Evaluation

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Tuts

Research Specification Designing Evaluation Task Analysis

Making

As discussed earlier a specification is a list of goals that the final design must achieve. Specifications are an important part of designing because they provide a check list against which you can review your ideas as you are working. They also give you something against which to evaluate your ideas and your finished product against. An evaluation is something that you constantly carry out throughout the design process and you will produce a final summative evaluation were you compare your final product to your original design specification. Below is a list of evaluation activities you can carry out throughout your project and guidance on how to carry out a summative evaluation.

Objs Ass

As discussed some of the pages in your folder may look different depending which target you are aiming for. You will find which page you should be completing from the front cover of your folder. Hover over the pages to look at the different levels of evaluation and how to complete.

LEVEL 3-4

Only attempt to use the ACCESS FM words that are in dark print

Aesthetics
Consumer
Safety
Function

If you feel that you have successfully completed these you can than have a go out the words that are in light grey print.

Opposite you will see the evaluation page that you will use in all areas of technology. Each version has subtle differences so hover over each page and look carefully. You find out which page to attempt from your targets found on your front cover of your folder

LEVEL 4-5

Only attempt to use the ACCESS FM words that are in dark print

Aesthetics
Consumer
Environment
Safety
Function
Materials

If you feel that you have successfully completed these you can than have a go out the words that are in light grey print.

LEVEL 6 and above

Attempt all the ACCESS FM words that are in dark print

Aesthetics
Consumer
Cost
Environment
Safety
Size
Function
Materials

Vids Vids Vids

LEVEL 4+

LEVEL 5+

LEVEL 6+

You are going to use ACCESS FM to complete the evaluation. This stands for aesthetics, consumer, cost, environment, size, safety, function and materials. Mind map each one of these headings. Remember that you are evaluating your product for a potential consumer and their needs and wants. Does it meet their expectations, Will they buy it. What can be improved and why? Hover over the key words for hints and tips:

Evaluation

Lesson Objectives

Peer Assessment

Literacy

What did you intend your product to look like? Did it your final product meet this? If no what would you change?
What colours, styling, patterns did you originally intend to design your use. Have you incorporated them into your final design
Why and how did you made these decisions? What did you research findings tell you and did you use this in the design and and manufacture of your product?
What would you improve in terms of aesthetics?

Who was your potential consumer? What age did you aim your product at? What do they do for a living? What are their likes and dislikes? What were their needs for the potential product? Does your product meet these needs? Is their any safety considerations you took into account when designing and making your product? Does your product take into account anthropometric data or ergonomic considerations? If so what where they? What does your potential target market think of your product? What would you improve to make your product more appealing to your target market?

What price range does your product fall into? Is it expensive, cheap, mid range, if so why? What materials, processes and finishes did you use, does this reflect the cost? Does the cost reflect the quality of the product? Is the cost of your product a result of what manufacturing processes (mass produced, batched produced, one off) you will use to commercially produce it? Would you be able to commercially produce it in the future if you received a large order from a designer store, next home etc? How could you reduce the cost? What could you improve within your budget?

How does the product effect the environment:

When it was being made (manufacturing process): materials used, energy used?
When its being used, will it give off any emissions or pollution?
When it is being disposed of, will it be recyclable, will it be able to be reused?
How did you reduce the products carbon footprint?
Did you consider the 6R’s when designing your product, re-use, reduce, repair, recycle, refuse and re-design?
What could you improve to ensure your product is more environmentally friendly?

How safe is the product be to use?
What are the dangers of using your product (sharp edges, toxic paints, electric components, weight etc.)
How did you make it safe for the intended user (example;. “all electrical components are housed in a waterproof casing or raised”)?
How did you reduce the risk of injury?
What would you improve next time?

How big is the product GENERALLY ? For example: “it is pocket size so that it can be kept with the user at all times.”
How big are certain parts of your product? Could they be improved
For example: “the back support the chair is the correct size for the average 16 year old.”
Is it be adjustable?
Could the size be improved? Will this effect the cost, consumer etc?

What are the main functions for the product, what does it do GIVE FULL DETAILS FOR THIS?
For example: “the chair allows the user to sit down at a desk comfortably. The chair is adjustable to suit individual users i.e. the seat high and back rest. The chair is able to move whilst the user is still seated. It can be folded to be easily stored away when not in use. The chair is multi- functional, it also can be used as an mp3 docking station with built in speakers.”
Could the function be improved?
Does the product meet the design brief and specification
What would you modify about this product to improve it?

What materials did you use in the manufacture of the product?
Are they suitable, could they be used to mass produce your product?
Where they easy to mark out, cut, shape and finish?
How did you finish the product
Are the materials environmentally friendly?

Can they be recycled or reused at the end of the products life
Could you improve upon your material selection
Does your material selection impact upon the products lifecycle?

Your Design Specification produced a list of “Goals” or “Target” that you wanted your Final Solution to achieve.
Now that your final idea has been produced you can evaluate the success of it against this list of goals you wrote.
It is very important to state:

If you were able to meet the specification target.
Explain HOW well you were able to meet the target.
If you were NOT able to meet the Specification explain WHY.
Include USER OPINIONS.
Images of your final prototype.

Complete the evaluation opposite your specification so you can compare what you intended to do and what you actually did. You can download the help sheet to print out here

As you have researched and developed your ideas and prototypes you have been constantly evaluating your work as you have gone along without even knowing it. When you were sketching ideas, building CAD and card prototypes, you automatically evaluated the success and failure of your ideas and were able to see which ideas needed improving or modifying. This is known as on-going evaluation.

Evaluations highlight weaknesses in your ideas and in doing so provide inspiration to improve your designs. This can be in the form of: A summary of research, simple annotation or labels at the side of your design ideas, notes, star diagrams rating your ideas against the ACCESS FM specification criteria you have written, consumer evaluations and how you would mass produce your product..

As you have developed your ideas you have been evaluating as you have gone along without even realising. When you were sketching ideas, building CAD or card prototypes you automatically evaluated the success and failure of these and changed your ideas in response to these evaluations. Show a time line of your ideas, card models, CAD drawings and final prototype from beginning to the end.

Consumer Evaluation

Lesson Objectives

Peer Assessment

Literacy

Manufacturing in quantity evaluation

This shows the details the individual components of the product and researches the best and most cost efficient way to mass produce these parts should the product be bought by a large retailer for batch, mass or continuous production.

This details numerous production methods that have been researched using the Internet and specialist websites and identifies the best manufacturing method for that product.