and plan the redevelopment of a product with the intention of developing a different product with consideration of sustainability issues.

Examples of learning activities

  • Visit the British Design Museum and choose a designer to investigate. Identify how the chosen designer addresses the steps of the stages of the product design process. The same activity can be done with Australian designer using the Design Institute of Australia’s, Design Hall of Fame.
  • Describe the humanitarian benefits of a product that relates to the social sustainability by viewing YouTube clips from Pollinate Energy that show how energy lamps provide solar powered lamps to the world’s poorest people.
  • Identify two designers who claim to work sustainably and create a poster to show how they address sustainability in different ways. A list of relevant designers is available at the Premier’s Design Awards.
  • Identify the criteria used to judge the Australian Good Design Award for Sustainability. Apply the criteria to a product you have chosen to analyse; either a physical object or a product entered in the Young Design Awards.
  • Investigate the organisation Fashion Revolution.org. Describe how the goal to improve transparency in the fashion industry relates to economic, environmental and social sustainability.
  • Analyse one of the articles in The Guardian’s sustainable fashion blog. Participate in an online, self-guided excursion through Melbourne’s design centres at the Australian Design Centre​.
  • Visit the National Gallery of Victoria and go to the Contemporary Art and Design Gallery. Analyse one of the products using each of the product design factors listed on page 11 of the study design and identify aspects of the product that can be improved.
  • Watch the 360 degree interactive video about Grant Featherston’s R152 contour chair from the National Gallery of Victoria and answer the questions relating to several product design factors.
  • Research the sustainability of two disposable products that have the same primary function, such as coffee cups or disposable cutlery. Use the five stages of life cycle thinking to provide suggestions and a justification for a sustainable alternative product.
  • Visit a major footwear company that showcases sports products from the last 90 years and ask students to choose products that show the development and redesign of previous products. Discuss what improvements been made from previous designs.
  • Refer to the ‘Materials categories’ on page 12 of the study design and create a handout for students. Ask them to use life cycle thinking to compare a natural material to a synthetic/manufactured material within the same category, for example, pinus radiata and chipboard/particle board; woollen material and nylon; steel and aluminium.
  • Working in groups, research and compare different creative and critical design thinking techniques. Use each technique to assist in developing creative design ideas and to select the preferred option.
  • Read the article; ‘6 Steps for Effective Critical Thinking’ from the Designorate website, and create a Mind Map or a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a selected product.
  • Refer to the Australia government’s IP (Intellectual Property) Australia website and discuss the definition of a patent and the benefits of protecting IP. Explore the ‘Case studies’.
  • Discuss the characteristics of the three different types of drawing identified in the design and development stage of the product design process. Find examples of each type of drawing for one type of product online, for example, visualisations, presentation drawings, and working drawings of chairs or clothing.
  • Practise visualisations by drawing a new sketch every three minutes. Each visualisation can be based on one of the design elements or design principles or using the MindTools website ​SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) tool.
  • Demonstrate presentation drawing techniques to students using the following: templates (if relevant), pencil outlines, coloured media, fineliner pens, chinagraph pencil etc. Students practise presentation drawing techniques using teacher demonstrations or video tutorials.

Detailed example

Material comparison activity

Students compare one synthetic/man-made material and one natural material from a range of samples, e.g. nylon and wool, plywood and Victorian ash, resin and glass, pewter and copper. Provide basic information about each material, such as country of origin and material composition.

Using the following questions, students explain the five stages in a life cycle analysis. (Students could work in groups of five where each student investigates one of the five stages of life cycle thinking).

  • Extracting and processing raw materials:
    • How is the material extracted/grown/sourced?
    • Does it require a large amount of energy?
    • Does the raw material benefit the environment, such as producing oxygen?
  • Processing and manufacturing of materials:
    • Where is the material processed?
    • Is the material processed in a different location to manufacture?
    • What impacts does the materials processing and manufacturing have on the environment?
  • Distribution and packaging:
    • What methods of transport are used to distribute the material?
    • What is the distance the material travels prior to its use?
    • Do these methods/distances use a large amount of energy?
  • Product use, maintenance and reuse:
    • How durable is the material? How long is it expected to last?
    • Does the material require a lot of maintenance such as washing, refinishing or energy consumption during its use?
  • Disposal/end of life:
    • How is the material usually disposed of?
    • Can it be reused or recycled?
    • Does the material pollute the environment after disposal, and if so, how?
    • How likely is re-use or recycling?

Students identify which stage has the biggest impact on the environment and what changes can be made to reduce this impact. For example, using plastic or carbon fibre instead of metal to make cars lighter to transport.

Students create a flow chart, using online images, showing the life cycle of their selected material.

Students identify the environmental, social and economic benefits of changing materials.

Useful websites include:

  • Engineering360, for information about all types of synthetic materials. 
  • Patagonia, for information on materials and technologies e.g. synthetic, recycled and blended textiles and technologies.
  • UK Sustainable Design Award, the ‘know your materials’ page has specific information on a range of materials including wood, metal, plastics, textiles and finishes.
  • Wood solutions, for information on wood.