The design process is a repeatable cycle for solving problems and creating new things. It typically has four stages: investigate (research the problem and who it affects), generate (brainstorm as many possible solutions as you can, without judging them too early), produce (build or make your chosen solution), and evaluate (test it, gather feedback, and identify improvements).
Example
Designing a better school bag: investigate by asking students what annoys them about their current bags; generate several sketch ideas (wheels? better padding? more pockets?); produce a prototype of the best idea; evaluate by having students test it and suggest tweaks.
Key terms
Investigate:
Research the problem and who it affects.
Generate:
Brainstorm possible solutions.
Produce:
Build or make the chosen solution.
Evaluate:
Test the solution and identify improvements.
Questions
1. The design process starts with:
Building the final product
Investigating the problem
Throwing away all ideas
Selling the product
2. Brainstorming lots of possible ideas happens during the:
Investigate stage
Generate stage
Produce stage
Evaluate stage
3. Actually building or making your idea happens during the:
Investigate stage
Generate stage
Produce stage
Evaluate stage
4. Testing your finished idea and getting feedback happens during the:
Investigate stage
Generate stage
Produce stage
Evaluate stage
5. The design process is best described as a:
One-time random guess
Repeatable set of stages for solving problems
Something only engineers use
A type of computer
6. Before building something, it is smart to first:
Skip straight to building
Research and understand the problem
Ignore the users' needs
Sell it immediately
7. A 'prototype' is best described as:
The final perfect product
An early test version of an idea
A type of flowchart
A marketing poster
8. The first stage of the design process is usually:
Produce
Investigate
Evaluate
Generate
9. Brainstorming multiple possible solutions happens during:
Investigate
Generate
Produce
Evaluate
10. Testing a finished solution and identifying improvements happens during:
Investigate
Generate
Produce
Evaluate
11. Building or making the chosen solution is the:
Investigate stage
Generate stage
Produce stage
Evaluate stage
12. Talking to the people who will use your design, to understand what they need, happens mainly during:
Investigate
Generate
Produce
Evaluate
13. If testing reveals a problem with your design, the design process suggests you should:
Ignore the feedback
Use the feedback to improve and try again
Give up entirely
Sell it anyway
14. Choosing the best idea out of several options usually happens near the end of the:
Investigate stage
Generate stage
Produce stage
Evaluate stage
15. A team skips straight to building without investigating what users need. This is risky because:
It saves time with no downsides
They might build something that fails to solve the real problem
Investigating is never useful
Users never have real needs
16. Why is the design process often described as a cycle rather than a straight line?
Because evaluation can send you back to generate new ideas or improve the design
Because it only has one stage
Because you are never allowed to change anything
Because it is the same as a flowchart
17. A prototype 'failing' during testing is best understood as:
A total failure with no value
Useful information that helps improve the design
Proof the design process doesn't work
A reason to abandon design entirely
18. Which of these best shows the 'generate' stage in action?
Sketching 10 different possible solutions to a problem
Interviewing users about their needs
Building the final chosen design
Testing the finished product
19. Why might a design team revisit the 'investigate' stage even after starting to 'produce'?
They realise they misunderstood the original problem
Design stages must never be revisited
It is required even if unnecessary
To waste time
20. The main value of the 'evaluate' stage is that it:
Ends the design process with no further changes possible
Identifies real-world problems and improvements before wider release
Is optional and rarely used
Replaces the need to investigate
21. A company designs, tests, finds flaws, and redesigns a product before launch. This shows the design process is:
A single fixed sequence never repeated
Iterative — it can loop back through stages to improve
Only used once per company
Unnecessary if the first idea seems good
Answer key (parent copy)
1. Investigating the problem
2. Generate stage
3. Produce stage
4. Evaluate stage
5. Repeatable set of stages for solving problems
6. Research and understand the problem
7. An early test version of an idea
8. Investigate
9. Generate
10. Evaluate
11. Produce stage
12. Investigate
13. Use the feedback to improve and try again
14. Generate stage
15. They might build something that fails to solve the real problem
16. Because evaluation can send you back to generate new ideas or improve the design
17. Useful information that helps improve the design
18. Sketching 10 different possible solutions to a problem
19. They realise they misunderstood the original problem
20. Identifies real-world problems and improvements before wider release
21. Iterative — it can loop back through stages to improve