Unit 4 - Area of Study 1: ​​Product analysis and comparison

Outcome 1

Compare, analyse and evaluate similar commercial products, taking into account a range of factors and using appropriate techniques.

​​Examples of learning ac​​​tivities

• Watch multimedia presentations such as Youtube's Qualitati​ve vs. Quantitative and explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods of research. Apply this knowledge to a teacher-directed product for evaluation.
• Refer to case studies to gain knowledge about environmental, social and economic sustainability issues associated with products. Cotton Australia has information about sustainability on their website including the Australian Grown Cotton S​ustainability Report 2014 which could be used as a case study for students to analyse​.
• Students write a report into the environmental, social and economic sustainability issues associated with a teacher-provided product. Provide a list of research questions for students to refer to when completing their report.
• Lead a class discussion about how attributes of a product are valued differently by the designer, manufacturer and end-user/s. Use a relevant blog or article to support and give examples such as the McKinsey & Company article: Design products for value.
• Students bring products they value to class and discuss how the attributes of the product change in value for them at each stage of the product’s life cycle. They analyse and explain, using critical thinking skills, how the designer and manufacturer place value on the same attributes during each stage of the product’s life cycle. ​
• Provide students with a range of similar commercial products (or images of) for example, toasted sandwich presses or drink bottles to compare the attributes and evaluate the quality of each product. ​
  
• Present students with information on the eight dimensions of quality: performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perception. Refer to GEMBA Academy’s blog post about 8 dimensions of quality. Working in pairs, students apply and discuss the eight dimensions of quality to given products.
• Students analyse the sustainability of soft drink containers by exploring social, environmental and economic issues related to glass, plastic and aluminium. Ask students to present their analysis in a graphic organiser such as Mind Map using Google, ​MindMup 2, Inspiration, Bubbl.us or in a table using Word. Alternatively, students could present their findings using a short video clip. These findings could be put on the school/class intranet for other students to add to or question the findings of. Another product to analyse sustainability issues could be vanity basins, and the associated materials: fiberglass, ceramic, stone, glass and metal.