Unit 3 - Area of Study 2: Product development in industry

Outcome 2

Explain and analyse influences on the design, development and manufacture of products within industrial settings.

Examples of learning activities

• Read the article on the development of the KeepCup coffee cup and explain how the designers have addressed the design and development and production goals of the company.
• View the video The secret life of things – Life pscycle-ology on YouTube about life cycle thinking. As a class, discuss how the phone in the clip exemplifies each of the five stages of a product’s life cycle.
• Read about the History of design in Australia 1979-2002. Identify three events or factors which have significantly influenced the design and manufacturing industries in Australia.
• Read about methods used by a furniture manufacturer to address sustainability in their manufacturing processes. Ask students to summarise the company’s approach to sustainable manufacturing.
• Research ways a sportswear company is improving the environmental and social sustainability of their manufacturing practices.
• Research manufacturers that prioritise sustainability. Explain how the company addresses environmental considerations.
• ​​Bayly is an Australian product design company who works with manufacturers. Ask students to give an example of how this company addresses each of the steps of product development in industry. Include an explanation why prototyping is part of the product development process in industry.
• View the Lean Production  clip on YouTube and ask students to create a poster to show how lean manufacturing eliminates waste. Students can use Microsoft WordArt, Google drawings or Canva to create digital posters. (Teachers should be mindful that the terminology used in this video is ‘lean production’ when the study design refers to ‘lean manufacturing’).
• Locate a manufacturer’s social compliance policy and critique the information as a class by discussing:
  • What is meant by social compliance?
  • How does this reflect economic, environmental and social sustainability?
• Students could create a Mind Map and present information to the class using Google MindMup 2, Inspiration or Bubbl.us.
• Organise a visit to Rip Curl research and development in Geelong to see how research and testing of materials relates to product development. Contact BioLAB, the Victorian BioScience Education Centre for further information. Students can also discuss the article about research and development from the Australian Institute for Commercialisation, which assists businesses in research and development.
• The Australian Defence Apparel in Bendigo develops protective clothing and equipment for military and emergency services workers. Ask students to read the information on Corporate social responsibility (scroll down About Us page) and Certifications and accreditations (scroll down About Us page) and answer the following questions:
  • Which new materials have been developed by this organisation?
  • Explain what this company means by social responsibility.
• Explain how the process relating to a continuous/high-volume manufactured product, such as motor vehicle manufacturing, differ to the process of a one-off or low volume manufactured product.
• Watch the 1000 days in development clip on YouTube about the development of an outdoor boot. Ask students to identify methods of research and development which have contributed to the design of this product and present their information as a Mind Map using Google MindMup 2, Inspiration or Bubbl.us.
• Visit a makerspace to research new technologies related to product design and manufacture. Ask students to identify which scales of manufacturing take place at makerspaces and how these environments encourage innovation in design. Examples of makerspaces include Footscray Maker Lab and Space Tank Studio in Coburg.
• Watch the Manufacturing incubators like Space Tank are a way forward video on YouTube and list all the new technologies evident. How do these new technologies improve or speed up design, prototyping and manufacturing processes?
• Watch The making of the Miss Dior bag video on YouTube which is about the handmade production of Dior handbags and highlights how one-off or low volume manufactured products typically have more complex and time consuming processes. Ask students to:
  • List the tools, machinery and processes evident in the making of this product. 
  • What attributes of the product are valued by the end-user/s compared to a mass produced/volume equivalent?
• Watch the ABC The Checkout’s A load of rubbish clip about planned obsolescence. Ask student to discuss how and why is product obsolescence planned. Ask students to create a poster using Google Drawings or Microsoft SmartArt explaining extended producer responsibility (product stewardship).