Design & Coursework Questions

Designing is about making changes to improve things, focusing on understanding people, being practical, and making things suitable for everyday life. It involves thinking and doing to create solutions using the right technology with a clear purpose. This includes logical thinking and creative ideas within a mix of analyzing, creating, and critical thinking. 

You will need to look at daily activities to find design opportunities and take ideas from the beginning to the final product. 

A Design Situation is the context or environment where a problem exists (e.g., "The school canteen is very crowded during recess").

A Design Opportunity is the specific problem you decide to solve within that context (e.g., "Students struggle to carry multiple drinks without spilling them").

To find a meaningful opportunity, we focus on the User 👤. We need to understand:

• Who is facing the problem?

• What specifically are they trying to do?

• Why is the current way of doing it not working?

Once you identify this, you write a Design Brief. This is a short statement that outlines what you intend to design, who it is for, and where it will be used, without jumping to the solution yet. For example: "I will design and make a portable organizer for art students to keep their brushes and paints tidy while working in the outdoors."

To get us started, think about your own daily routine or the people around you. What is one small, recurring frustration or "problem" you’ve noticed at home, in school, or during a hobby?

Summary

1. Needs Analysis: Figuring out what user needed through brainstorming activities, mindmap, survey, interview, product research and any other research.

2. Idea Conceptualization: Coming up with ideas through doodling, sketching, morphing, shapeborrowing and SCAMPER.

3. Development : Creating and testing versions of your idea using mock up models from cardboard, foamboard, paper.

4. Prototyping : Making and realising your idea into a fully functional product ready to meet user needs.

5. Research: Supporting your work with  Facts, Findings, Feelings and Future developments.

This will help you arrive at the best design solution. 

- Mr Nor C D

Excerpt from: https://www.seab.gov.sg/docs/default-source/national-examinations/syllabus/olevel/2022syllabus/7059_y22_sy.pdf

The coursework usually accounts for a significant portion of your final grade (often 60%). It consists of two main parts: the Design Journal (an A3-sized portfolio documenting your thinking) and the Artifact (the physical product you build). 🛠️

A successful project follows a structured path:

• Identification of Needs 🔍: Observing users to find a "pain point."

• Research 📚: Investigating existing products, materials, and technical requirements.

• Ideation 💡: Generating multiple creative ideas through sketching.

• Development 📐: Refining one idea using models, mock-ups, and technical drawings.

• Realisation 🔨: Using workshop tools and machines to build the final product.

• Evaluation ✅: Testing the product against your original goals.

Where would you like to start exploring the coursework process?

1. Setting the Foundation: Learning how to write a strong Design Brief and Specifications to keep your project on track.

2. The Ideation Phase: Strategies for Sketching and Developing your ideas so they move from paper to reality.

3. Project Management: Using tools like Gantt Charts to ensure you finish your artifact and journal on time.

Setting the foundation is the most critical part of your coursework. If your Design Brief and Specifications are clear, every decision you make later becomes much easier. 🏗️

1. The Design Brief ✍️

A Design Brief is a short, clear statement that summarizes what you are going to do. It shouldn't describe the solution yet; instead, it defines the boundaries. A good brief usually answers three questions:

• What are you making? (e.g., a storage system)

• Who is it for? (e.g., elderly gardeners)

• Why is it needed? (e.g., to prevent back strain when reaching for tools)

Example: "I will design and make a compact tool organizer for elderly gardeners to help them access small hand tools easily while seated, reducing the need to bend down."

2. Design Specifications 📝

While the brief is general, the Specifications are the specific "rules" your product must follow. Think of these as a checklist you will use at the end of the year to see if you succeeded. Common categories include:

• User 👤: Who exactly will use it? (e.g., "Must be comfortable for people with arthritis.")

• Function ⚙️: What must it do? (e.g., "Must hold at least 4 different hand tools.")

• Safety ⚠️: How will you keep the user safe? (e.g., "No sharp edges; all corners must be rounded.")

• Size 📏: What are the limits? (e.g., "Must fit within a 300mm x 300mm footprint.")

To practice, let’s try to draft a Design Brief. Think of a problem you’ve noticed recently—maybe something at home, in your hobby, or at school.

If you were to design a solution for that problem, who would the user be, and what is the main task they are struggling with? 💡

To move beyond basic ideas, designers use structured strategies to "force" new ways of thinking. In GCE O Level D&T, showing that you used a specific strategy in your journal proves to the examiner that your design didn't just happen by accident—it was a result of deliberate creative effort. 🧠

Here are three powerful strategies we can use:

1. SCAMPER 🛠️

This is an acronym where each letter triggers a different way to change an existing product:

• Substitute: Swap a material or part (e.g., use bamboo instead of plastic).

• Combine: Merge two functions (e.g., a chair that is also a storage box).

• Adapt: Use a solution from a different context (e.g., using a honeycomb structure for strength).

• Modify/Magnify: Change the size, shape, or color.

• Put to another use: Can the product solve a different problem?

• Eliminate: Remove a part to make it simpler or lighter.

• Reverse: Flip the design or do the opposite of what is expected.

2. Morphological Analysis 📊

This involves breaking a product down into its main features (like Materials, Joining Methods, and Shapes) and putting them into a grid. You then pick one item from each column at random to create a unique combination you might never have thought of otherwise.

3. Shape Borrowing (Biomimicry) 🌿

Nature is one of the best designers. By looking at the curves of a leaf, the structure of a shell, or the way a bird’s wing folds, you can "borrow" those forms to create a product that is both aesthetic and functional.

Let's try applying one of these right now.

Imagine you are designing a portable study lamp for a student. If you were to use the "Combine" part of SCAMPER, what is one other object or function you could merge with the lamp to make it more useful for someone with a very small desk? 💡