Your work in this step of the development of your design project should follow an iterative (agile) design methodology. 

Practically this means you will work on the development of drawn ideas (strand i) and concept models (strand ii) concurrently. In your report, the evidence for both may be integrated.

The iterative design development does need to follow a logical flow. The following steps are proposed and will be part of explicit in-class instruction:

Divergent thinking through concept sketches:

• Out-of-the-box concept brainstorm (scamper).

• Morphological ideation (annotated with specs).

Convergent thinking through concept drawings and (physical) models:

• At least 5 potential product concepts should be presented as annotated concept drawings.

• All concepts (or their parts) should be developed beyond the drawing using some form of modelling (see list of options below - strand ii)

The development towards a final chosen concept (strand iii) should be guided by the thorough evaluation of feedback generated through testing with clients or users. This feedback should be part of the annotation of sketches, drawings, models etc.

Present a range of different ideas for products that answer the design opportunity you have identified (criterion A). These ideas should go beyond small changes to already existing products. You can present your ideas in many different forms. As needed these could be:

• Freehand (perspective) drawings

• Simple isometric projection(s)

• Simple exploded or assembly drawings

• Tests or experiments

• Pictorial flowcharts

The details of your presented ideas should be such that others can fully understand them.

Annotate your ideas richly by labelling your design ideas with:

• Key features

• References to strengths and weaknesses

• References to specific design specifications

• Main dimensions

• Findings from additional research

• Indications of the main materials and construction methods.

Present concept models that further explore the functionality and practicality of the design ideas developed in the previous section. These models should allow thoughtful evaluation of concepts. Concept models should not merely be another visualization of an idea. They should instead provide  further insights for development or allow validation through testing. Models may model part of the design or the whole design and can take the following forms:

• • Fully dimensioned orthographic projections

  • Detailed isometric projection(s)

  • Detailed exploded or assembly drawings

  • Scale models

  • Aesthetic models

  • Prototypes

  • CAD renderings

Annotate your concept models richly by labelling your design ideas with:

• Findings from additional research or technical consultation

• Feedback from stakeholders

• Changes (developments) compared to the initial design ideas the models refer to.

Evaluate your developed design ideas against the design specification. Involve stakeholders in that evaluation.

Evaluate the feasibility of your different design ideas. Involve your design teacher in that evaluation.

Justify your chosen design with reference to:

• Concept model testing

• Stakeholder feedback

• Strength in solving the design problem

• Specific design specifications

Present your chosen idea in great detail. This is likely a further development of what has been presented earlier with more details and slightly adjusted form. Choose a combination of a number of these forms to present your chosen design:

• • Create new detailed freehand (perspective) drawings if the shape or form of your chosen design gets a significant update or if their is a change in functional parts.

  • Create detailed exploded or assembly drawings if there are no large updates in the shape or form of your chosen design but you have thought more about how the product will be assembled.

  • Make (Exploded) CAD drawings if there are no large updates in the shape or form of your chosen design. Focus on determining dimensions more precisely.

  • Make AI Renderings if you are good with CAD software. Create a simple CAD mockup with only the main dimensions and use AI to render. Vizcom and PromAI are nice options.

  • Make new physical mock-ups if the shape or form of your chosen design gets a significant update.

  • Add diagrams of for instance electrical circuits when appropriate.

Annotate the presentation of your chosen design by labelling it with:

• Key features

• Main dimensions

• Changes (developments) compared to the initial design ideas.