Unit 1: Sustainable Product Redevelopment

This unit focuses on the analysis, modification and improvement of a product design with consideration of sustainability. Students consider the sustainability of an existing product, such as the impact of sourcing materials, manufacture, distribution, use and likely disposal. They consider how a redeveloped product should attempt to solve a problem related to the original product. Where possible, materials and manufacturing processes used are carefully selected to improve the overall sustainability of the redeveloped product.

Areas of study

• Sustainable redevelopment of a product

• Producing and evaluating a redeveloped product

There are two outcomes:

• Design and plan the redevelopment of a product with the intention of developing a different product with consideration of sustainability issues

• Select and apply materials, tools, equipment and processes to make a redeveloped product, and compare this with the original product

Unit 2: Collaborative Design

In this unit students work in teams to design and develop an item in a product range or contribute to the design, planning and production of a group product. They focus on factors including end-users’ needs and wants; function, purpose and context for product design; aesthetics; materials and sustainability; and the impact of these factors on a design solution. Students gain inspiration from an historical or a contemporary design movement or style and its defining factors such as ideological or technological change, philosophy or aesthetics.

Areas of study

• Designing within a team

• Producing and evaluating within a team

There are two outcomes:

• Design and plan a product or range of products collaboratively in response to a design brief

• Justify, manage and use appropriate production processes to make a product safely and evaluate individually and as a member of a team, the processes and materials used and the suitability of a product or components of a group product/s against the design brief

Unit 3: Applying the Product Design Process

In this unit students are engaged in the design and development of a product that addresses a personal, local, or global problem (such as humanitarian issues), or that meets the needs and wants of a potential end-user/s. The product is developed through a design process and is influenced by a range of factors including the purpose, function and context of the product; user-centred design; innovation and creativity; design elements and principles; sustainability concerns; economic limitations; legal responsibilities; material characteristics and properties; and technology. This unit examines different settings and takes students through the product design process as they design for an end-user/s. Students identify methods which could be used in a low-volume or mass/high-volume production setting to manufacture a similar product to their design. In the initial stage of the product design process a design brief is prepared, outlining the context or situation around the design problem and describing the needs and requirements in the form of constraints or considerations.

Areas of study

• Designing for end-user/s

• Product development in industry

• Designing for others

There are three outcomes:

• Investigate and define a design problem, and discuss how the design process leads to product design development

• Explain and analyse influences on the design, development and manufacture of products within industrial settings

• Document the product design process used to meet the needs of an end-user/s, and commence production of the designed product

Unit 4: Product Development and Evaluation

In this unit students engage with an end-user/s to gain feedback throughout the process of production. Students make comparisons between similar products to help evaluate the success of a product in relation to a range of product design factors. The environmental, economic and social impact of products throughout their life cycle can be analysed and evaluated with reference to the product design factors.

Areas of study

• Product analysis and comparison

• Product manufacture

• Product evaluation

This unit has three outcomes:

• Compare, analyse and evaluate similar commercial products, taking into account a range of factors and using appropriate techniques

• Apply a range of production skills and processes safely to make the product designed in Unit 3, and manage time and resources effectively and efficiently

• Evaluate the finished product through testing and feedback against criteria, create end-user/s’ instructions or care labels and recommend improvements to future products