Once you have identified the area for improvement (phase 2), you need to complete a Design Brief and a Design Specification for the improvement. The Design Brief and the Design Specification are only for the area of the improvement, not the entire product. 

Example of a Design Idea sheet

How you should present this section

I asked Chat GPT to write me a detailed Design Brief for a product improvement to a school hot glue gun to make it more ergonomic to hold

This is the response below (which I have slightly modified).

Design Brief for the ergonomic Improvement of School Hot Glue Gun

design brief - Project Overview

This project aims to redesign the standard school hot glue gun to make it more ergonomic, safer, and comfortable for extended use, particularly by young students in the workshop. The redesign will address the main issue of grip, weight, balance, and ease of use, which are all ergonomic factors, and this will also therefore have an emphasis on safety features. My goal is to improve the user experience by reducing hand fatigue, increasing precision and comfort, and minimising the risk of burns or other injuries.

Objectives

1. Ergonomics: Redesign the handle and trigger to better fit a student's hand, ensuring comfort and reducing fatigue. I will give consideration to the grip texture, contouring, and trigger position.

2. Lightweight Design: Reduce the weight of the hot glue gun, making it easier for young students to hold and move without straining.

The additional points below could be side effects of making the changes I propose

3. Safety: Integrate additional safety features such as a heat shield around the nozzle, automatic shut-off, and a stable, insulated stand. The device should maintain consistent temperature without overheating.

4. Ease of Use: Simplify the mechanism for loading glue sticks and improve control for precise glue application.

5. Aesthetics and Durability: Create an appealing, student-friendly design with a durable outer casing that can withstand accidental drops.

Target Audience (User)

The primary users of the hot glue gun will be school students aged (Y4) 8 to (Y10) 14, along with teachers who supervise D&T workshops. The hot glue gun should be optimised for children’s smaller hand sizes and lower hand strength while still being suitable for adult use.

Design Requirements

1. Handle:

   • Contoured handle designed to fit comfortably in a student’s hand.

   • Soft, non-slip material, such as a rubberised coating, to improve grip.

   • Designed with a slight angle to encourage a natural wrist position, minimising strain.

2. Trigger Mechanism:

   • Positioned to require minimal force for ease of use by children.

   • Redesigned to allow a smooth, even flow of glue with a single squeeze.

   • Possibly a two-finger trigger to distribute pressure more evenly across fingers.

3. Nozzle and Heat Shield:

   • Heat-resistant cover around the nozzle to protect hands from accidental burns.

   • Extended nozzle option for detailed work without risking contact with hot parts.

   • Automatic shut-off feature after 10 minutes of inactivity to prevent overheating.

4. Weight and Balance:

   • Reduced overall weight, aiming for a lighter material without compromising durability.

   • Balanced weight distribution to prevent the gun from feeling front-heavy, aiding in stability during use.

5. Stand and Stability:

   • An improved, wider, and more stable stand that keeps the glue gun upright when not in use.

   • Non-slip rubber base to prevent accidental tipping or sliding.

6. Ease of Glue Stick Loading:

   • Consider a larger trigger mechanism to help push glue sticks smoothly.

7. Aesthetic Design:

   • Bright, fun colors and a sleek, inviting look that appeals to young users.

   • Durable, child-safe materials that withstand frequent classroom use.

Materials and Production Requirements

• Materials: Lightweight and durable materials (e.g., ABS plastic, silicone for grip areas).

• Safety Compliance: Adherence to safety standards for electrical products used by children.

• Manufacturing Techniques: Cost-effective production methods suitable for large-scale manufacturing to ensure affordability for schools.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of this project, I expect to have a prototype of a school-friendly ergonomic hot glue gun that:

• Reduces strain on young students / users' hands.

• Minimises the risk of burns or accidents.

• Is easy to use, durable, and appealing to young students and teachers.

Timeline and Budget

• Timeline: I need to design, develop and prototyping possible solutions before Songkran. I need to allow enough time for testing.

• Budget: Subject to availability but will prioritise affordable, durable materials.

Evaluation Metrics

1. User Comfort: Feedback from user testing with students and teachers.

2. Safety Performance: Effectiveness of the stability of the stand.

3. Functionality: Ease of loading glue sticks and consistency of glue flow.

4. Aesthetic Appeal: Survey responses on design from target audience feedback.

You then need to write a justified (explaining why) Design Specification for your proposed improvement of the product. This should be a comprehensive design specification of justified requirements (stating why it is important) and it must be measureable. The Design Specification should cover all the elements of the improvement (not just certain areas). It should be presented as a short list of measureable bullet points. To achieve full marks for your Design Specification you should justify / explain each of your points. You should aim for at least 12 specification points that are fully justified. 

Advice. You should number your Specification points i.e. 1.1, 1.2 etc. or 1a, 1b etc. and then in your design ideas use this numbering system to highlight how your design idea meets the Specification. 

You could (although be careful!) use Chat GPT or Gemini to help you to write some specification bullet points. You would then need to re-word anything that you get from these AI sources to make them yours! As you will see below, Chat GPT has generated a detailed Design Specification although many of the areas of the specification are not relevant for this project as you should only be focusing upon ONE improvement. Also, some of the suggestions would be difficult to measure / test - highlighted in Red.

design ideas

Assessment criteria

Example - Design Idea 1 for a new Ergonomic handle design for the Jisu Life hand held fan - to be finished by adding some CAD modelling

After completing your 3 Design Ideas sheets (slides) I would then add Evaluation of Design Ideas slides. This would comment upon how each of your ideas matches the Design Specification and Why (reasons). You should then choose one of your ideas to take forward to Development for further refinement as your Design Proposal. At this stage you should also be considering material choices and manufacturing processes / production methods that you could use to make your chosen prototype idea.

You could use a rating system (1-5 or 1-10) for each of your design ideas and how well they meet / match your Specification points.

You could use a Pros and Cons, or Advantages and Disadvantages of each design idea to help you summarise and evaluate your ideas.

You could use a survey / interview / questionnaire (Google Form) to get responses from others about your design ideas. The very best responses would be from a client or user group. The use of others opinions is recognised as being very good.