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Design and Technology

Home > Design and Technology > Designing and Producing > Project Advice and Examples > Project advice and examples

Project Example

Storage Unit: Store It Corner It

One example may be that my family really needs a cabinet to locate/store all of the glassware. These pages are meant as a guide for prospective candidates of Design and Technology, they are not prescriptive nor cover the full range of tasks that a candidate would complete to fully satisfy the examination criteria for a Major Design Project. Note that each of these examples has a title, the title for a project should not be fully determined until the needs have been identified. Someone who sets out to design a bridge, may find that a tunnel is a better solution!

Project Proposal and Project Management / 15
Project Development and Realisation / 35
Evaluation / 10

Project Proposal and Project Management / 15

Identification and exploration of the needs

• Survey the potential users of the furniture, base the needs on this survey.
• Photograph the locations it could possibly go.
• Draw plans of the spaces.
• Identify the items which could be stored in it and show where they are currently stored.

Areas of Investigation

• Survey potential users to see which items should be stored / displayed.
• Measure the items to be stored, and consider existing designs.
• the full range of materials which could be used.
• fastening methods.
• finishing methods.
• construction methods.
• hardware.
• available space for the furniture to go.
• existing decor.

Criteria to evaluate success

• Based on the needs: a nice looking cupboard (determined by surveying family and 6 neighbours).
  
• match existing decor (evaluate style existing and develop designs of that style).
• fits in the corner neatly (draw plan before and after to evaluate space).
• appropriately constructed (seek opinion of experienced cabinetmaker).
• Break these up into Functional, Aesthetic, Societal and Environmental criteria.
• Analyse the functional and aesthetic criteria.

Selection and use of ideas and resources

• Select the best ideas to use from a range.
• Select the better resources from those investigated.
• Talk to my teachers.
• Use the phone book and/or the Internet.
• Talk to family and friends to address all of the things from "areas of investigation".
  
• As new things arise, do thorough research of available resources.
• Have the goal of identifying at least three sources for any resource required.
• When the better resource is selected, based on my evaluation criteria, explain why. Use a big table for this.
• Try to use not only existing resources but some experimentation to create some of my own, such as create my own mouldings to use, experiment with a different sort of finish which may be more friendly to the environment.

Action, Time and Finance Plans and their application

• Use a Gantt Chart for the overall planning, show time and actions, along the bottom include the budget.
• Leave space below each line to indicate the actual usage of time.
• Create "sub charts" of intense work periods, like experiments, modelling, construction phases.
• Be sure to take photographs of the Product as it develops so the markers can see the application of my plans.
• Keep all receipts and a tally of hours spent.
• Produce a pie chart to show the dissection of the budget and whether I over spent or under spent.
• Build in at least one month for problems that may occur.

Project Development and Realisation / 35

Documentation of research, experimentation and testing of design ideas, materials, tools, techniques and the application of conclusions

• Use photographs to document the experiments and tests that I conduct.
• Create some sample models of the styles and survey potential users. Do the same with finishes.
• Experiment and develop skills in the appropriate cabinet making techniques.
• Test a range of materials for suitability, visit manufacturing plants and discuss with a range of experts.
• Use the Internet to seek out "state of the art" technologies.
• Create scale models of three or four designs and evaluate on my criteria, and get the potential users to evaluate. Show how this affects my final choice of design.
• Create methods of clamping pieces together, gluing, construction methods, test these alternatives and select the best methods.

Consideration of design factors relevant to the major design project

• Develop an analysis of the range of factors that are involved in the design of furniture, ergonomics, anthropometrics and the like.
• Brainstorm from existing furniture, materials, finishes, properties, usability, mapping and ease of use.

Use of communication and presentation techniques

• Get some nice quality A4 paper and some A3 card, use a combination of written notes, sketches, word processor and CAD.
• Take photos which are mounted on one side of the A3 with a typed page of comments next door to explain them.
• Use four sheets of A3 paper to keep my plans and diary of work on.
• Use a word processor at school to keep the data up to date (keep two back ups).

Evidence and application of practical skills to produce a quality project

• Use photographs,
• make samples, and
• make the cabinet to the highest standard.
• Have at least two external, independent experts comment on the quality of my product.

Evidence of creativity - ideas generation, degree of difference and exploration of existing ideas

• Sketch and model various design possibilities.
• Take each idea and develop the detail.
• Include innovative ways of storing and displaying the items that we want the cabinet to show.
• Use a mind map, family brainstorm and style acquisition to develop alternate concepts for achieving the desired function.

Consideration of the practices in industrial/commercial settings as they relate to the major design project

• Do a separate study of the processes, techniques and methods used in the furniture industry to design similar corner units.

Evaluation / 10

Record of Evaluation procedures throughout the Design Project and the application of that evaluation

• Every third page in the folio, include notes, photos etc. to explain why there is a difference between the plans and the diary of activity.
• Take photographs and create separate displays of experiments and tests to show the value of them in their effect on the progress of the project.
• Use Post it notes to annotate the product and throughout the folio adding comments where necessary.

Analysis and Evaluation of Functional and Aesthetic aspects of design

• Expand on the Identification of Needs and the evaluation criteria to show that I understand the concepts of Functional and Aesthetic criteria. How these aspects will affect my designing.
• When my product is complete and tested at home, I will use my criteria and testing methodology to evaluate the functional and aesthetic aspects.
• I will create a table and ask the potential users to evaluate it on the criteria that I developed with their help, separating them into function and aesthetic.

Final Evaluation with respect to design criteria and impact on society / environment

• Using the same table and methods as function and aesthetics above, I will assess the impact on macro and micro societies and environments.
• My potential users will be the main respondents, but I will include other independent people, who don't have to say nice things because they know me!

Relationship of PSE to the Proposal

• I will create a poster showing how this product satisfies the needs that I identified. This will include photos showing how the needs are satisfied and tested.