Unit 2 - Area of Study 1: Designing within a team

Outcome 1

Design and plan a product or range of products collaboratively in response to a design brief.

Examples of learning activities

Note: Divide the class into teams of three or four students for these activities.

• Create cue cards for each of the four stages and ten steps of the product design process. Create another ten cue cards with a description of steps in the product design process, i.e. 24 cards in total. As a class, arrange the cards to depict the stages, steps and descriptions according to the product design process. Alternatively, create another set of cards with images of each step of the product design process.
• In written or audio format students explain what they think occurs at each stage and step in the product design process. Ask them to share these ideas within their teams and develop an explanation of the product design process. Each team then shares their ideas with the class.
• Brainstorm possible outcomes if individual steps are removed from the product design process. Create a class discussion around problems which result from not following particular steps in the product design process.
• Discuss a case study of a particular designer or manufacturer that successfully incorporates user-centred design. As a comparison, students can analyse products with poor user-centred design.
• Invite an industry guest speaker to share how they or their organisation incorporates user-centred design.
• Show the following the user-centred mobile design Youtube clip as a stimulus to discuss user-centred design.
• In teams, each student investigates two or three different historical or contemporary design movements and styles and present their findings back to other members of their team. The student’s presentation of different design movements and styles may include creation of mood boards, PowerPoint presentations, short video clips or web pages. The team will then select their preferred movement or style to be incorporated in the team’s design brief.
• Visit the National Gallery of Victoria or a local gallery to look at how historical and cultural design movements or styles have influenced or could inspire new product designs. Refer to an artefact/product in a gallery to explain how design principles and elements could be used in another product.
• Individually research and discuss either social, economic, or environmental issues of sustainability related to design. For example, research materials from an environmental sustainability perspective that could inform and provide justification for the group’s choice of materials.
• Watch the Sustainability easily explained Youtube clip and discuss economic, environmental and social sustainability issues related to design.
• Examine products with poor social, economic, and/or environmental sustainability applications related to design and use critical thinking techniques to explore sustainability issues.
• Students present their design ideas to their team and invite critical and constructive feedback and suggestions for modifications if necessary. Reflect on the benefits of feedback to inform the selection and justification of design ideas.
• Test methods of construction which may be incorporated into a product. Ask students to collate their findings, decisions and justifications using a Process Test Template (docx - 66.58kb).
• Provide a range of different construction methods, some of which are innovative and require the use of digital technologies.
• Introduce students to different types of industry-related time lines for production purposes. Each team selects the most appropriate time line for their production planning.
• Research different construction methods and develop a series of steps and associated timeframes needed for production. This information can be used in the scheduled production plan.
• Undertake an audit of safe work practices before commencing any production. This may include completing workshop risk assessments, safe work methods, safe work operations and obtaining safety data sheets. Refer to Department of Education and Training’s Use of machinery in technology teaching.
• Students use digital technologies to communicate within their teams when creating their product/s. Digital technologies could include email, collaborative documents such as Google Docs, or a specific Facebook page created for their team (using their school email addresses). Where possible use computer-aided design (CAD) tools such as Sketch Up to develop and present design solution ideas. Video or PowerPoint could also be used to present design ideas to their team. Discuss social protocols, tools and techniques for working collaboratively online.
• Develop a design brief that is appropriate for their chosen design problem and link all constraints and considerations to the product design factors. Provide students with some (but not all) of the constraints and considerations, such as, the product can be clearly linked to a theme/ style.
• Students work collaboratively to research their chosen design problem. Where possible ask each member of the team to undertake both primary and secondary research.
• Use creative and critical thinking techniques to generate design ideas and select design options. Creative design thinking techniques include using Mind Maps, de Bono’s six thinking hats, de Bono’s lateral thinking and SCAMPER (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse).
• Individually, develop one design option for the team to evaluate and select from. The selected design option must explain all the product’s functions/requirements, materials and construction methods.
• Divide the production document into sections, each individual student completes a section whilst other sections are completed by the team. This record of production could be completed as an electronic portfolio using PowerPoint or OneNote.
• Create an evaluation criteria relating directly to the design brief, with specific attention to the sustainability of the product. As a team, decide which questions are most relevant/ important. This is to be used as a reference point throughout the design process and answered on completion of a functional product. Develop methods of testing each evaluation criteria. This will provide the students with clear data when answering the evaluation questions they have previously developed.
• Within the folio, provide justification for the selection of materials based on suitability and sustainability. This may include data from material testing, information from secondary sources, previous experience in using the selected materials.