A: Strand 1

For example:

Design Situation - "Portable music is very popular and as a result we use earphones more than ever before. Lots of different groups of people use earphones, sporty people, students, elderly people, working people. However quite often the wires get tangled too easily. Choose a target audience and design something which will help to prevent tangled wires and fit their lifestyle"

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So your job is to tell the reader what the problem is, in detail....AND provide evidence to justify that this really is a problem and not just your opinion. The design situation is there are a starting point and you need to dig deeper and elaborate on what the problem means to you. Evidence could include some form of information from a reliable source such as a website (possibly a statistic or a quote). It could also be a photograph you have taken of the problem occurring or an interview with your client where they are providing evidence about the problem.

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• When you explain the problem you can flesh it out by thinking about:
• What is the problem/ what happens when the problem occurs? (could you get photos of it occuring)
• Who is affected by the problem and how does it affect their life? (could you interview them)
• What causes the problem to occur in the first place? (is there a statistic or fact to back this up)
• When is this a problem? Constantly or at particular times?

With all of this in mind you should be able to give a detailed account of the problem which has some form of evidence to back it all up. Remember the reader/marker may not have seen the design situation, assume they know nothing.

Strand 1 example #1

My friend likes listening to music through earphones. He mostly uses them on the bus to school and sometimes when going on long journeys or trips. The problem is that the earphone wires become tangled really easily and before he can use them he has to waste time untangling them. The problem is frustrating for him and sometimes he goes without music because he can't be bothered untangling them. (He told me this is an interview) When he takes them out of his bag or pocket they often look like this.

This problem not only wastes time but when the wires become tangled like this it can also damage the wires and quite often earphones break as a result of the wires being bent too much. Solving this problem would mean my friend would enjoy using is earphones more and won't get so frustrated every time he wants to use them. The earphones would also be more protected and less likely to get damaged.

Strand 1 example #2

My mom’s desk is scattered with pens, pencils and other tools, such as glue sticks, scissors, rulers, tape, hole punchers, staplers, etc., she needs while doing paperwork. Therefore I want to solve this problem for her, by creating a storage device, which she can put on her desk and use to store everything that is momentarily lying across her desk. It shouldn’t take up too much space, but be big enough to store everything that she needs.

This is a photo of her messy workspace:

This problem is caused, because the containers that she is using momentarily are not big enough to hold all of her tools/equipment. A custom made storage device for her needs would be perfect for her.

President of Energy Design and author of "Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It", writes the following on the topic of a clean work space increasing work efficiency:

“Whether you are working in a huge corporation or a one-person office, there are several benefits to uncluttering and organizing:

• Increase productivity and profitability increase
• Keep information confidential and secure
• Reduce mental overload and stress
• Reduce workplace accidents and spills
• Save time and improve effectiveness”

(http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/16652/reduce-office-clutter-to-increase-productivity,-efficiency-profitability)

Considering these points, if my mom were to get a custom made storage device, she would be able to get a lot more done in a lot less time. She would be less stressed looking for her stuff and what she needs. There would be less accidents or things falling to the floor as she is searching for a pen. That way she would be done with her work a lot quicker, would be able to complete more on one day, and be much more relaxed overall.

Strand 1 example #3 (Year 5)

Earphones, Earbuds, Headphones are all names for the device we use to listen to music. Mostly they are used to listen to music when in public places so that other people don't get subjected to our choice of music. They are available in a huge range of shapes and sizes and over the past ten years they have become extremely popular due to the increased use of smart technology such as iphones and tablets. The pew research centre for science and tech states that in 2015 that 68% of americans now have smartphones and 45% now have a tablet computer.

Today, 68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011, and tablet computer ownership has edged up to 45% among adults, according to newly released survey data from the Pew Research Center.1 Smartphone ownership is nearing the saturation point with some groups: 86% of those ages 18-29 have a smartphone, as do 83% of those ages 30-49 and 87% of those living in households earning $75,000 and up annually."

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As most new smartphones are sold complete with a pair of earphones this means that there has also been a sharp rise in the number of earphone users. The problem that I have identified is that the wires of these earphones become tangled really easily. I surveyed my class and I found that 100% of my peers have earphones. Of this 100% around 95% of them claimed that they have had problems with tangled headphone wires and some even said that their headphones are now broken due to damaged wires.

My target market is sporty people who use their earphones for listening to music while exercising. They are most likely to store their earphones in their sports bag or a pocket and this is when the wires become most tangled. An article written by "Discover Magazine" states that wires that are more flexible will become tanged more quickly. Untangling the wires before they can be used is annoying and wastes time. It can also damage the internal core of the wires and eventually they can become damaged. People who enjoy playing sport don't have time to waste untangling wires and if a solution can be designed that would prevent them from tangling it could make earphones more user friendly and the whole experience would be more enjoyable. As my target market is sporty people my product would need to reflect this in terms of its form or function. This is an area that I would need to investigate further in order to design a solution that reflects my target market.

Although wireless headphones are now available I don't see this as a solution to this problem. Wireless headphones use bluetooth technology which needs to be powered by battery and therefore require constant recharging, also they are heavy and cumbersome which is not ideal for sporty people. Rather than remove the wires I will consider a solution that helps the user to quickly and easily organise the cables to save time and prevent damage and loss.