Writing to show analysis

Introduction

Analysis is a life skill. It is simply a fancy word to describe 'asking questions in a logical way so that we can understand something better'.

D&T is a technical subject. This is because we spend much of our time investigating, understanding how things work and how things are made. Often we want to take an existing idea and improve upon it - to 'innovate'. For this reason technologists need to be able to analyse.

A good place to start is by looking at existing objects or products. We call this a product analysis.

Product Analysis Discussion Videos

These are insightful videos by a product designer on YouTube which shows the kind of thought processes that can be taken when looking at an existing product.

What is ACCESSFM?

ACCESSFM is a useful acronym used in D&T as it helps focus our thoughts on certain important areas for consideration:

• Aesthetics
  Aesthetics is the word that describes how something looks. Think: style (fashion), form (shape), colour, texture. These can be considered individually.

Whilst it is tempting to say how much we like or dislike these attributes (features), our feelings are actually not important and don't really help us look at something objectively (from an unbiased point of view). Instead we need to consider how well the aesthetics meet the target market demands.

• Cost
  We should consider both how much the product costs to manufacture as well as how much it may sell for? This is important if we are interested in thinking about profit (making money from something).

• Customer
  This is the target market or individual who the product is intended for. We need to know more about their demographic. You can learn more about demographics and user-centred design here. By considering who the product target market is we can better understand how well the product serves their needs and wants.

• Environment
  This aspect has two elements to it:

  • 1) WHERE is the product intended to be used in normal operation? I.e. is it? outdoors, indoors on a wall, on a shelf, on a table, in a high vibration environment, is it going to be dropped a lot? etc.

  • 2) SUSTAINABILITY. What is the product's impact upon the environment? Is it carbon neutral? Did it cause harm during manufacture? Will it cause harm during use? Will it cause harm when it reaches the end of its life? To answer these questions we can use the 6R's of sustainability. We can learn more about these here.

• Size
  How big is the product? What are the major dimensions (sizes)? Are there any other subtle details or features we need to know the important sizes for?

• Safety
  How well has this product been designed to ensure safety to the person using it? What integrated (built in) features are there to enable this? What national or international safety standards were used when it was designed / manufactured? You can learn more about consumer protection here.

• Function
  Arguably the most important aspect of all: what are the primary (main) and secondary (extra) functions of the product? How well does the product perform these functions? Can these functions be improved upon? How? Why?

• Materials
  What specific materials has this product been made from? How do you know this (or if you can't prove it, why do you think this)? What are their attributes (properties)? Are they fit for purpose (suitable)? Are they expensive? How were they manufactured / shaped / formed into the product? Can they be switched for a better / cheaper / more environmentally friendly material?

Click the links to learn more about woods, metals, plastics, ceramics, composites or smart, modern & 'meta' materials