Good design starts with clearly understanding a need or opportunity — what problem are you actually trying to solve, and for whom? Designers then investigate options, generate multiple possible ideas (often sketching or prototyping several before choosing one), and develop design criteria — a set of requirements the final solution must meet, like cost, size, safety or sustainability — agreed on collaboratively. Ideas are tested and refined (iterated) based on feedback, and a project plan helps manage time, cost and the steps needed to actually produce the solution.
Example
Designing a better school bag might start by identifying the need (bags are too heavy and uncomfortable), generating several sketch ideas (different strap designs, materials, compartments), agreeing on design criteria (must weigh under 1kg, cost under $40, use recycled materials), then testing a prototype with real students and refining it based on their feedback.
Key terms
Design criteria:
A set of requirements a design solution must meet, like cost, size or sustainability.
Iterate:
To test and refine a design repeatedly, improving it based on feedback.
Prototype:
An early sample or model of a design, used for testing ideas before the final version.
Questions
1. Good design starts with:
Building the final product immediately
Clearly understanding a need or problem
Ignoring the user's needs
Skipping planning entirely
2. Design criteria are:
Random guesses
Requirements a solution must meet
Irrelevant to design
Always identical for every project
3. To iterate means to:
Build once and never change it
Test and refine a design repeatedly
Ignore feedback
Skip testing
4. A prototype is:
The final finished product only
An early sample used for testing ideas
Irrelevant to design
A type of material
5. Generating multiple design ideas before choosing one:
9. Testing a prototype with real users mainly helps:
Waste the designer's time
Gather feedback to improve the design
Guarantee no changes are needed
Replace the need for planning
10. Why might a designer sketch several ideas before picking one?
To explore a range of possible solutions before committing
One idea is always sufficient
Sketching wastes time
Only the first idea should ever be used
11. If user feedback shows a prototype is too heavy, a designer should:
Ignore the feedback
Iterate and refine the design to address the issue
Refuse to change anything
Abandon the whole project immediately
12. Which factor might reasonably become a design criterion for a new product?
The designer's favourite colour only
A maximum budget or cost limit
Nothing measurable
Random preferences
13. Why is investigating and selecting suitable materials an important step in designing a solution?
Materials have no effect on a design
The right materials affect how well a solution meets its criteria, like durability or cost
Materials should be chosen randomly
Only one material ever works
14. A project plan for a class design task might include:
No planning at all
Timeframes and steps needed to complete the project
Ignoring deadlines
Random unstructured work
15. Two design teams create prototypes for the same brief. One tests with real users and iterates; the other does not test at all. Which is more likely to better meet user needs?
The team that skipped testing
The team that tested and iterated based on feedback
Neither, testing has no effect
Both are equally likely to succeed
16. Why might design criteria need to balance competing requirements (e.g. low cost vs high durability)?
Design decisions often involve trade-offs, and criteria help guide sensible compromises
There are never any trade-offs in design
Criteria should ignore cost entirely
Only one requirement ever matters
17. A team skips generating multiple ideas and immediately builds their first concept. What risk does this create?
No risk at all, this is the most efficient approach
They may miss a better solution that a wider range of ideas could have revealed
Multiple ideas are always worse than one
Skipping ideation guarantees success
18. Why is collaboration valued when developing design criteria, rather than one person deciding alone?
Collaboration has no benefit over individual decisions
Combining diverse perspectives can identify requirements one person might miss
Group decisions are always slower with no benefit
Individual decisions are always superior
19. A project plan estimates a task will take 2 weeks, but unexpected problems arise. What should a well-managed project do?
Ignore the problems and the original plan
Adapt the plan while still tracking time, cost and progress
Abandon the project entirely
Pretend no problems exist
20. Understanding the design process (from problem to solution) mainly helps students:
Build things randomly with no plan
Approach real-world problems systematically, using evidence and iteration
Avoid ever testing their ideas
Skip planning and criteria entirely
Answer key (parent copy)
1. Clearly understanding a need or problem
2. Requirements a solution must meet
3. Test and refine a design repeatedly
4. An early sample used for testing ideas
5. Helps explore different possible solutions
6. Time, cost and production steps
7. Cost, size, safety or sustainability
8. A team agrees on requirements together
9. Gather feedback to improve the design
10. To explore a range of possible solutions before committing
11. Iterate and refine the design to address the issue
12. A maximum budget or cost limit
13. The right materials affect how well a solution meets its criteria, like durability or cost
14. Timeframes and steps needed to complete the project
15. The team that tested and iterated based on feedback
16. Design decisions often involve trade-offs, and criteria help guide sensible compromises
17. They may miss a better solution that a wider range of ideas could have revealed
18. Combining diverse perspectives can identify requirements one person might miss
19. Adapt the plan while still tracking time, cost and progress
20. Approach real-world problems systematically, using evidence and iteration