Design for society
A collection of resources for GCSE Design and Technology, that support the teaching of how design can have a positive impact on society, market demand and consumer choice.
How culture and society impacts the design of products and the intended user
This lesson resource helps students to understand how designers need to reflect cultural and society issues in the design of products and consider wider issues. Students will understand the impact culture and society has on its design by looking at a specific products and completing analysis studies. This resource works well when delivered with How products are designed to meet user needs.
What is inclusive design?
This collection of classroom resources look at the topic of inclusive design, how design can be used to solve problems - supporting all people in society to engage successfully in the world around them. This resource sets the scene for inclusive design, helping students to understand how products must fulfill a need for a range of users. Students learning and understanding is documented in a series of worksheet based activities which encourages deeper thinking and further development.
How products are designed to meet user needs
This lesson resource supports students to understand how products are designed to meet the needs of clients. Students are introduced to key vocabulary (technology push and market pull) by analysing the evolution of a daily product (the mobile phone and listening to music on it). Theory of both topics is included with discussion questions. Students are then introduced to technology push in relation to a product failure and complete a case study into the Sinclair C5.
Analysing a product for inclusivity
An assessment lesson where students will put to practice the knowledge they have learnt in relation to what inclusive design is and why it is important for a designer to incorporate the needs of many when creating a new product. Students will complete a series of activities where their abilities are impaired. Results from the activity are recorded and analysed.
Modelling an outcome from an evaluation on inclusivity
Students will review their analysis studies and pick one product and one disability which they model a solution for and test to see if the problem has been resolved. A detailed evaluation will follow using the provided question prompts reflecting ACCESS FMM.
Social, Moral and Cultural Considerations
These resources support students to gain an overview of the social, moral and cultural responsibilities of being a designer. Designing products that consider their impact on others and the environment. This resource collection contains a classroom presentation, student worksheets and a student starter / homework task.
Design ethics, sustainability and the environment mock exam
This mock exam tests student understanding of the ethics involved in being a designer. Questions look at sustainability, life cycle analysis and the impact of design on society.
The development of the mobile phone
This resource uses the mobile phone as an example for how technology can develop over time. Using a card sort activity and classroom presentation, it describes the reasons why technology develops (i.e. technology push, market pull) and provides students with an activity where they create a timeline for mobile phone development from the cards provided.
Product life cycle and planned obsolescence
This classroom presentation supports the teaching of planned obsolescence and a product lifecycle. Using the example of a mobile phone, students explore the volume of phone sales over time and discuss how manufacturers can plan a product's lifespan, looking at product growth, maturity of sales and decline over time. Worksheets are provided to record key points raised in the presentation.
Globalisation and product manufacture
This resource explores the impact of globalisation on the manufacturing market. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of global product manufacture, looking at topics such as transport, sustainability, delivery, consumer rights, legislation. The presentation and worksheets combine to create a learning mat that students can use for later revision activity. In addition to globalisation, this resource also looks briefly at Just In Time manufacture.
Fixperts
Fixperts is an award-winning, hands-on learning programme that challenges young people to use their imagination and skills to create ingenious solutions to everyday problems. This set of resources can be used to introduce pupils to ideas about social and inclusive design, problem identification, iterative design and evaluating ideas with a user in mind.
