KS3 Product Analysis

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Research Specification Designing Evaluation Task Analysis

Making

Designers rarely design a product that is brand new. Most ideas are based upon past or similar products or inspired by nature, artists or other designers or design movements. Product analysis is a key feature in researching and developing a new product and a key feature in the continuous improvement of a product.

Today a number of companies and TV programs test a range of products and produce reviews on their performance for us:

Which? Is a magazine and online website that analyses products and publishes reports to subscribers
Comparison websites analyse a range of products and services
Top Gear is one of the BBC’s longest running car reviewing programs. The Top Gear ‘Cool Wall’ compares the style, performance and specification of cars.

As already mentioned researching existing products or products that are available on the market is a good place to look for inspiration for new products. Why?

You can determine how to make your product better than what is currently available on the market.
You can find problems with existing products and design a new product that solves these problems.
Most products that you buy are very rarely products that are a completely new invention.
Often the products that you buy are simply improved versions of later products.

Start Objs Ass Ext

Dyson’s first original invention, the Ballbarrow, was a modified version of a wheelbarrow using a ball instead of a wheel. This was featured on the BBC's Tomorrow's World television programme.

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Extension Task:

Lesson Objectives:

To learn about the role of designers and how design evolves over time in response to market trends and technological developments.
To understand how and why we analyse existing products.
To learn that most products are not design from new but are developed over time.
To appreciate that society and design are interrelated and design often solves peoples needs and meets peoples wants.

Through product analysis James Dyson found a problem with old vacuum cleaners whose design had remained the same since the early 1900’s. He became frustrated with his Hoover diminishing performance: dust kept clogging the dust bag, reducing suction. Dyson had the idea of using cyclonic separation to create a vacuum cleaner that would not lose suction as it picked up dirt. The cyclone idea came from the spray-finishing room's air filter in his Ballbarrow factory.

Dyson continued product analysis on his own design and found a further problem. It was difficult to turn the cleaner because of its fixed wheels.

James Dyson is a British industrialist whose claim to fame is the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner. Dyson’s invention helped revolutionize the vacuum cleaners along with other appliances in the world.

Dyson was born on 2nd May 1947 in Cromer, England. He was a long distance runner. Dyson stated that he learned the quality of determination from it. He went to the Byam Shaw School of Art for a year after which he did courses in interior design and furniture design from the Royal College of Art from 1966 to 1970

While he was there he got his first idea of using cyclonic separation in a vacuum cleaner so that it would not lose its suction quality as it picked up dirt. Dyson was very disappointed from his Hoover Junior that continuously got clogged up reducing its suction after every use

Dyson found that the filters in his factory spray room kept clogging up. He began to experiment with

cyclone suction technology and then went on to apply what he had learned to vacuum cleaners

James Dyson believes strongly in physical modelling at an early stage of a product’s development – he

made over 5000 prototypes before the first DC01 came off the production line. To his disappointment no

manufacturer or distributor was interested in his idea. Therefore he decided to launch his product in Japan.

The G-force was manufactured in a pink color and was sold for £2000.

The G-force was manufactured in a pink color and was sold for £2000. It won the International Design Fair

in Japan. Dyson got this technology patented in 1986. After not getting a positive response from the major

manufacturers, he decided to establish his own manufacturing company in England. He got his first

breakthrough from his television advertisement that had the slogan ‘say goodbye to the bag’ a quality

that attracted customers more than the efficient suction quality of the product.

But Dyson was more than happy as long as his product was gaining popularity. The Dyson Dual Cyclone turned out to be the fastest selling vacuum cleaner in the United Kingdom. When he launched his product in America in 2002 it was an instant success and in just three years managed to capture 20% of the market.

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An example of how to layout the product analysis sheets is shown below. Remember you can use your own headings relevant to your own project. This shows one of the possible ways of how you can layout your sheet if you need help and guidance. How you lay this page out is again up to you, there are several ways. Hover over the key words for hints and tips

An example of how to layout the detailed product analysis sheet is shown below. Remember you can use your own headings relevant to your own project. This shows one of the possible ways of how you can layout your sheet if you need help and guidance. How you lay this page out is again up to you, there are several ways. Use the best and worst products above so that you can compare the two products good and bad features and what and what not to include in your own designing.

Analysing Existing Products involves the following:

Examining commercial products in detail
Little value in just using photographs from the Internet
Consider this as inspirational as well as an investigation

Using ACCESS FM it is easy to undertake a detailed analysis of an existing product.
It is very important that you DO NOT simply describe what features the product has but rather explain and analyse the success or failure of those features.
State how your analysis has inspired you.
Use different images or preferably your own photographs to highlight your analysis.
Use a number of images to highlight the different aspects of ACCESS FM
Which of the images below would best show the: Aesthetics, Cost, Consumer, Environment, Safety, Size, Function, Materials

WHEN ANALYZING

DO NOT say:

“this IPod has a touch screen and is very thin, it has a camera and a built in speaker. I don’t like it.”

DO say:

“the IPod has a touch screen which I THINK is an excellent design feature BECAUSE it eliminates the need for buttons to carry out functions and in doing so allows the screen to be a big as possible. This makes it a lot better for watching films and playing games on. However the screen is prone to becoming dirty as it is contently being touched. I THINK that it will become annoying to keep clean. It would be a good idea if I could design my MP3 with a touch screen that didn’t mark so easily.”

