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Basic principles of design
This unit of work addresses aspects of the following syllabus outcomes:
The Student:
P3.3 demonstrates appropriate design principles in the production of projects
H3.3 applies design principles effectively through the production of projects
Source: Board of Studies (1999) Stage 6 Industrial Technology Preliminary and HSC Courses. Sydney , Board of Studies.
Awareness of, and an understanding of the principles of design are essential when planning the production of any project.
The design of a new product, or the redesign of an existing product is usually a response to a need and the analysis of this need in the context of the final use of the product.
Caption: This ergonomic keyboard is shaped to be more comfortable for typing, the colour is attractive to look at and the keys and buttons are laid out to be visually easy to find.
Good design will be a balance of many elements, which may include,
- function – does a product effectively and efficiently carry out the task that it is designed to carry out?
- aesthetics – this is what a product looks like. It is an emotional response based on how appealing an individual finds the design. Components such as visual appeal, proportion, colour, texture, help determine whether we judge an item to be aesthetically pleasing or not. The old adage, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, may be quite true when we consider the aesthetic appeal of a design.
- ergonomics – is concerned with the human factors that need to be considered in a design. The web site http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/
provides a good explanation of the aspects of ergonomic design. Some examples of poor ergonomic design can be seen at http://www.williamson-labs.com/480_ergo.htm
- safety – safe use and operation are essential considerations when designing many products. This is particularly crucial in the design of products for babies or children or where electricity is involved. All aspects of a design need to be assessed for risk and any potential dangers removed or at least minimised.
- durability – how long a product lasts will depend on the quality of the materials used to make it, how well it is made, and on the overall quality control and testing carried out during manufacture.
- ecology – sustaining our environment, by reducing waste and caring for our resources is becoming more important to designers. Many products today are developed using ecodesign considerations and undergo life cycle analysis to minimise their impact on the environment and to ensure sustainable resources for the future. Explore the following link http://www.cfd.rmit.edu.au/ for information on sustainable products, life cycle analysis and ecodesign.
In addition to these basic considerations, there are also factors which need to be considered, which ensure the widest usability by people of the design or product. Some of these ‘universal design principles’ are described at the web site:
http://www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/cud
Activity 1
Visit the Centre for Universal Design web site and answer the following question:
What is the definition of universal design?
Activity 2
Visit the Centre for Universal Design web site and answer the following question:
List the 7 universal design principles, which it describes.
It is important to balance function, aesthetics and ergonomics and a visit to http://www.baddesigns.com/examples.html will give you some examples of why?
Activity 3
Have a look at the position of the door handle at:
http://www.baddesigns.com/doorhand.html
What reason is given as to why this is a bad place to put the handle?
Activity 4
What conclusion is given about functional design from this example at:
http://www.baddesigns.com/knife.html
Activity 5
What was the problem with the positioning of the file drawer handle in this example at:
http://www.baddesigns.com/file.html
The analysis of the function of an existing product is a very valuable way to identify problems that can be overcome and improved upon through effective design.
Activity 6
Visit: the web site at and answer the following question:
http://www.dyson.co.uk/insidedyson/#rootcyclone
What aspect of the function of a vacuum cleaner does the design of the Dyson Cyclonic cleaner try to improve?
Activity 7
Download the document from:
http://www.cfd.rmit.edu.au/programs/sustainable_products/erd_guidelines_furniture_building_products
What strategies for new product design are described to minimise wastage at the end of a product’s life?
These are some interesting websites to explore to learn more about good design
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