how you should start?

To start identifying a Need, Want, or Opportunity, you could ask yourself:

• What annoys you / people in daily life? Try not to think of systems that annoy you but more products or how something works.

• Where are things inefficient, uncomfortable, outdated, could be better, or unsafe?

• Are there any changes in the world (e.g. sustainability, use newer technology, health, weather (climate change, AQI)) that create new opportunities for design?

• Is there something that you know someone really wants and that you could provide a prototype solution to try and solve?

A Need is... Thinking of a known problem and that you want to design something to solve that need. For example, many boarding students have a need for a desktop lamp to place in their boarding rooms so that they can work in an evening, to illuminate their workspace without having to use the overhead spotlights in the ceiling which are very bright. 

Why is there a need for the product that you are thinking about? i.e. I would like to design a product to clean the air and remove the PM2.5 from the area that I work. The Need for that anxiety is for clean, breathable air in polluted areas so that the user is not damaging their lungs.

A Want is... Something that you wish for to improve someones life (or your life but ideally someone else's!) in some way, whether that be superficial or real i.e. 'I want an attachment for my mothers wheelchair so that she able to quickly clamp items onto the chair which will free up her hands'. 

This could be a clamp to hold a battery powered fan so that she can cool herself down during very hot days in Thailand (Real), OR I want a new bedside table in my bedroom as I am bored with my current one and I want something that looks cool and modern (Superficial).

An in-depth analysis is to show your thinking and gain a thorough understanding of the design need, want or opportunity. It aims to uncover:

• Why the problem exists.

• What is wrong or lacking with current solutions.

• What users wish was better or different.

Many products that you currently see for sale could be a Need, Want or Opportunity. 

Bluetooth speakers (commonly sold in Studio 7, .Life, Powerbuy etc.) are good examples of existing products that you can see for sale and there are lots of different aesthetic styles and ways that they work. There are clear Needs (bigger sound), Wants (internet radio, materials) or Opportunities (the use of new technology) to try to improve this product or make something that looks different (different designs, materials, combination of materials etc.)

You could then ask:

Why does this problem exist; what is wrong or lacking in current solutions; what do users wish was better or different.

How I identifIed the design need, want or opportunity

• I was using the product and I thought that it could be better if it did...

• I saw a product in a shop and I thought that it was really good but...

• Bloom - the art of growing your own herbs (Italian Basil) or salad produce at home, for working professionals, within an apartment or condominium block - a hydroponic garden. The Need / Opportunity / Want is to be able to grow your own produce in an apartment that does not have a garden. This problem was identified as Italian (sweet) basil is hard to find in the supermarkets in Thailand and I regularly cook with it or make my own pesto sauce. I have no garden space outside, and growing basil is very difficult. The likely outcome will probably be a small, adjustable product that can generate the right kind of growing light for basil. The herb does not grow too large so it can be a typical kitchen product size.

• I constantly get annoyed by...

• I was in a situation where I thought that it would be great if I had X right now i.e. I was on holiday for 3 days with my family and we were camping in tents. My phone, and my family's devices started to lose battery life and I wished that I had a battery recharger to power up these devices. It would need to be powerful enough and contain enough charge to refill all of our devices. What if I had a recharging device that could use solar power or another renewable energy source. The Biolite Campstove (below) is a perfect example of this - https://uk.bioliteenergy.com/collections#campstove-family

An excellent coursework project focuses on real people. To do this you need to identify a User (a real person will use your product, sometimes referred to as a Client) for your coursework project. Create a clear profile of who your design is for.

Your profile should include:

• Age range

• Occupation or lifestyle (job and how that may be relevant to what they need the product for; income - relevant to materials used and appearance; likes / hobbies) 

• Needs and challenges - any issues faced or things they want or need

• Preferences (aesthetics, ergonomics, materials) - linked to income, but also tastes and family information i.e. a single person tends to have much different tastes than a family

If it is possible it is good to observe your target user. Ideally you must add a photograph(s) of the User on one of your slides, as well as other images, to visually explain more about their profile and interests.

A User (or User Group) is the person(s) or group of people that you are intending to design for - It is always better and easier to design for others than to design for yourself! 

A User Group could be people of a similar age i.e. teenagers, elderly; a similar income i.e. wealthy, low income, business people; young families; grandparents; people with an impairment or disability etc.; single parents, young mothers etc.

The more you know about your User or User Group the more this will help you to design something appropriate and you can use the User's likes to help you to design. 