Hover over the different areas of the page below to give hints and tips to help complete.When carrying out product analysis you need to be analytical. You need to add your own opinions and give explanations and

reasoning for your suggestions. Below is a list of questions that you can use to help construct a statement for each ACCESS FM

heading. DO NOT ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS DIRECTLY, THEY ARE THERE TO HELP YOU TO CONSTRUCT A PARAGRAPH

Product Analysis

Aesthetics

Cost

Consumer

Environment

Safety

Size

Function

Materials

Ease of Use

Life Cycle

Production

Packaging

Consumer Opinion

Design Modifications

Safety

How safe is the product to use? Are any parts of it dangerous, what are they and how are they dangerous. Is it safe enough for the end user to use?

Size

How big is the product generally? For example: “its too big to fit in a pocket which makes it difficult to transport.” therefore how could the size be improved? Is it too big, too small or correctly sized for the intended user? How? Think about anthropometrics?

Function

What are the main functions for the product, what does it do GIVE FULL DETAILS FOR THIS? For example: “This chair allows the user to sit down at a desk. The user is able to swivel on the chair to change position as the main support post is not fixed. The user can also move around the room whilst sitting on the chair as it has caster wheels on the base of the legs.” How well does the product perform these functions? How could you use these suggestions as inspiration to design a BETTER product.

Materials

What are the materials that have been used to make the product? Are the materials suitable? Are they strong enough? Do they have the properties that are required for that product? Are they good or bad quality? Do the materials add any aesthetic qualities? What do you think?

Ease of use

Is the product easy to use? Is the object adjustable or multifunctional? Is it easy to move or change if this is the case or does it need instructions? Does it need replaceable parts i.e. Bulbs? Are they accessible and easy to change or do you have to take the product apart?

Lifecycle

What are the materials that have been used to make the product and are they suitable to ensure the product stands the test of time. What components have been used and do you think they are suitable or will need to be regularly replaced. Does the product need regular maintenance?

Production

Can you identify how the product was made? Does this method make it suitable for mass production? Does this method reduces costs or can you see a better method of producing this product? Does the method of production effect the aesthetics of the product?

Packaging

What are the materials that have been used to make the packaging? Are the materials suitable? Are they environmentally friendly? Do they have the assembly instructions? Are they good or bad quality? Does the packaging add any aesthetic qualities? What do you think?

Design Modifications

Produce a range of ideas to improve the two products that you have analysed that you think will meet your potential consumers preferences.

Product images

Product Images

Use different images or preferably your own photographs to highlight your analysis.
Use a number of images to highlight the different aspects of ACCESS FM

Which of the images below would best show the: Aesthetics, Cost, Consumer, Environment, Safety, Size, Function, Materials

Aesthetics

What do you think about how the product looks?

Is it successful or not? Why?

Are the looks (colour, shape, styling) suitable or not for the end user? How and why?

How could they be improved in your design?

Consumer

Who is the intended end user? What is the intended consumer profile? Has the product been designed appropriately for he intended user or not? How and why?

Have the ergonomics/anthropometrics been designed correctly for the intended end user? Explain.

Consumer Opinions

Who is the product you are analysing aimed at?
Use “poles apart” to gather primary research about what the target market things about this product.
Ask around 10 people to complete the survey.
Display all ten results on a single line.
Ask around 6-8 questions that will gage the target markets opinions about the aesthetics, functionality, cost, safety, materials, etc.

Cost

Is the product cost effective? Is it too expensive, too cheap, priced correctly?

How much would you be willing to pay?

Why is the product priced as it is? Is it because of its brand name, its quality, the materials used? What do you think, anything to add? How will this effect your design?

Environment

How does the product effect the environment:

When it was made (manufacturing process) , materials used, energy used
When its being used, does it give off any emissions or pollution?
When it is disposed of, is it recyclable, can it be reused?

Aesthetics

What do you think about how the product looks?

Is it successful or not? Why?

Are the looks (colour, shape, styling) suitable or not for the end user? How and why?

How could they be improved in your design?

Cost

Is the product cost effective? Is it too expensive, too cheap, priced correctly?

How much would you be willing to pay?

Why is the product priced as it is? Is it because of its brand name, its quality, the materials used? What do you think, anything to add? How will this effect your design?

Consumer

Who is the intended end user? What is the intended consumer profile? Has the product been designed appropriately for he intended user or not? How and why?

Have the ergonomics/anthropometrics been designed correctly for the intended end user? Explain.

Environment

How does the product effect the environment:

When it was made (manufacturing process) , materials used, energy used
When its being used, does it give off any emissions or pollution?
When it is disposed of, is it recyclable, can it be reused?

Safety

How safe is the product to use? Are any parts of it dangerous, what are they and how are they dangerous. Is it safe enough for the end user to use?

Size

Function

Materials

Ease of use

Lifecycle

Production

Packaging

Consumer Opinions

Who is the product you are analysing aimed at?
Using the five products you have chosen above & ask around 10 people to complete the survey for the headings above.
Display all five results on a single line with best product first and the worst 5th
Ask the ACCESS FM questions above that will gage the target markets opinions about the aesthetics, functionality, cost, safety, materials, etc.

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. You can also look at what you need to have in terms of detail on each page from the assessment tab above.

The pages below give an example of the different levelled pages for a task analysis. Text or writing in grey means that you do not need to complete this. However if you find the task easy you can have a go at these areas to improve your mark. As time goes by you should build your skills in task analysis and go up the levels until you are able to complete it completely independently and achieve a high grade.

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 task analysis 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