ii. present the final chosen design and justify its selection 

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How to do strand 3 

 

Once you have generated a range of initial ideas you need to evaluate them one by one in order to identify your strongest idea.  To evaluate the ideas effectively you must use your initial success criteria (Design Specification) as a set of benchmarks.  You can do the evaluation yourself and record the findings in an appropriate way.  

 

Once you have selected the strongest ideas your must fully justify why you selected it and provide detailed reasons stating what makes it the best.

 

This strand addresses one Command Term (Present).   

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You can use a simple table to evaluate your ideas.  In the example below the student has evaluated each of the initial ideas against the main design factors, making sure to consider the specific requirements they outlined in strand 1.

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For example:  The students specification statements for function for the desk were...

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1.  My desk must provide a large flat surface, suitable for doing homework and using a laptop computer.

2.  My desk must provide a stable working area which does not wobble or move when in use.  

3.  My desk must provide some form of storage for smaller items(pens, pencils etc)

 

The student has considered these specific requirements when evaluating each initial idea.  There is a summary comment and a score out of 10.  This process should help you to identify your strongest idea.  You can also ask other people (ideally your client) for feedback on the designs.  

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The video above shows you how to create a basic radar chart.  The chart allows a visual analysis of how each idea meets the specifications.  The idea with the largest area is the strongest idea and should be developed further.  

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The Development section of the folio is where you may need to carry out further research, once you have settled on a final idea.  You should create a "development page" where you iron out all the finer details of the design and include lots of information about how you will create the working prototype.  You should also include details of how you will adapt or refine the design to improve it.  Some areas which can be considered in this section are:

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Aesthetics - can you adapt the appearance of the design to make it look more appealing to the client.  

Function - can you improve the  performance of the product, or add a secondary function?

Safety - are there any elements of the design that could be made safer? rounded edges, less small parts etc?

Ergonomics - can the product be made more ergonomic?  more comfortable? more user friendly? lighter?  

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