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Tuts

Research Specification Designing Evaluation Task Analysis

Making

An example of how to complete a ACCESS FM mind map is shown below. Hover over the words for examples and suggestions of how to complete. Add your own thoughts as well.

Before your mind gets solution-focused, it is worth spending some time thinking in detail about the design context and design brief in order for you to explore as many avenues as possible before narrowing down and researching relevant areas associated with your project. You must first ensure that you have fully read the design brief.

Task Analysis is all about making key decisions.

The Design Task that you are given is NEVER very specific in telling you exactly what it is you have to design and make.

Because of this you are ultimately the one who has to decide.

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.

Tut

Design and technology should be the subject where mathematical brainboxes and science whizzkids turn their bright ideas into useful products

James Dyson

In order to help you fully analyse the task follow the steps below

First task is to copy down the context if there is one
List or highlight the key words found within the context.
Copy down your chosen design brief.
List or highlight the key words found within the design brief.
If you do not understand these key words research them.

Context: Cultural Influences

Traditional products manufactured in places such as Africa, India, South America, China etc. provide endless inspiration for designers. The craft traditions, patterns and forms can be seen in many of our shops. Interest in Fair Trade is another reason we are becoming more used to seeing such products. A UK development agency has been working with a wide variety of traditional craftsmen from a range of emerging countries. Their intention is to introduce new manufacturing technologies but to maintain the ethnic influences

Design Task 2

You are required to design and make a mood lamp which would be suitable for the UK market. The product will need to reflect the cultural identity of the country you have used for inspiration and be suitably packaged.

Context & Design Brief Example:

A mind map is a good method to help you analyse the problem in more detail and gives you lots of useful avenues to explore. Remember to be adventurous at this stage, do not forget to write down all thoughts no matter how silly, weird or wacky! These often lead to the most unusual solutions or the best designs and show risk taking which leads to higher grades. We use something called ACCESS FM throughout the design process to help guide our thinking and provide a starting point. You can add your own categories if you think this will help and the key words. ACCESS FM stands for aesthetics, consumer, cost, environment, size, safety, function and materials. This model can be used throughout your folder to analyse your research, produce a specification and evaluate your ideas and product.

Analysing the Design Context and Design Brief:

Objs Ass Tut

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

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+

Task Analysis (ACCESS FM) Mind Map

Safety

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

Cost

What price range will your product fall into?
Will it be expensive, cheap, mid range.
What materials, processes and finishes will you use, does this reflect the cost?

Will you be able to reuse or recycle materials?
Where will you get these materials from to cut down on cost?
Is all f this something you will decide when you start designing or later?

Aesthetics

What do you intend your product to look like?
What colours, styling, patterns do you intend to design your use?
How important are aesthetics?
Is form more important than function?
What theme or inspiration will you use?
Will you carry out market research, research an art movement, a theme, make observations and drawings to inspire you. Collect images?

Function

Is form more important than function or vise versa?
Will your product be multifunctional? If so why?
What information will you need to research in order to manufacture your product? Make your product work?
Will you need to know about light fittings, electrical components, springs, mechanisms etc?

Materials

You may not know exactly what materials you will be using yet however you should have an idea of the sort of product you will make i.e. Cheap, low quality, high quality, expensive. This will have an effect on what type of materials you will use:

high quality materials such as...
cheap materials such as...

You may also you the sorts of properties different materials have such as thermal etc.

Consumer

Who do you intend your consumer to be?
Who are you are designing for at this stage or will you determine this as you research or design your product?
How old they are?
What is their profession?
What interests they have?
How much money they earn?
How will you collect information about your target market

Environment

How will the product effect the environment:
When it will be made (manufacturing process): materials used, energy used
When its being used, will it give off any emissions or pollution?

When it is disposed of, will it be recyclable, will it be able to be reused
What other environmental considerations will you have to take into consideration.

Size

How big is the product GENERALLY going to be? For example: “it will be pocket size so that it can be kept with the user at all times.”
How big will certain parts of your product be?
Will it be adjustable?
Have you been given any confinements as to how big your project needs to be?
What information will you need to find out?

Key Words

At the beginning you were asked to list some key words from the design brief and write them down. Add these onto the mind-map and expand them as much as possible.

Key Decisions

From your first page you should be able to make some key decisions. Who is your potential consumer? What do you think their needs are? How much would they be willing to pay for a sustainable house? What would they expect to get for their money? What sustainable features are going to be designed on the house and why are these important? What are their functions? What sustainable materials other than the shipping containers will be used in the manufacture of the house? How will the house be finished?

Rewrite the design brief to take into account the key decisions you have made so it is more specific and gives you clear direction of what you are doing, who you are designing for etc.

Write the context and the design brief in the box here. Highlight the keywords

Key Words

Traditional
Patterns
Forms
Emerging
Manufacturing technologies
Ethnic influences
Reflect
Inspiration

List the keywords you have highlighted in the text.

I am going to design and make a mood lamp which is based around the culture of Thailand. The product will need to reflect the cultural identity Thailand’s temples, flowers and animals and will be suitably packaged to sell in the UK market. The lamp will be manufactured using traditional materials and CAD/CAM to enable it to be mass produced.

Make some key decisions that enables you to focus your research on what you are designing and for who? Then rewrite the design brief

Pro Design Words

Pro-design words can be used to aid your task analysis and provide you with lots of avenues to explore. You can identify if form is more important than function or vice versa. Above are some examples of pro- design words. Research them further and list the words you think you will influence your designing.

Retro

Ext Ext Ext Ext Ext

Clever Product Design inspiration

Lighting Inspiration

Storage Inspiration

Nature Inspired Products

Assessment Criteria:

Each has been expanded with 5 options or less

Each has been expanded with at least 6 options

Each has been expanded with at east 7 options

Each has been expanded with at least 8 options

Each has been expanded with at least 9 options

Each has been expanded with 10 or more options

4 ACCESS FM

5 ACCESS FM

6 ACCESS FM

7 ACCESS FM

8 ACCESS FM

Excep.

Task Analysis Examples

Lesson Objectives:

To identify a gap in the market place to day and formulate a design brief outlining what you intend to do, design, manufacture, market, test and evaluate.
To analyse and breakdown the task in hand and formulate a research plan outlining what and how you intend to research and why?

You will learn about designers and how design has grown over time in response to what people need and new technology
You will produce a problem and a design brief outlining how you intend to solve that problem
You will identify a research plan highlighting what you intend to look at to help you solve the problem and where you intend to look.