User Profile example: The user is 42, male and of Thai nationality. They work in the Sathorn area of Bangkok but live further away, near a BTS station. They have a good job with a high income. They like sport and keeping fit and healthy and regularly use the gym in their aprtment building. They also like Pickleball, cycling and running. The User's apartment is in Bangkok, Thailand. His family live in a modern luxury apartment in the heart of Bangkok. The apartment has large glass windows with modern, contemporary furnishings and like natural materials such as hardwoods, alongside neutral cloths, brushed aluminium and brass. They have a wide range of modern electrical appliances throughout the home. The client also owns a number of 'luxury' cars and motorbikes including a Tesla Model X, a BMW i8, a BMW R18 motorbike. The User also stores his high end road bicycles in the apartment spare room, which also has some training equipment.  

https://sites.google.com/rugbyschool.ac.th/rstdt-usb-lifestyle-hub/coursework-major-project/design-ideas/design-ideas-how-to-generate?authuser=0

For example, you could identify that you want to make a Lamp as your major project (this can be an excellent project beacuse at this stage you do not know what it should look like!) but you NEED to identify a User - someone who genuailey wants a Lamp. You then need to interview them refining the 'want / need' further by asking what they want from the Lamp i.e. do they want a floor standing lamp to light a corner of the room?; do they want a desk lamp to illuniate the work surface?; do they want a spot lamp (directional light)?; do they want a mood lamp to illuminate an area but with a softer light? etc. By interviewing them you can find out what they want from the function of the lamp as well as what aesthetic qualities they may also want i.e. materials, shape, form, finish, colour etc.  

If you are a boarding student you could ask another boarder to be your user. 

A Rationale is a justification as to why you are doing the project you have chosen. Think about it like: why did you choose the drinks bottle you have? Was it because of the colour? The materials? What it looks like? How much it costs? etc.? Now apply that thought process to your chosen project idea. Why are you doing your project? Why is there a need for it? Who wants it? What do you hope to learn from it? Why is it important to you? Is there any research that backs up why it is a project that needs to be developed?

You will present slides that show / demonstrate:

• You have investigated a few potential project ideas and narrowed this down to one potential project that you wish to work on

• You have identified a potential project idea and conducted a full analysis of the need for the design proposal

• You must clearly identify a User for your project and include a detailed Profile about them on a slide

• You should add a Rationale to your slides to explain why you have selected your project idea

• Use a mixture of text and visuals to communicate your analysis.

• Keep everything clearly linked to the needs of the user

After creating a 'Cover' slide including your Candidate number, Name, Project title (which you will add at the end), your first slide(s) could be a table (create a Spreadsheet - see below) identifying some potential project areas - see example below. 

This table spreadsheet can be done as Needs, Wants or Design Opportunities. This slide should have an introductory statement explaining what the slide / table is showing i.e. 'I started my project by identifiying a range of possible Needs, Wants and Opportunities for a product. I have listed these below in a table....

The next slide(s) of your PowerPoint then takes Two of your initial exploration of possible projects (Needs, Wants or Opportunities) and states in more detail, with any data or research to back up your project idea, why it is an important project, and what you are intending to try and solve. 

You will then proceed to select one of these project ideas to further analyse and develop. To see further examples click the button below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Target Market is very similar to your User or User Group. A target market can be defined as designing for women; designing for teenagers; designing for young people; designing for the elderly etc. etc.

A likely outcome is what you think the product could potentially look like. i.e. if you are solving a problem of not enough light to read a book then the likely outcome would be a reading lamp / light of some kind. If you state that you wish to use certain materials then that could be a reading lamp made from teak and brass (not wood or metal!), with a brushed finish, that can move and change the angle of the light.

What are the positives outcomes or objectives about doing a project like this and are there any negatives or barriers that you will have to overcome in order to solve the problem.

Positives could be: encouraging young people to eat healthy food; allowing a wheelchair user to have an attachment for a range of products, to teach new skills, lots of potential design possibilities, encourage activity etc. etc.

Negatives could be: complexity, size (very large), difficulty in using materials i.e. use of metals, use of advanced electrinics, programming knowledge etc. 

This is just an area to add any more information that you feel is important or to highlight anything about the project idea.

The information below states what a Design Brief should address. If you want to see more information on how to write a Design Brief click on the button below. 

Example of a Design Brief and User information

You will create a Design Brief and then a Research Plan about your chosen idea.